Since opening day at hecmanroto I’ve been trying to figure out a way to help players from the daisy 10-team leagues to the big boy 20 team leagues. I’m trying out a new format that features more players but less chit-chat. I’ve been drinking all day so I’ll be irrationally angry in my descriptions below.*Player Notes:*Mike Moustakas*(37%) has somehow been a pretty decent hitter since the start of June. It’s easy and fun to hate on him but if you allow yourself to forgive, and look with fresh eyes, there’s a chance his latest numbers are the beginning of a strong second half. I’m not adding him yet but he’s on my radar. People are being awfully hard on*Brandon Beachy*(40%) two starts aren’t enough to write him off. Few pitchers have been better than*Scott Kazmir*(28%) in the last month but I’m just not buying it. It’s a nice comeback story but he’s doing his best work against pretty weak teams. And*Derek Jeter(64%) may be headed back to the DL. Why would 64% of you own him in the first place? The only possible explanation is that you hate winning. Here’s what you need to know in Fantasy Baseball right now. All ownership percentages are from Yahoo!
New faces:
Alex Wood*(10%): I want to stress that it’s early, but he’s had two really good starts against the Rockies and Phillies. It’d be nice to have seen it against better competition but I think he’s a major sleeper.
Tyson Ross*(8%) He’s made 3 starts for the Padres posting elite numbers: 20 IP, 22 K, 6 BB, 3 ER. They’ve come against the Brewers and the struggling Diamondbacks and Yankees so he’s not a sure thing but there’s a lot to like here.
Shallow leaguers:
Wilson Ramos*(13%): He’s been awesome and I told you so but whatever.
Michael Brantley*(43%): Lots of owners missing out here. It must be a Cleveland thing, the best player on a good team should get more love.*Ryan Rayburn*(11%) has one good game and all of a sudden ESPN writes a hundred articles about him.
Andrelton Simmons*(51%): I said that his offense would get better a month ago and voila.
Felix Doubront*(31%): Criminally under owned. The guy hasn’t given up more than 3 runs in a game since May 8th.
Andre Ethier*(53%): I thought he was done in LA but he’s been able to stay in the lineup and his production has sky-rocketed. None of the other outfielders can stay on the field. Maybe it was his plan all along so they couldn’t trade him.
Deep leaguers:*
Michael Saunders*(13%): I’ve listed him for 3 straight weeks and he’s increased his overall ranking to 12th in that time. This isn’t rocket science.
Junior Lake*(36%): Scouts are saying his power isn’t for real but who cares what they say.
Brad Miller*(9%): He was ranked in the top 300 one week after his call up. He was ranked in the top 200 two weeks after that. And now he’s ranked 88th overall and has been the 6th best short stop since the break. But yeah, good call taking Jeter instead.
Justin Smoak*(8%): Look I hate watching the Mariners as much as the next guy but the team has players that aren’t terrible.*Yahoo!*was quick to point out last week how awful Smoak is with runners in scoring position. WhateverYahoo!*he’s ranked 60th overall with 4 HR and a .310 average in the last month. Hard to find another 4% guy that can do that.
Juan Lagares*(10%): I don’t know anything about him but he’s been one of the best outfielders in the game in July batting .369. He has a problem with strikeouts but seems to be overcoming that.
Elite Leaguers:
J.B. Shuck*(2%): He’s getting regular at-bats now and is looking really good. 25-85 (.294) 14 R, HR, 5 RBI. His ownership should steadily rise over the next month. Consider this your heads up.
Darin Ruf*(4%): Ruf doesn’t have an elite skill… he doesn’t even have a really-good one, but he’s maintained a .288 average in 73 at-bats since his call-up with a fairly balanced stat-line. A good short-term option if you’re dealing with a suspension or injury.
Todd Helton*(1%): Similar to*Carlos Quentin*(30%) Helton gives you fairly solid production, but his playing time and health make it hard to keep him on the roster. Helton returned to the starting lineup on Friday and if he can stick around for the next month or so he should out-produce the rest of the 1%ers.
Jarrod Dyson*(1%):*David Lough*left Saturday’s game with quad tightness. For all of Dyson’s shortcomings (playing time, lack of power, shaky batting average — although thats been better lately) his overall numbers suggest he should be playing more. If Lough’s injury lingers, Dyson could build on the 6 stolen bases he already has this month.
Worthwhile:
Jose Quintana*(17%): Stat-wise, there’s not much that separates Quintana from the dozens of pretty-good pitchers on the waiver-wire, but he gets two starts this week against the Yankees and Twins. The strikeouts have been nice.
Wily Peralta*(12%): His streak of dominance came to an end against the Rockies but considering how well he pitched in the six games prior I think we can give him a pass. He gets two starts this week against the Giants and Mariners.
Edwin Jackson*(32%): In the grand scheme of things I prefer*Rick Porcello*(24%) and*Bruce Chen*(11%) but Jackson gets two starts this week against the Phillies and Cardinals. But wait, the Cardinals are really good you say! Well he pitched 7 shutout innings against them last time out on June 11th, so don’t be so sure.
Next Up:
Xander Bogaerts*(9%): It’s just a matter of time. I spec-grabbed him on 7 of my 10 teams. Apparently, I like*Will Middlebrooks*more than anybody in the Red Sox front office so forget everything I said about him last week. I’m still drafting Middlebrooks on a team next year though.
