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MIXED LEAGUES
(Players rostered in under 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Note: Percentages are from the morning of Thursday, September 1
Gunnar Henderson, SS, Orioles (Yahoo: 37 percent rostered)
It’s Gunnar time. A second-round pick in the 2019 Draft, Henderson was very good in 2021 but has been even better in 2022 even as he moved to the upper minors as a 21-year-old, sporting a .297/.416/.531 batting line with 19 home runs and 22 stolen bases between Double- and Triple-A. Henderson has seen playing time at all four infield spots this season at Norfolk before handling third base for the O’s in his debut, a debut which saw him club his first major league homer and also add a single. He could move around the diamond with the big club. The left-handed hitting Henderson strikes out a fair amount and hasn’t had much success this year versus southpaws, but he draws a ton of walks and has power and speed to spare. He needs to be rostered in all leagues.
Brandon Hughes, RP, Cubs (Yahoo: 24 percent rostered)
The Cubs traded David Robertson, Mychal Givens and Chris Martin prior to the deadline, creating opportunities for others in the back-end of the bullpen. Rowan Wick initially assumed the lion’s share of the closing duties, but he’s been knocked around lately and seems to have lost manager David Ross’ trust. Picking up three of the last four traditional saves for the Cubbies has been Hughes, who boasts a 2.96 ERA and 59/15 K/BB ratio over 45 2/3 innings on the season. The left-hander doesn’t have notable splits, so Ross doesn’t have to worry when the opposition has righties coming up in the ninth. Hughes set up ahead of Rowan Wick on Wednesday, so it’s clear this situation isn’t totally settled. Still, Wick has struggled lately, leaving Hughes as the best bet in the bullpen.
Riley Greene, OF, Tigers (Yahoo: 38 percent rostered)
It’s taken Greene a while to find his footing at the major league level. In his first 55 major league games, the rookie outfield produced a lowly .224/.282/.325 batting line with just three homers, one stolen base in five attempts and a 30.2 percent strikeout rate. In nine games since, however, Greene has gone 16-for-37 with a pair of long balls, six RBI and nine runs scored. Greene is still sitting on just the one stolen base, and a sprint speed in the 54th percentile suggests we probably wouldn’t be wise to expect much of an uptick there. Still, the former top prospect has heated up at the dish and the Tigers have stuck with him in the leadoff spot.
Jake McCarthy, OF, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 42 percent rostered)
A sandwich round pick in the 2018 Draft, McCarthy got a taste of major league action with the Diamondbacks last season and has seen more extensive time there this year. He’s been impressive, putting together a .288/.348/.458 batting line with six home runs while going 12-for-13 in stolen base attempts across 71 contests. It’s in the stolen base department where McCarthy is the likeliest to continue being useful for fantasy purposes. He swiped a total of 32 bags between the majors and minors in 2021 and has added another 23 this year. The 25-year-old has also ranked in the 98th percentile in terms of sprint speed.
Nick Martinez, SP/RP, Padres (Yahoo: 43 percent rostered)
Earlier this week, manager Bob Melvin proclaimed Martinez his preferred choice to handle closer duties. On Wednesday, with Martinez unavailable, Melvin turned back to disgraced former closer Josh Hader, who nailed down a win over the Giants. Martinez has been superb in relief this season with a 1.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 35/8 K/BB ratio over 41 innings. He’s recorded eight saves, including four straight before Wednesday. The Padres undoubtedly want Hader to pitch his way back into the ninth inning, and his last outing was a good step. He probably won’t be re-anointed for a little while, though, and in the meantime Martinez is the guy to roster here.
Roansy Contreras, SP, Pirates (Yahoo: 17 percent rostered)
Contreras began the season in the Pirates’ bullpen, was sent down to get stretched back out, pitched pretty well for a while but was sent back down again and then returned (hopefully for good) a couple weeks ago. In three starts since rejoining Pittsburgh’s rotation, Contreras holds a 3.00 ERA and 15/9 K/BB ratio over 18 innings. The young right-hander walks too many guys and hasn’t struck out as many as you’d think he would given his outstanding raw stuff. Still, with an upper-90s fastball and a wipeout slider, I’d bet on the 22-year-old missing plenty of bats over the long haul.
Deeper Dandies:
(Players rostered in under 10 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Jack Suwinski, OF, Pirates (Yahoo: 2 percent rostered)
Only Bryan Reynolds had hit more home runs than Suwinski’s 14 long balls when the rookie outfielder was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis back in mid-July. Suwinski had been in a 0-for-28 slide at the plate, though, and on the season had struck out at a clip exceeding 30 percent. The 24-year-old actually struck out at an even higher rate during his time at Indianapolis, but he clubbed another nine dingers and on Monday was recalled to the majors. Suwinski struggled to make contact and can’t hit lefties, but he’s a viable power source versus righties in deeper leagues.
