Each week we identify seven hitters who are rostered in fewer than 15% of fantasy baseball leagues who should be on your radar. For the most part, the players included in this article are best suited for inclusion in deeper leagues (12 teams or more). However, with the multitude of injuries creating holes in fantasy baseball rosters, you may need to eventually rely on some of the players referenced in this article in order to field a complete and competitive fantasy lineup. We reference Fantasy Pros’ roster percentages (as of Sunday afternoon) in this article.
Miguel Cabrera, 1B, DET, (10%)
Miguel Cabrera may not be the fantasy powerhouse that he used to be but in leagues that allow daily lineup changes he could add some depth to your fantasy team. Cabrera has been productive of late, batting .341 with four HR and eight RBI in his last 12 games, but he has been especially good against left-handed pitching all season long. In 94 at-bats against southpaws, he’s posted a .298/.365/.394 triple slash.
Sam Hilliard, OF, COL, (5%)
After his strong finish to the 2019 season, many fantasy managers expected big things from Sam Hilliard in 2020 but he only played in 36 games and batted just .210 with a .286 OBP. He got off to another slow start this season and by July 25th, Hilliard had a .135 BA and a 43.9% K rate. However, since then he’s turned things around, batting .324 with four HR and 10 RBI in his last 11 games. His strikeout rate is still high at 28.6%, but it has significantly improved since the start of the season. If he continues his hot hitting he should continue to see regular at-bats.
Jack Mayfield, 2B/3B/SS, LAA, (2%)
Keep your eye on Jack Mayfield who has been on a power binge of late. Mayfield, who was traded from the Mariners to the Angels earlier this season, is batting .375 with three HR and six RBI in his last seven games. At 30 years old, Mayfield has been a journeyman prospect, who has been getting regular at-bats filling in for Anthony Rendon. Despite being a marginal prospect for his career, he’s always swung a power bat and if he continues to produce, he’ll continue to play just about every day—at least for the short term.
Ronald Torreyes, 2B/3B/SS, PHI, (2%)
With Didi Gregorius continuing to slump and his ability to play both a good second base and shortstop, Ronald Torreyes should continue to see regular at-bats in the Phillies lineup. In his last 24 games, Torreyes has posted a modest .313/.382/.478 triple-slash. He has an impressive 10.3% walk rate and 5.1% strikeout rate during that time span.
Yadiel Hernandez, OF, WSH, (2%)
Yadiel Hernandez was featured in this column once before but with the Nationals’ recent purge he could be very fantasy relevant for the remainder of the season and worth mentioning again. While the 33-year-old talented journeyman prospect won’t probably be a big part of their long-term future, with Kyle Schwarber having been traded and Juan Soto currently dealing with a knee issue, Hernandez will likely be in the Nationals everyday lineup for the rest of the season. He is a lifetime .300 hitter in the minor leagues and enters this week’s action with a .310/.362/.437 triple-slash.
Santiago Espinal, 3B/SS, TOR, (2%)
With Cavan Biggio having struggled and presently on the IL with a nagging back injury, Santiago Espinal has been getting semi-regular at-bats of late and deserves to be on your watch list. Espinal entered Sunday’s action slashing .301/.354/.411 and while he’s been slumping a bit lately, his ability to hit left-handed pitching (.325 BAA) makes him someone to consider using in DFS lineups or leagues that allow daily lineup changes.
Hoy Park, 2B/SS/OF, PIT, (1%)
When the Pirates traded for Hoy Park from the Yankees they got themselves a versatile player who had been leading the Class AAA East players in batting (.327), on-base percentage (.475), OPS (1.042), and walks (46). The Pirates have been using him predominantly as an outfielder but his multi-position eligibility adds to his real life and fantasy value. Park, who has stolen 118 bases in his six-year minor league career, has been batting leadoff for the Pirates. In his first six games with the Bucs, he has posted a .384/.435/.571 triple slash. With the Pirates playing out the string and trying to determine who they can build their team around, Park will be in their everyday lineup.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter and @justinparadisdesigns on Instagram)