Nick Castellanos*(2%): The Tigers pissed away their division lead and they have only themselves to blame. When they finally pull their heads out of their ass Castellanos will make for a good add. His third base eligibility inYahoo!*comes in handy too.
George Springer*(2%): If he wasn’t an Astros’ prospect the media would be drooling over him. Keep an eye out for his promotion which sounds like it will come soon.
Travis d’Arnaud*(4%): Reports seem optimistic that d’Arnaud could be called up soon. I still think late August is the earliest. I also think it’s unrealistic to assume he catches everyday. Nevertheless, you don’t always get a chance to add catchers with his upside.
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New faces:
Alex Wood*(10%): I want to stress that it’s early, but he’s had two really good starts against the Rockies and Phillies. It’d be nice to have seen it against better competition but I think he’s a major sleeper.
Tyson Ross*(8%) He’s made 3 starts for the Padres posting elite numbers: 20 IP, 22 K, 6 BB, 3 ER. They’ve come against the Brewers and the struggling Diamondbacks and Yankees so he’s not a sure thing but there’s a lot to like here.
Shallow leaguers:
Wilson Ramos*(13%): He’s been awesome and I told you so but whatever.
Michael Brantley*(43%): Lots of owners missing out here. It must be a Cleveland thing, the best player on a good team should get more love.*Ryan Rayburn*(11%) has one good game and all of a sudden ESPN writes a hundred articles about him.
Andrelton Simmons*(51%): I said that his offense would get better a month ago and voila.
Felix Doubront*(31%): Criminally under owned. The guy hasn’t given up more than 3 runs in a game since May 8th.
Andre Ethier*(53%): I thought he was done in LA but he’s been able to stay in the lineup and his production has sky-rocketed. None of the other outfielders can stay on the field. Maybe it was his plan all along so they couldn’t trade him.
Deep leaguers:*
Michael Saunders*(13%): I’ve listed him for 3 straight weeks and he’s increased his overall ranking to 12th in that time. This isn’t rocket science.
Junior Lake*(36%): Scouts are saying his power isn’t for real but who cares what they say.
Brad Miller*(9%): He was ranked in the top 300 one week after his call up. He was ranked in the top 200 two weeks after that. And now he’s ranked 88th overall and has been the 6th best short stop since the break. But yeah, good call taking Jeter instead.
Justin Smoak*(8%): Look I hate watching the Mariners as much as the next guy but the team has players that aren’t terrible.*Yahoo!*was quick to point out last week how awful Smoak is with runners in scoring position. WhateverYahoo!*he’s ranked 60th overall with 4 HR and a .310 average in the last month. Hard to find another 4% guy that can do that.
Juan Lagares*(10%): I don’t know anything about him but he’s been one of the best outfielders in the game in July batting .369. He has a problem with strikeouts but seems to be overcoming that.
Elite Leaguers:
J.B. Shuck*(2%): He’s getting regular at-bats now and is looking really good. 25-85 (.294) 14 R, HR, 5 RBI. His ownership should steadily rise over the next month. Consider this your heads up.
Darin Ruf*(4%): Ruf doesn’t have an elite skill… he doesn’t even have a really-good one, but he’s maintained a .288 average in 73 at-bats since his call-up with a fairly balanced stat-line. A good short-term option if you’re dealing with a suspension or injury.
Todd Helton*(1%): Similar to*Carlos Quentin*(30%) Helton gives you fairly solid production, but his playing time and health make it hard to keep him on the roster. Helton returned to the starting lineup on Friday and if he can stick around for the next month or so he should out-produce the rest of the 1%ers.
Jarrod Dyson*(1%):*David Lough*left Saturday’s game with quad tightness. For all of Dyson’s shortcomings (playing time, lack of power, shaky batting average — although thats been better lately) his overall numbers suggest he should be playing more. If Lough’s injury lingers, Dyson could build on the 6 stolen bases he already has this month.
Worthwhile:
Jose Quintana*(17%): Stat-wise, there’s not much that separates Quintana from the dozens of pretty-good pitchers on the waiver-wire, but he gets two starts this week against the Yankees and Twins. The strikeouts have been nice.
Wily Peralta*(12%): His streak of dominance came to an end against the Rockies but considering how well he pitched in the six games prior I think we can give him a pass. He gets two starts this week against the Giants and Mariners.
Edwin Jackson*(32%): In the grand scheme of things I prefer*Rick Porcello*(24%) and*Bruce Chen*(11%) but Jackson gets two starts this week against the Phillies and Cardinals. But wait, the Cardinals are really good you say! Well he pitched 7 shutout innings against them last time out on June 11th, so don’t be so sure.
Next Up:
Xander Bogaerts*(9%): It’s just a matter of time. I spec-grabbed him on 7 of my 10 teams. Apparently, I like*Will Middlebrooks*more than anybody in the Red Sox front office so forget everything I said about him last week. I’m still drafting Middlebrooks on a team next year though.
Nick Castellanos*(2%): The Tigers pissed away their division lead and they have only themselves to blame. When they finally pull their heads out of their ass Castellanos will make for a good add. His third base eligibility inYahoo!*comes in handy too.
George Springer*(2%): If he wasn’t an Astros’ prospect the media would be drooling over him. Keep an eye out for his promotion which sounds like it will come soon.
Travis d’Arnaud*(4%): Reports seem optimistic that d’Arnaud could be called up soon. I still think late August is the earliest. I also think it’s unrealistic to assume he catches everyday. Nevertheless, you don’t always get a chance to add catchers with his upside.
More...
