The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
Do you feel lucky? That’s my general feeling on the closer situations with the Yankees and Reds, as each team has multiple options to finish off games.
Even without Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees are one of the hottest teams in the majors, but a replacement at closer isn’t a slam dunk. While Zach Britton secured his first save of the season on Wednesday, he simply hasn’t pitched well this season. Jonathan Loaisiga is the ascendant name and Chad Green is the old steady hand. It’s worth noting that all three of them blew leads in that wild game against the Royals on Monday, but do what you need to do in fantasy leagues. Britton is probably first in line for now based on experience and usage.
As for the Reds, they’ve had a franchise-record 10 different pitchers secure saves this season. Recent acquisition Mychal Givens has been the preferred option of late, securing each of the Reds’ last two save chances, but Michael Lorenzen also closed out a game last week. Heath Hembree has probably pitched himself out of chances with his recent struggles, but the return of Lucas Sims adds an interesting wrinkle to the equation. That being said, Sims gave up the game-winning homer on Wednesday against the Braves. Again, do what you need to do, but this is another situation where the favorite right now might not be the favorite five days from now.
Have specific questions about your roster? Ask @djshort on Twitter.
MIXED LEAGUES
(Players rostered in under 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Note: Percentages are from the morning of Thursday, August 12th
Brandon Belt 1B/OF, Giants (Yahoo: 45 percent rostered)
It wasn’t too long ago that it looked like Belt’s season would be over due to a knee injury. Not only did he make it back, but he’s thriving at the plate. Belt hit safely in each of his first five games after coming off the injured list, including four homers in three games against the Brewers last weekend. He now has 24 homers and a .279/.389/.569 batting line in 112 games dating back to the start of last season. Keep in mind that Belt has never hit more than 18 home runs in a full season in the majors. His strikeouts are up this season, but he’s seen massive increases in barrel percentage and hard-hit percentage over the past two seasons, so this power progression looks like the real deal. He should be rostered in any fantasy league worth its salt.
Anthony Santander OF, Orioles (Yahoo: 29 percent rostered)
For this year’s NBC Sports EDGE magazine, I predicted that Santander would back up last year’s breakout campaign by hitting 35 home runs. That hasn’t worked out, obviously, but he’s doing his best to salvage his season. Santander is off a monster start this month, hitting .469 with four homers and two doubles through eight games. While his strikeout rate is up overall compared to last year, he’s struck out just three times in 33 plate appearances during this recent surge at the plate. It’s easy to recommend a hot hitter and just walk away, but he’s actually hit the ball harder this year than he did last year, so it’s about time he had some positive regression.
Josiah Gray SP, Nationals (Yahoo: 34 percent rostered)
There were naturally some questions about the Nationals’ willingness to trade Trea Turner along with Max Scherzer to the Dodgers before the deadline, but Gray’s start against the Braves over the weekend showed why. He was absolutely electric, racking up 10 strikeouts while allowing two runs (one earned) over five innings. He amassed 20 whiffs (including 11 on 13 swings on his curveball) and 11 called strikes in his 82 pitches. The Nationals’ lineup is terrible and workload restrictions could cap his upside in mixed leagues, but he’s still capable of doing some impressive things in this context. It will be interesting to see how the Braves adjust on Friday, but Gray is a recommended pickup regardless. He’s going to have a ton of enthusiasm in drafts next year.
Josh Rojas 2B/SS/OF, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 30 percent rostered)
As the season winds down, having multi-position eligible players on your roster is especially handy. Every game matters. Just showing up is worth something. Fortunately, Rojas does a lot more than that. Fresh off a stint on the injured list due to a dislocated left finger, the 27-year-old boasts a .263/.351/.430 batting line with 10 homers, 28 RBI, seven steals, and 50 runs scored through 95 games this season. With Kole Calhoun sidelined once again, playing time shouldn’t be an issue. Rojas can do a little bit of everything and provide cover at three different spots, so pick him up in leagues where he was dropped.
Aledmys Diaz 1B/2B/3B/OF, Astros (Yahoo: 15 percent rostered)
My NBC Sports EDGE colleague Ryan Boyer actually summed up Diaz’s case rather well on Twitter yesterday. Not only is Diaz red-hot at the plate recently (.339, three homers, 14 RBI in 13 games since returning from the injured list), but he’s hitting the middle of the Astros’ lineup with Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel both sidelined. The opportunities should continue to be there for the super utility player. While Diaz has been uber-aggressive this season, he’s also increased his contact rate while making more in the way of hard contact. His .282 xBA backs up the production we’ve seen to date. Qualifying at four positions he’s quite useful as a plug-and-play option.
