Welcome back to Buy & Sell, where this week’s theme is: Meniscusi, Meniscusi! Like the creepy Italian guy in EuroTrip, some injuries have soured our destinations, and many of my luckier teams have finally gotten hit with a spate of injuries to great finds like Schmitt & Mead, not to mention Langeliers being done for the year adding to an already decimated catcher pool. But while I’m more ruthless with cuts now, I’m still ruthful and truthful when I say there are still good hitters out there in most leagues if you know where to look! On to the list!
BUY
10-team
Ty France (1B, San Diego Padres)
Look out, it’s Barrelspierre, and we’re witnessing the France Revolution. He’s cooled off a tad from his torrid week last week, but still going strong, hitting .362 with 5 homers and a whopping 13 RB over 47 AB the past two weeks, and hitting .308 with 1 HR and 5 RBI this week. While it’s easy to assume that it’s an ephemeral streak, I have some hope that maybe this time it’s different.
For one, we need to remember that most of what we know of Ty France was with the Mariners, a team known for not being gifted with hitting and a pitcher-friendly park to add to the challenge. While Petco Park isn’t much better in that regard, we’ve seen San Diego breathe new life into several mid-career hitters like Gavin Sheets and Ramon Laureano, primarily by getting them to hit the ball harder. And would you look at that, Ty France’s average exit velo this year is 92.4 mph, good for 91st percentile in the MLB. His next best mark was 89 mph, which was last year. So I don’t think it’s a fluke that his barrel rate is also double-digit for the first time in his career. I think he could be a top-20 1B the rest of the way, and possibly top-15 in AVG leagues. If he’s been taken, send a trade offer for him… he may come cheaper than you think. VIVE LA FRANCE! (also his LA Sweetspot% is 87th percentile; sorry, I ruined the moment!)
Angel Martinez (2B/OF, Cleveland Guardians)
Cleveland’s offense may seem beyond saving, but we all still welcome the return of their Guardian Angel. Odds are that he may have been cut loose in many leagues, since he’s been laying a big ol’ goose egg since returning, with no hits in 16 AB, bringing his season line down to .224 with 11 HR and 9 SB. Yeah, those numbers don’t look great, do they? So why add?
Well, don’t forget, he’s been out since early June, so his 11/9 HR/SB in 258 looks better on a rate stat basis. Actually, last year he hit .224 with 11 HR in 8 SB in 484 PA over the season. With that number of PA, he’d have about 21 HR and 17 SB. That’s a better power/speed combo than you’ll usually find on your waiver wire, especially with the 2B eligibility.
Honorable Mention: Joc Pederson (UT, Texas Rangers)
I’ll brag about being the OG touting Joc as underrated when he only had a handful of homers hitting under the Mendoza line, and he’s continued to beast out as he’s now near 20 jacks. But I’m giving you the heads up that he’s just 1 game from 1B eligibility in most leagues, and 2 from OF. The OF one is more of a long shot, but more useful. Hey, it could happen.
12-team
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (1B/3B, Baltimore Orioles)
He’s been the hot ticket item in FAAB this past weekend, though my read is he’s a bit overpriced… hey, just like The Strand! And I’m concerned what will happen when pitchers get the book on him. Hey, it would be a great comeback story, and he’s hit a studly .333 with 3 homers and has plenty of runway thanks to Orioles injuries and the fact he’s been playing at 3B, a much more in-demand position right now in fantasy (especially with Schmitt going down). And his Statcast page looks fantastic, with a .273 xBA and insane .616 xSLG (small sample size alert), with an 18% barrel% and a whiff rate that looks quite encouraging. But before getting too loco for him, I’d suggest un poco de En-precacion.
He’s not exactly a young prospect at 26, and we should remember that while his previous stints in the majors were flops, there were a few weeks where he looked like he had it all figured out. And in the minors, we had a much bigger sample of him struggling with contact despite the big power, as he hit 19 HR in 297 PA but with an unsightly 31% K% and 5% BB%. It’s not what you want, and it seems the issue is less whiffing than it is discipline, as he had a terrible 43% O-Swing% (chase rate) in Triple-A. So far in the majors, it’s been 55%! Especially with a lineup full of plot holes like Baltimore, pitchers might soon just stop throwing him strikes. So I’d stream if I needed power, but I also think in trade deadline leagues, I’d deal him for good value now for a more stable asset.
Esteury Ruiz (OF, Miami Marlins)
The Marlins finally seem fed up with Marsee, and will let Ruiz run wild. He does only have 11 AB this week, but 4 SB, and he’s been hitting the ball much better lately too, with a rapidly rising rolling xwOBA. In fact, his rolling xwOBA over his past 100 PA is an excellent .342, the 3rd-biggest riser in the MLB. Yowza!
