Welcome back to another FAABulous Sunday! As we approach the halfway point the grind is really setting in for our fantasy squads. We have another holiday weekend next week, the all-star break follows, and for many fantasy football drafts and preparation are underway. This can be advantageous for those that continue to be diligent with their fantasy baseball teams, so let’s get to it!
Catcher
Joey Bart (12% TGFBI, 5% Yahoo) – If not for a couple of hand injuries and the shortened 2020 season, we probably would have seen Bart begin the season with the Giants. His 7 HR, 26 RBI, 21 R, and .342 BA at AAA would be a nice addition to the surprising San Francisco lineup. With Brandon Belt heading to the IL and Buster Posey missing the past two games due to injury there may be an opportunity on the horizon. He also had an at-bat on May 4, so he is available in all NFBC leagues while still in the minors.
First Base
Keston Hiura (59 % TGFBI, 35% Yahoo) – 2B – Adam Howe (@EightyGrade) asked me on this morning’s episode of On the Wire (@OnTheWirePod) if I had trust in Hiura improving in his third stint with the Brewers this season. Trust? No. Optimism there may be a worthwhile gamble here? Absolutely. Yes, the K% is still a major issue, but he’s been dealing with some off-field issues and looked so promising in 2019. He’s now 2-for-9 with a hit in two consecutive games including a home run, but also struck out twice in each of those two games. I doubt I’d roll with him in my starting lineup this week, but I am attempting to add him in my leagues he’s available.
LaMonte Wade Jr./strong> (46% TGFBI, 2% Yahoo) – OF – Belt’s injury made Wade’s demotion to AAA very brief and it may have come at a nice point in the Giants’ schedule to make Wade a nice option this week. It appears San Francisco will face five right-handed starters meaning a good amount of playing time for the guy many were surprised was sent down to begin with. In just 84 AB he has hit .283 with 4 HR, 11 RBI, 13 R, and 2 SB.
Second Base
Jed Lowrie (90% TGFBI, 18% Yahoo) – Lowrie had a hot start to the season, but has been a bit streaky for the past month and a half with a couple of really bad weeks including a 1-for-16 effort last week which probably led to his availability, even in some 15-teamers, this week. He bounced back with a 7-for-21 performance so far this scoring period with a HR, 3 RBI, and 3 R. The A’s face the Rangers and Red Sox for three games each all in Oakland in the coming week. It appears to be a nice spot for Lowrie to continue to contribute runs, RBI, and potentially a home run or two. He’s a solid middle-infielder option in the 80%+ Yahoo leagues he’s available, and most definitely in 15-teamers.
Third Base
Wilmer Flores (71% TGFBI, 15% Yahoo) – 1B, 2B – We’re going to be talking a lot of Giants this week with the injuries and upcoming schedule hopefully giving a few guys that have had sporadic playing time a favorable outlook for the coming week. In the past couple of weeks Flores is 12-for-31 with 4 HR, 8 RBI, and 9 R. For the season he’s hitting .260 and really contributing to our R and RBI categories with 25 and 24 in only 169 AB.
Short Stop
Willy Adames (100% TGFBI, 19% Yahoo) – Adames is universally rostered in 15-team leagues, but continues to be widely available in shallower leagues. As a Brewer he’s hitting .284, nearly a hundred points higher than he did this season with Tampa, while he’s met or exceeded the four counting stat categories in fewer at-bats. He’s definitely at least a middle-infielder in every league out there.
Elvis Andrus (56% TGFBI, 5% Yahoo) – Andrus had a horribly slow start to the season and still hasn’t hit with any power, but he’s 33 for his last 106 (.311 BA) with 14 R and 2 SB. As Adam pointed out on the podcast this morning, Boston is a team to target for stolen base opportunities, and the A’s will face them in half of their games this coming week.
Outfield
Steven Duggar (63% TGFBI, 24% Yahoo) – One more Giant, and he may be my favorite for the coming week vs five righty starters. Duggar should get plenty of opportunities to bolster his true five-category contributions of a .323 BA with 6 HR, 25 RBI, 22 R, and 5 SB in just 124 AB. He’s a must-play for me this week, even in many 12-team three-outfielder leagues.
Kole Calhoun (37% TGFBI, 10% Yahoo) – This may be the last week to grab Calhoun on the cheap as he heads out on his rehab assignment. In typical seasons, he may not be someone I’d be particularly interested in, but the high home run, low BA guys have been more difficult to come by this season with all of the injuries we’ve had league-wide. Don’t count on the .292 BA he has in 13 games, but his career .247 is well above 2021’s league average.
Pitcher
Cal Quantrill (29% TGFBI, 7% Yahoo) – Friday’s 6 ER in 4 1/3 IP at Minnesota may keep the price down for Quantrill this evening, and I’m still in. He was a popular late-round option in draft season but did not begin the year in the Cleveland rotation. Prior to the Minnesota outing, he had 11 IP over three games (two starts) allowing just 1 ER with 8 K. He has a nice trio of matchups ahead as he looks to face Detroit in the coming week and a Tampa/Kansas City two-step in the final week before the break.
Riley Smith (0% TGFBI, 0% Yahoo) – Smith has a 5.71 ERA and 1.49 WHIP with just 32 K in over 58 IP, and I will add him everywhere this week or next. He’ll be available for a minimum bid, including $0 where that is allowed, and it looks like he could be the starter vs the Rockies in their first game after this week’s seven-game homestand. The first Rockies road game after a homestand is my favorite matchup for any pitcher in baseball these days.
Previous Articles
I have included some players in this article multiple times throughout the season, but I really attempt to include as many new names as possible each week. There are many players pretty widely available in 12-team leagues that I would prefer over some here, so check out articles from the past few weeks if some of this week isn’t appealing to you. I could include a guy like Hunter Renfroe every week.
As always, good luck tonight and enjoy the games!
Photo from Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire | Design by Quincey Dong (@threerundong on Twitter)