Austin Gomber SP, Rockies (Yahoo: 47 percent rostered)
The Nolan Arenado trade might not be a complete disaster for the Rockies. Prospect third baseman Elehuris Montero has enjoyed a nice bounceback season in Double-A and Gomber has established himself as a building block for the rotation. The southpaw had a shaky start to the season, but he’s reeled off a 2.91 ERA and 75/9 K/BB ratio in 74 1/3 innings over his last 14 starts. While his start against the Padres on August 1 was a dud, he bounced back last time out with nine strikeouts over six scoreless frames against the Marlins. Gomber currently lines up to face the Giants in San Francisco on Friday and is worthy of your trust most of the time. Just keep in mind that he welcomes the Padres to Coors Field next week.
Lewis Brinson OF, Marlins (Yahoo: 12 percent rostered)
There’s post-hype and there’s whatever the heck this is. Either way, it’s better late than never. Hopefully, anyway. Brinson has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball in recent days and is now batting .349 with five homers, seven doubles, 18 RBI, and 12 runs scored in 19 games since his latest call-up from Triple-A. Of course, Brinson has had plenty of chances to break through at the major league level since his inclusion in the Christian Yelich trade and it just hasn’t happened. Even including this recent explosion at the plate, the 27-year-old holds a .588 OPS through 959 plate appearances in the majors. Still, he’s hitting the ball extremely hard as the Marlins’ new regular cleanup hitter while showing off his excellent sprint speed. Hopefully we’re finally witnessing his breakthrough.
Sam Hilliard OF, Rockies (Yahoo: 11 percent rostered)
Hilliard fits more of the traditional post-hype label. After a promising debut showing in 2019, he disappointed with a .710 OPS in 36 games last season before struggling out of the gate this year. That earned him a demotion to Triple-A Albuquerque in May, but he returned to the Rockies last month and has begun the month of August with a bang. He’s now hitting .355 (11-for-31) with four homers and three doubles over his last eight games. The strikeout remain problematic and will cap any sort of batting average upside, but he’s worth a shot in deeper formats if you need outfield help. This is especially relevant with a six-game homestand next week.
Nick Anderson RP, Rays (Yahoo: 21 percent rostered)
The back-end of the Rays’ bullpen is wide open, especially after the trade of Diego Castillo, but help is on the way. Nick Anderson, out all year with a partial ligament tear in his elbow, is nearing the end of his minor league rehab assignment. He’s expected to throw around 20 pitches with Triple-A Durham, which could be enough for him to be activated. Anderson really struggled during the postseason last year, but he’s been a money pitcher in the regular season during his career, posting a 2.77 ERA with 136 strikeouts over 81 1/3 innings. If healthy, there’s big-time upside, though Tampa Bay is likely to remain unpredictable with save chances.
Editor’s Note: Drafting is only half the battle! Get an edge on your competition with our MLB Season Tools - available in our EDGE+ Roto tier for $3.99/mo. (annually) or $9.99/mo. (monthly) - that are packed with rankings, projections, a trade evaluator, start/sit tools and much more. And don’t forget to use promo code SAVE10 to get 10% off. Click here to learn more!
Deeper Dandies
(Players rostered in under 10 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Brad Miller 1B/2B/3B/OF, Phillies (Yahoo: 5 percent rostered)
Rhys Hoskins was forced to the injured list this week due to a nagging groin injury, which should open up chances for Miller in the short-term. Alec Bohm actually made the start at first base on Wednesday as the Phillies come to grips with the idea that he’s not a major league third baseman, but Miller started the previous four games at the position. While batting average isn’t a strength, he’s slugged 19 homers in 142 games dating back to the start of last season. He has a reputation for mashing right-handed pitching, which is relevant with righty starters lined up against the Reds this weekend and the first two games in Arizona next week.
Rowan Wick RP, Cubs (Yahoo: 1 percent rostered)
The Cubs traded Craig Kimbrel, Ryan Tepera, and Andrew Chafin before the July 30th trade deadline, leaving things wide open in the late innings. Does it really matter who saves games for the Cubs these days? Not really. They are very bad and should continue to be very bad. They’ve lost seven straight and 13 out of 15. We’ve seen Manuel Rodriguez and Kyle Ryan notch saves in their only two victories in that time, but Wick is worth watching now that he’s finally back from an intercostal strain. The 28-year-old had a strong 2.66 ERA and 55/22 K/BB ratio in 50 2/3 innings between 2019-2020 and tallied six saves along the way. I really like Codi Heuer long-term, but Wick is an obvious choice if he looks anything like his usual self.