Granted, he was rising from a mark of .219 that is frankly terrible, but still, a player with this kind of speed showing anything interesting with the bat is definitely worth watching, since I still remember that one crazy year in the minors where he hit for an amazing average and power with his speed… maybe some semblance of that Esteury is still in there somewhere, and I’d be remiss to dismiss given he’s only been given more than 100 MLB PA once before this year in his MLB career (his breakout year in 2023).
Honorable Mention: Trent Grisham (OF, New York Yankees) – I’ve made the mistake of quitting too early, and this may be quitting too late, but he’s still hitting the ball hard with an improved contact rate. Is being unlucky merely his fate? I’d target in deeper leagues where the cost isn’t great.
15-team
Jonah Heim (C, Athletics)
Langeliers is done for the year with a leg injury, but great legs are just a roster squeeze away. Yes, you can still get Sacramento’s Suzanne Somers summer star, and get on the Heimaster. Had to reach way back for that one, folks. It’s true, his recent performance has been unseemly, hitting just .154 with 1 HR in 54 AB over the past 3 weeks, but on the year he’s still hitting a cromulent .220 with 10 HR (at least for a catcher in this Mad Max-esque catcher carnage landscape.
Heim still has the same sub-20% that’s kept him mostly fantasy relevant, and his high-flyball approach couldn’t be a better ballpark fit than the Sac in the summer. Statcast seems to think this recent downturn is nothing but some luck regression, as his recent xwOBA has been league average. While it’s a shame that he doesn’t hit as many pulled flyballs given he still has a fairly high pull% and FB%, but just not as much together, he’ll be a solid 2nd catcher in 2-catcher formats.
Endy Rodriguez (C/1B, Pittsburgh Pirates) – He’s back, and let’s not forget that he was winning the lion’s share of PT in Pittsburgh just before going down, and I think he’ll be eased in but win it back. Luckily for me, someone forgot and cut him in my 30-team dynasty. Yoink!
Honorable Mention: Jacob Young (OF, Washington Nationals) – His roster rate plummeted after the arrival of Crews pushed him out of playing time, but he’s been valuable in his part-time role, hitting 345/.444/.517 with 2 HR and 5 SB in 29 AB over the past two weeks. He’s actually first in xwOBA improvers with a .441 over his past 50 PA.
Honorable Mention: Hao-Yu Lee (2B/3B, Detroit Tigers) – I wrote him up last week, but since then he’s hit .444 with 2 homers. Javier Baez is back, but I think Lee is looking like a future regular who should keep playing.
Honorable Mention: Nick Fortes (C, Tampa Bay Rays) – Fortes still seems to get the shorter straw at playing time, but he’s been the much better hitting catcher, hitting .280 with 4 homers after hitting .417 with 2 homers over 36 AB over the past 2 weeks. If you need AVG floor, he’s your guy.
Deep Leagues
Andres Chaparro (1B/3B, Washington Nationals)
He was hardly visible for much of the year, much like a ghost, but lately everything’s moving around. There’s been a lot of Chapparronormal activity. He’s been one of the hottest hitters no one is talking about, with a .424 50 PA rolling xwOBA, which is even higher than his .380 100 PA rolling xwOBA, which is the 2nd-biggest improver over that span in the MLB, right behind teammate C.J. Abrams. People keep talking about the Mead trade leading to an opening for Brady House (I’ll resist the “Open House” pun), but I think Chaparro could be the real diamond in the rough.
I added him already in my deepest dynasty league, and I’m considering adding shares, as he’s rocking an excellent 15% Barrel% and 53% HardHit%. And while his season line of .224 with a .487 xSLG looks unremarkable, Statcast thinks he’s been unlucky, with a surprising .267 xBA and eye-popping .555 xSLG. He’s no prospect at age 27, And if that wasn’t enough, he’s also in a still supercharged lineup, and also rocking an excellent 27% PullAir%, that should help him succeed if he can keep his contact% close to its current 24% (an improvement from last year’s 30% mark).
Honorable Mention: Andruw Monasterio (SS, Boston Red Sox) – He’s been underrated but keeping the Red Sox going by hitting .333 in 36 AB over the past 3 weeks, with the same mark in 18 AB this week. Great deep league glue guy.
Honorable Mention: Eduardo Valencia (C, Detroit Tigers) – He’s right now without a spot, but he puts a charge in the lineup. That’s why I call him Valencia Electron. And in deep leagues, he could be shockingly good.
SELL
10-team
Jac Caglianone (1B/OF, Kansas City Royals)
In with the Joc, out with the Jac, because the latter seems to have had his shoulder muscles attac. In a dynasty league, you obviously need to stick with him, and maybe I’m being too impatient here to suggest him as a 10-team cut, I really do get that. But I’m a numbers guy, and the BABIPs don’t lie, Shakira Shakira. Over the past 100 PA, he’s been dead last in biggest xwOBA dropper, and while he had a looong way down with a nuclear .486 mark in the prior 100 PA, it’s down .240 points to just .246. I mean, he’s a whole new shade of blue; the next closest dropper is Oswald Peraza, who is down .176 points. For context, his .246 xwOBA over this span is the same as Mark Vientos. Yeesh.
