The clock is ticking as MLB squads and fantasy baseball managers alike are down to their final month of the season. For some, the year is over and all that’s left is to see what kind of talent you’ve got stuffed away on your bench, minors, etc. For others, it’s the last chance to claim a few more countable stats, climb the standings and snatch victory – or maintain a lead. There’s a handful of players that could be helpful down the stretch, and it’s important to identify areas that fantasy teams can improve. With less than 20 games on the schedule for some MLB teams, it’s time to 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: BOS, CIN, CLE, MIA, NYY, TBR
FIVE GAMES: ARZ, SDP
Batters
Outfielders
Jonny DeLuca ($$$): DeLuca continues to get the job done for the Rays and continues to get regular plate appearances. With three stolen bases and a home run this past week alone, DeLuca is going to be one of the dudes that decides fantasy championships with the potential to create a five-category contribution.
Jordan Walker ($$$): Here we are again. Jordan Walker gives me hope. I write him up in this column. And he gets sent back down to the minors. Maybe this time, he’ll stick in the majors and I won’t look quite so much like an idiot. He’s batting .280 with a pair of home runs and a stolen base over the past two weeks and I still don’t feel great about the Cardinals keeping him on the active roster. Will I still bid on him? Yep.
Seth Brown ($$$): Toting around one of the hottest bats in the game, Brown has hit 16-for-38 over the past two weeks, with four home runs and 14 RBI. He’s a can’t-miss add if he’s available on the waiver wire and could potentially boost batting average and counting stats if he continues his torrid pace through September.
Tommy Pham ($$): On his third different roster this season alone, Pham may have found a place that he belongs – in the Royals’ leadoff spot. Since joining the Royals, Pham has batted 7-for-21 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs scored in just five games. He seems motivated by the chance to make a postseason run and should continue to see at-bats in the top half of the Kansas City lineup.
Griffin Conine ($): Why not take a shot on Griffin Conine? He’s getting decent playing time in Miami and has posted a very respectable 32.3% hard contact rate over a very small major league sample size (32 plate appearances). It’s not like there’s much talent competition in the Marlins’ outfield, so he should continue to get work if he earns it.
Infielders
Will Wagner ($$): The honeymoon phase is starting to wear off and the gleam is coming off of Wagner’s shine, but he’s still 10-for-29 over the last two weeks and getting pretty regular run in a sneaky-dangerous Toronto lineup.
Trevor Story ($$): Story is back in the Red Sox lineup after a nasty shoulder injury and long stint on the IL. It will take time to see what his role will be the rest of the way, but based on the depth at shortstop, or lack thereof, for the Red Sox, he ought to have ample opportunity.
Joey Gallo ($): Gallo has returned from the IL and taken over as Washington’s primary first baseman. Though he’s blasted just one home run in three weeks since his return, he has the power to pop off several in a one week span if he gets hot. Teams seeking power numbers should snatch him off the wire and hope he makes contact.
Gio Urshela ($): One of those rock-steady veteran bats that never flashes too much pop, but always seems to get at-bats, Urshela is now manning the hot corner for the Braves. With Austin Riley on the shelf for a while, Urshela ought to see plenty of plate appearances the rest of the way and could be a solid accumulator late in the season.
Andrés Chaparro ($): Chaparro has struggled somewhat to make contact, but when he does it travels a long way. The Nationals are putting him in the lineup, in the heart of the order, every day. He needs to be rostered by a team seeking power production down the stretch.
Catchers/UT
Bo Naylor ($$$): Naylor is available in far too many leagues, sitting at 88% ownership in 15-team formats. He’s getting everyday at-bats in Cleveland, which has been one of the best hitter’s parks in baseball this season. Grab him if he’s there.
Elias Díaz ($): After being released by the Colorado Rockies, Diaz caught on with the NL West rival San Diego Padres and was called up to the big league squad earlier this week.
Drew Romo ($): The 2020 first-round pick is getting regular at-bats in Colorado. There’s not a lot here from a hitting profile, but at least you’ll be getting catcher at-bats in the best hitting environment in baseball.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Martín Pérez ($$$$): I will continue to pound the proverbial table for Martín Pérez. He just cooked the Tigers for 6.1 innings of shutout baseball and now lines up against the strikeout-happy Mariners on Wednesday before a two-start week right after that. Lock him up now.
Dean Kremer ($$$): Kremer tossed a gem against the division rival Rays last time out and slots in against Boston this coming week. The five-pitch arsenal has worked well for Kremer as he continues to give hitters three different fastball looks as well as a splitter and curveball. He’s gone at least six innings and recorded at least five strikeouts in three of his last four starts and continues to build momentum. He also pitches at one of the best defensive parks in baseball for half of his games. Win potential is a selling point, while strikeouts and ratios are a bonus when scooping Kremer.
Jordan Wicks ($$): Wicks might be a one-week stash as he faces the Dodgers on Wednesday in his next start but after that, he lines up for what could be a two-start week. Though he’s still building up his pitch count, the former 2021 first-round draft pick has looked fine in his past two outings, completing five innings in each. He’s worth a shot, but maybe bench him this coming week against LA.
Cade Povich ($): Povich is coming off of his best career start, fanning 10 in 7.1 innings pitched as he earned the win. But it came against the White Sox. That feels like it deserves an asterisk. He’s got two starts this week, at Boston and at Detroit. As much as I want to trust the talent, I am a little scared of the Fenway start. I think Povich could dominate a slightly weaker Tigers’ lineup later in the week though. Similar to Kremer, Povich’s best sell is his win potential but he can also miss bats at a higher clip than his teammate. He’s worth a flyer.
Rhett Lowder ($): Lowder earns a two-start week with both games coming on the road (away from Great American Ball Park). He’ll face the Cardinals on Tuesday and then square off against the Twins on Sunday afternoon. He’s not a strikeout guy, but he has produced relatively weak contact in a small sample so far, allowing just one earned run in 10+ innings pitched. I don’t love the metrics, but two starts against teams who haven’t seen him yet makes him at least somewhat appealing.
Relief Pitchers
Porter Hodge ($$$): He’s the closer for the Cubs now but he’s still available in 15-20% of 15-team leagues. For save-needy teams, Hodge is a must-add. The Cubs will continue to compete until the last day of the year, even if it doesn’t always feel like it.
Evan Phillips ($$): The Dodgers have had a chance to save a game in the month of September, but Phillips has been strong out of the pen since returning from the IL. Though it appears Michael Kopech has taken over as the ‘closer,’ manager Dave Roberts doesn’t seem to care about true labels or roles in the back end of the Dodgers’ pen. For what it’s worth, Phillips converted the Dodgers’ most recent save opportunity, but it was all the way back on Aug. 31.
Jesús Tinoco ($): The Miami Marlins haven’t registered a save since Sept. 1, but closer Calvin Faucher has since hit the injured list and could be replaced in the ninth inning by just about anyone in the Miami bullpen. John McMillon was the last Marlins’ pitcher to take on the ninth inning in a close game, but if you believe our daily column Reliever Ranks, the next man up is Tinoco. Since joining the Marlins, Tinoco has been solid (not perfect) and might get the next chance. It’s a speculative add from a bad team. Tread lightly.