September already? This baseball season has flown past and we’re down to the home stretch. Before you go and switch your focus to football – admittedly, I’ll be locked into Thursday night’s season opener as a Baltimore Ravens fan – make sure you set your FAAB waterfalls and get the guys to help you bring home a fantasy baseball championship. With only a month of regular season left, there’s not much time to make up ground so we have to squeeze every little stat out of every lineup spot that we can for what’s left of the year. Let’s dig in.
As a reminder, we’re focusing on players who are between 20-25% rostered in most 12-team leagues and/or 25-50% rostered in 15-teamers. Every league is different, so we won’t be labeling player bids with any sort of recommended dollar amount but instead will use a four-tier investment rating system, ranging from a minimal spend to a potential difference-maker (or LEAGUE-WINNER, if you will).
Investment Rating System
SEVEN GAMES: ARZ, MIN, OAK, PIT, SEA, TBR, TEX
FIVE GAMES: TOR
Batters
Outfielders
Dylan Crews ($$$$): Readers of this particular column may have already scooped Crews when he was suggested a few weeks ago, but if he’s still on the waiver wire in your league it’s time to pounce. Crews has popped off for two home runs and a .313 batting average in his first few games, striking the ball with a 35.3% hard contact rate. It’s time to empty the coffers for Crews, who may be one of the last impact prospects to get called up this season – or at least the last one with enough time in the bigs to have a prolific effect on your fantasy outcome.
Kyle Stowers ($$): Stowers enters the weekend on an 8-for-17 hot streak and drove in a season-high four RBI on Thursday night. It might be the sign of a breakthrough for the Marlins’ outfielder as he continues to get regular playing time in the middle of the Miami lineup.
David Peralta ($$): Lather, rinse, repeat. I’ve been touting the Freight Train for weeks now and he continues to be a very good hitter in the middle of a very hot Padres lineup.
Zach McKinstry ($): Over the last 10 games, McKinstry has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. Since August 17, McKinstry has batted 15-for-29, with one home run, five RBI, six runs scored, and five stolen bases. He’s not the kind of player we might expect to post these kinds of numbers regularly, but ride the wave until it crashes!
Ben Gamel ($): Gamel is getting regular at-bats in the outfield for the Astros and making the most of his opportunity with a 9-for-27 streak heading into the weekend. It’s not a sexy pickup, but an everyday outfielder with a hot bat in one of the league’s most productive lineups is worth rostering.
Jason Heyward ($): A change of scenery may have been just what Jason Heyward needed. Snatched up by the Astros, he’ll likely play against most right-handed starters as long as Kyle Tucker is out (and who knows how long that will be).
Infielders
José Tena ($$$$): Tena is making the most of his opportunities in Washington, vying to be the Nationals’ third baseman of the future. He’s batted 18-for-57 (.328) with one of the highest hard contact rates in all of baseball during that time (41.7%). Somehow, he’s only 40-50% rostered in 15-team leagues. With Idelmaro Vargas and potentially Trey Lipscomb serving as Tena’s only competition for at-bats, he should be a fixture at the hot corner in the nation’s capital for the rest of the season.
Jacob Wilson ($$$): Did you forget about this guy? After one of the season’s most tragic injuries in his MLB debut, Wilson has recovered and made it back to the majors. After a markedly prolific minor-league career from the plate, fantasy managers should invest now in his contact-hitting profile and reap the awards in batting average and runs scored.
Connor Norby ($$$): Norby is making the Orioles look absolutely silly in the aftermath of the Trevor Rogers trade. Since joining the Marlins, he’s batted 14-for-49 (.286) with two home runs and two stolen bases in 11 games. It wouldn’t shock me if he outperforms Jackson Holliday for the rest of the season.
Santiago Espinal ($$): Since the All-Star break, Espinal has been one of the best hitters in baseball. In 22 games, Espinal has batted .395 (30-for-82) with only 11 strikeouts. The counting stats haven’t been that exciting because he bats at the bottom of the Reds lineup, but he could be an asset for batting average and even swipes bags from time to time.
J.P. Crawford ($$): Back from the IL and immediately re-inserted into the leadoff spot for the Mariners, Crawford is looking to spark an on-again, off-again Seattle lineup. Despite batting just .202 so far this season, Crawford has an xBA of .242 which could indicate that he’s in for some positive regression over the final month of the season.