The tough thing with injuries is that we have no idea when he’ll be better… it could be in 2 weeks he’s back to mashing like he did in June. But it’s also worth considering that in nearly two seasons (though I suppose more like 1.5 total), he’s had just one month where he was actually clicking offensively. And it’s true that he’s been a tad better lately than when he initially nosedived. But in 10-team formats, the bar for offense is so high, and he doesn’t offer anything in speed, and average is a maybe. And runs produced, well now with Witt Jr. down too, it’s not the kind of run production you need. I think you could still trade him for something good in most leagues since his xBA and xSLG make him just look unlucky, and ignore the other context.
Ian Happ (OF, Chicago Cubs)
I made the ultimate sin of leaving him in my lineup assuming he was chugging along fine… but I had no idea what was Happ-ening. Nothing good, that’s for sure. He’s hit just .250 with 1 HR and 6 R and 6 RBI over 56 AB the past 3 weeks, which is critical since his high runs + RBI count is his biggest source of value. With no speed in his game anymore, it’s not enough to be 10-team viable in AVG formats.
12-team
Michael Busch (1B, Chicago Cubs)
Yes, I know, I’m a terrible Cub hater, apparently. But everything is wilting, and the rides are no fun in these Busch Gardens. I rode it out long enough in my TGFBI where I’m battling for 2nd, and now benched him for France. Even though he hit 34 homers last year with an amazing barrel rate, we should have been more suspect of the terrible 69.6 mph Bat Speed (16th percentile), which this year is even worse at just 68.3 mph (6th percentile). So I think his current 40% HardHit% is much more likely the real Michael Busch as it’s similar to his 2024 mark.
But if that weren’t bad enough, things are not heading in the right direction. In the summer, when you’d assume Cubs bats are taking advantage of the changing winds at Wrigley, he’s been flavorless gum. Behind his solid surface numbers of .296 with 2 homers over the past 3 weeks, he’s been one of the biggest fallers in xwOBA with a terrible .293 rolling 100 PA xwOBA, that’s below Marcus Semien, Dane Myers, and J.T. Realmuto. That’s not what you need at 1B. While he has drawn more walks this year, there’s an argument to be made that he’s even on the verge of being droppable in 15-team AVG formats, especially if someone like France or Strand are still on your wire.
Eugenio Suarez (3B, Cincinnati Reds)
You thought you were getting a player whose batting average might bottom out. But it looks like everything is bottoming out. After hitting 49 homers last year, he looks anemic as a hitter and merely kept afloat by the ballpark, but I think that may not be enough. Although his .204 AVG with 14 homers on the year masks it a bit, he actually has a horrific .187 xSLG and hideous .332 that’s leagues worse than his current .297 mark. While you can ramble on about his PullAir%, that’s down to a decent but more pedestrian 23% mark, which won’t be enough to overcome his disastrous 36% K%. Sell him for what you can, because not everyone realizes just how much water the Suarez ship has taken on.
15-team
Lars Nootbaar (OF, St. Louis Cardinals)
He’s my Charlie Brown kicking the football player, and it looks like I’m airborne again. Unfortunately, Nootbaar’s batted balls are not airborne, which is what had me hoping this year would be different. The peripheral stats all still look solid, with a high hard hit%, solid K%, and yet, still no production to move the needle, especially in AVG formats. And odds are, in a few weeks he’ll be injured again. That said, maybe next year, I’ll be Charlie Brown returning once more to try to kick the Nootbaal.
Jung Hoo Lee (OF, San Francisco Giants)
I made some folks upset when I shrugged at his insane hitting streak a month or so ago, because I figured this would be the other shoe to drop. Such is the life of a BABIP-dependent player with no pop. Now with a more depleted Schmitt-less lineup, the run-producing opportunities are also down.
Deep Leagues
Jorge Mateo (SS/OF, Atlanta Braves)
I’m not going to bore you this time with rolling xwOBA, I’m just going to say that the Braves seemed desperate for the past month plus to prevent Mateo from getting any playing time whatsoever, and he has just 8 PA over the past month. It’s bad enough I think I might cut him in a 30-team dynasty league even though I have him for 2 years. He still has talent, but has no opportunity. Maybe these teams know something I don’t. Or maybe he kicked the manager’s dog.
Lucas Spence (OF, Houston Astros)
Sometimes, getting playing time does more harm than good. I took some fliers on him due to being 23 and having opportunity, but he’s put up zeroes in power and speed and whiffing like crazy (not even drawing walks). Even in the deepest AL-only formats, there’s no sign of life here. With Mitch Spence also crashing and burning, we just need four more players with the same last name to be…Six Spence None the Richer.