Joe Barlow RP, Rangers (Yahoo: 2 percent rostered)
Again, is it really worth chasing saves on terrible teams? It’s a judgment call. For their part, the Rangers have dropped seven out of eight and figure to be one of the worst teams in baseball the rest of the way. Still, while there was some early interest for Spencer Patton in fantasy leagues following the Ian Kennedy trade, he blew a save in ugly fashion against the Mariners this week and has generally been shaky dating back to mid-July. That’s why Barlow is worth a stash if you want to speculate. The 25-year-old has been money since his call-up from Triple-A in June, allowing just one run with a 17/5 K/BB ratio over 12 2/3 innings. He throws in the mid-90s with his fastball and has completely dominated with his slider thus far. It’s not hard to imagine him being a fixture in late-game situations for the next couple of years.
Weekend Warriors
Brett Anderson SP, Brewers (Yahoo: 11 percent rostered)
Anderson is usually an uninspiring choice in fantasy leagues. He’s only struck out 44 batters in 73 2/3 innings this season, for goodness sakes. However, he gets the Pirates on Friday, which is as automatic as it gets right now. To his credit, Anderson has pitched well this season (3.54 ERA over 17 starts), including a 1.40 ERA over his last five starts. He’s allowed just three home runs over his last 44 2/3 innings pitched. There’s a good chance he can keep the success going here.
Drew Smyly SP, Braves (Yahoo: 25 percent rostered)
Another veteran southpaw, Smyly is a recommended play against the tear-down lineup of the Nationals. Juan Soto is still a danger, but there just isn’t much to fear beyond that. Smyly completed six innings for the first time since June 25 on Tuesday against the Reds. Fly balls are a part of his game — and his April showed why that can be an issue — but he holds a respectable 3.58 ERA over 16 starts since the beginning of May.
[[ad:athena]]
AL ONLY
Jorge Mateo OF, Orioles (Yahoo: 1 percent rostered)
It was smart of the Orioles to claim Mateo off waivers after the Padres designated him for assignment earlier this month. While the 26-year-old has seen his star fade since his early days as a prospect in the Yankees organization, the Orioles appear committed to giving him regular at-bats for now. His speed has always been his calling card, as he swiped 283 bases over 702 games in the minors. Just in case you need any further proof, he ranks in the 100th percentile in sprint speed, per Baseball Savant. He could be a difference-maker in the stolen base category down the stretch.
Yonny Hernandez 3B, Rangers (Yahoo: 1 percent rostered)
Speaking of speed, Hernandez is no slouch either. He’s already stolen a couple of bases through his first six games in the majors after piling up 154 steals over 460 games in the minors. The 23-year-old isn’t a top prospect and offers next to nothing in terms of power, but he’s known for his solid approach. He had a .394 on-base percentage with more walks (290) than strikeouts (260) in the minors.
NL ONLY
Taylor Motter SS/OF, Rockies (Yahoo: 0 percent rostered)
Motter is back in the majors for the first time since 2018 after posting some ridiculous numbers with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate this season. Seriously, it’s hard to believe. The 31-year-old blasted 24 homers with a .335/.460/.759 batting line and a 49/49 K/BB ratio over 67 games for Albuquerque. I had to check this wasn’t a mix-up with Barry Bonds’ Baseball Reference page or something. While we previously knew Motter for his speed, he’s a different player these days after reportedly adding 35-40 pounds as part of an effort to add some power. Perhaps something has clicked here, so give him a try with the Rockies headed home next week.
Greg Deichmann OF, Cubs (Yahoo: 0 percent rostered)
Acquired from the Athletics in the Andrew Chafin deal before the trade deadline, Diechmann was called up last week and appears likely to see regular at-bats in right field against right-handed pitching. While he’s just 2-for-17 with five strikeouts thus far, he did a nice job cutting down on his strikeouts in Triple-A this year while slashing .291/.425/.439 with four homers and eight steals over 67 games. He’s displayed interesting power at times in the minors, including a notable stint in the Arizona Fall League, so he could be a sneaky add if the Cubs give him a real shot.