Corey Dickerson, OF, Cardinals (Yahoo: 7 percent rostered)
Dickerson’s first two months with the Cardinals were a disaster, as he produced a horrid .451 OPS while failing to hit a single home run. However, since returning in early from a calf injury, the veteran outfielder has posted a robust .374/.390/.582 batting line with three bombs over 30 games. He’s gone an utterly ridiculous 17-for-34 in his last nine games, even setting a new franchise record by collecting hits in 10 straight plate appearances at one point. Dickerson has overtaken Dylan Carlson for a starting job of late, playing left field while Tyler O’Neill slides over to center. It’s been a while since Dickerson has hit for much home run power, but he hits line drives and doesn’t strike out much.
Garrett Mitchell, OF, Brewers (Yahoo: 4 percent rostered)
Mitchell was viewed as one of the better athletes in the 2020 Draft when the Brewers selected him in the first round. The raw power never translated to games much at UCLA, though, and that has largely carried over to pro ball with just 13 home runs over 557 plate appearances in the minors. It’s an inability to loft the ball which has kept Mitchell from unlocking that power, but he did slug a big first major league homer for the Brewers on Monday and also stole his first big league base that game (he was actually picked off but showed off his speed in beating the throw to second base). Mitchell could sit against most lefties and he’s been batting ninth versus righties. That and the groundball tendencies caps his ceiling, but he’s certainly capable of helping in the steals department.
Weekend Warriors:
Drew Smyly at STL (Yahoo: 23 percent rostered)
Smyly has missed some time with injury this season as we’ve come accustomed to with him. He was a standout for the Cubs in August, though, posting a 0.90 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 25/6 K/BB ratio over 30 innings covering five starts. The matchup in St. Louis this weekend isn’t a great one against a Cardinals team which is very good against left-handed pitching. However, Smyly handled these same Cards last week at Wrigley Field, tossing seven innings of one-run ball.
Adam Oller at BAL (Yahoo: 2 percent rostered)
Oller has mostly been underwhelming in his rookie season, but he’s found something lately with a 1.80 ERA over his last three starts. That includes eight shutout innings with just one hit allowed against the Yankees his last time out. If you’re looking for strikeouts from the right-hander, you’re barking up the wrong tree. He has only 40 of them (versus 34 walks) over 68 1/3 frames this season, and even during his nice recent three-start stretch he has just a 9/7 K/BB ratio. Oller has put up some pretty good numbers in the minors the last couple years, though, and this weekend he’ll toe the rubber at the suddenly pitcher-friendly Camden Yards.
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AL ONLY
Yainer Diaz, C, Astros (Yahoo: 4 percent rostered)
The Astros are expected to call up Diaz – who is ranked by MLB.com as their No. 3 prospect – when rosters expand. Somehow acquired in the trade which sent Myles Straw to the Guardians, Diaz boasts a .306/.356/.542 batting line with 25 home runs and 96 RBI this season between Double- and Triple-A. The 23-year-old has split time between catcher and first base this season and has seen a little time at the corner outfield spots, as well. Where the Astros plan to play him is a bit of a mystery, but he has multiple avenues to hopefully at least see a few starts per week.
Mark Mathias, 2B, Rangers (Yahoo: 1 percent rostered)
Speaking of multiple avenues to playing time, Mathias has seen action at every position other than catcher and pitcher in pro ball. The 28-year-old has had some injury problems, but he has a .940 OPS during his time at Triple-A this season and a .933 OPS with three homers in 14 games this year in the majors. Mathias can chip in with a little bit of power and a little bit of speed and should gain eligibility at multiple positions if he doesn’t already have it in your league.
NL ONLY
TJ Friedl, OF, Reds (Yahoo: 4 percent rostered)
Friedl is a 27-year-old former undrafted player who kept plugging away in the minor leagues before the Reds finally gave him an opportunity last season. He earned regular playing time for the rebuilding club in August and produced a 1.167 OPS with three home runs and a stolen base over 15 contests. There’s not much raw power here, but Friedl is a flyball hitter who benefits from playing his home games at Great American Ball Park. He can also run, and it’s in the stolen base department where he stands the best chance to help out fantasy managers.
Ildemaro Vargas, 2B/3B/SS, Nationals (Yahoo: 1 percent rostered)
Vargas has bounced around a lot the last several years. The 31-year-old has seen action in the majors in each of the last six seasons and for six different teams, yet he still hasn’t reached 500 plate appearances at the big league level. Vargas has played a lot since being acquired by the Nationals from the Cubs earlier this month, though, and has responded with a .325/.369/.494 batting line with three home runs and one stolen base in 23 tilts. I don’t need to tell you there’s no floor here, but Vargas is seeing regular playing time and is eligible at multiple positions, which is about all you can ask for in deep formats.