Ramón Urías ($): Urias is going to get playing time at third base for the Orioles moving forward, and with the Birds traveling to Coors Field this weekend, he’ll definitely be worth a bid. Urias has recorded a 27.6% hard contact rate and is striking out at only a 17.9% rate. If he continues to make solid, consistent contact at the bottom of the Orioles’ lineup, he’ll be worth a roster spot.
Catchers/UT
Freddy Fermin ($$): With the injury to Vinnie Pasquantino, the Royals will likely move Salvador Perez to first base which will then open more playing time behind the plate for Fermin. Though with Nick Pratto and Nick Loftin both sitting in AAA with MLB experience, Kansas City could opt to give the at-bats to either of those young guys instead. Either way, Fermin is a decent option in two-catcher leagues.
Ben Rice ($): Still catcher-eligible. Still getting at-bats. Still a left-handed hitter in Yankee Stadium. Still only 45-50% rostered in 15-team, two-catcher leagues? Grab him if you need him.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Nathan Eovaldi ($$$$): Eovaldi is available in 2% of 15-team leagues and shouldn’t be. He’s tossed three quality starts in a row, including a pair of wins in each of his last two starts. He’s registered at least 11 whiffs in each of his last seven starts and is rolling with a 14.4% swinging strike rate on the season. For fantasy managers in 12-team leagues, Eovaldi is a priority add as we close out the season looking for solid ratios, wins, and strikeouts.
Ty Madden ($$$): Finally, the Detroit Tigers have begun to dip into their wealth of pitching talent in their farm system. Madden came out and pitched well against the White Sox in his debut, a great team to make your first start against, and will face the Red Sox on Sunday. Assuming that start goes well, his price could skyrocket. Even so, he’s a solid investment considering his 11.0+ K/9 rate through two minor-league levels this season. Though he only rung up a pair of strikeouts against the White Sox, I anticipate an uptick in punchouts as he gets more comfortable in the majors.
Jack Leiter ($$$): At some point, fantasy managers have to gamble. This is a gamble – and it’s a bet on draft capital and prospect pedigree. Leiter was selected second overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2021 MLB Draft and made his big league debut earlier this season, getting tagged… several times. He’s back in the majors now and draws a two-start week this coming time period with scheduled starts against the Yankees and the Angels. A bid on Leiter is a bet that the youngster has his stuff figured out and his 12.86 K/9 rate at AAA can transfer to the bigs this time around.
Caden Dana ($$): With a sub-1.00 WHIP and a K/9 near 10.00 over 23 starts at the AA level (legit pitching prospects typically don’t go to the AAA Pacific Coast League), Dana has the potential to be a solid addition to fantasy pitching staffs the rest of the way. Managers will certainly want to watch his debut on Sunday before setting their bids. If Dana maintains control throughout, he’ll definitely garner a higher number in FAAB but he could be had for cheap if walks become an issue. Of the two Angels’ pitchers debuting this weekend, I prefer Dana over Samuel Aldegheri – the latter of whom has tossed just 27.1 innings at the AA level before his call-up.
Patrick Corbin ($): Wait, really? Corbin has been really good in each of his last two starts, one earned run and nine base runners while ringing up 14 strikeouts across 12.0 innings pitched. He earned wins in both starts as well, shutting down the Rockies (not that impressive) and the Yankees (very impressive). With a two-start week against Miami and Pittsburgh, there’s never been a better time to grab him… and hope he stays hot.
Relief Pitchers
Porter Hodge ($$$): It’s unclear whether fantasy managers don’t believe in Hodge, or don’t believe in the Cubs – probably the Cubs. Either way, Hodge is still available in nearly half of all 15-team leagues and is the most likely reliever in the Chicago bullpen to get save opportunities down the stretch.
Griffin Jax ($$): One has to expect that Rocco Baldelli is at least considering a closer change after Jhoan Duran has recorded a loss in each of his last two outings heading into the weekend. Jax is next in the pecking order for the ninth inning and has been outstanding this season.
Jason Foley ($$): Foley is available in 10-15% of 15-team leagues. The Tigers aren’t exactly a juggernaut, but with Foley snagging three of the team’s last four saves, it makes a ton of sense to roster him if you’re chasing opponents in the category. Might Tyler Holton vulture a ninth-inning close game here or there? Sure, but Foley is the first option in Detroit’s bullpen.
Aroldis Chapman ($): The Pittsburgh Pirates have stuck with David Bednar as their closer through thick and thin for several years now. There’s probably not much reason for them to switch to Chapman now. But Bednar did just allow five – yes, FIVE – earned runs in the ninth on Thursday against the Cubs. Perhaps Bednar needs a break? Chapman is the next man up in Pittsburgh.