A.J. Reed’s raw power is translating onto the field and he could provide a power boost to your roster
As the calender turns to May, fantasy baseball owners will look to make some improvements on the waiver wire in Week 5.
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Ownership totals are in ESPN Leagues as of Friday.
A.J. Reed (1B – HOU)
Ownership: 6.7%
With Luis Valbuena struggling and Tyler White slowing down from his hot start, it won’t be long before Reed is in the Majors with an everyday role. Once he is promoted, Reed will be scooped up from waivers fast, as he projects to be a valuable fantasy piece.
The 22-year-old rose quickly through Houston’s system in 2015, posting wRC+ marks of 190 and 168 in High-A and Double-A, respectively. Reed is heating up at Triple-A over the past two weeks as well, and it’s only a matter of time before he takes over the first base job in Houston.
When Reed does get up, expect plenty of power with some nice on-base skills thrown in. Reed has tremendous raw power, and it has translated onto the field with 52 home runs so far in his minor league career.
Reed’s ceiling is sky high, so any owner with an available bench spot should consider picking him up for the upside alone.
John Jaso (1B,DH – PIT)
Ownership: 23.3%
No matter what team he ends up on or what position he plays, Jaso just seems to keep hitting. For many owners, Jaso represents a sneaky good platoon pickup with plenty of value in the right matchups.
Ever since breaking in to the Majors full-time in 2010, Jaso has posted no worse than a 121 wRC+ in a single season, with a career-best mark of 136 last year with the Tampa Bay Rays. That has continued early on this season, as Jaso is batting .316/.384/.421 so far.
As he often bats at the top of the Pirates lineup, that high on-base mark will help him score plenty of runs. Owners will have to be careful to play Jaso primarily against right-handed pitching, but he can be a valuable addition to most fantasy benches.
Rich Hill (SP – OAK)
Ownership: 36.3%
The strange, unexpected late career revival for Hill has continued in 2016, making him worth a look in fantasy. While Hill’s methods are unconventional, the results are there, and he could be an upgrade for many rotations.
The 36-year-old’s only full season came in 2007, and he bounced around the minors and Independant ball while dealing with injuries for the better part of the decade. Last season, the Boston Red Sox decided to give Hill a shot, and he responded with four dominant starts to end the season.
Oakland gave Hill a short low-risk contract, and he’s allowed just seven earned runs in 26 innings with 37 strikeouts. Hill uses his curveball on a staggering 35 percent of pitches and manages to fool hitters by throwing almost nothing in the strike zone.
That means Hill is going to give up a lot of walks, but the sheer amount of strikeouts he’s generating during the current hot streak makes him worth a pickup.
Tyler Glasnow (SP – PIT)
Ownership: 11.1%
It’s call-up season for pitching prospects, as Jose Berrios, Sean Manaea and Michael Fulmer have all recently been promoted. Glasnow will soon join them, and might be the most exciting prospect of all.
The 22-year-old has posted impressive numbers at every minor league stop, including a 2.20 ERA (2.82 FIP) with 48 strikeouts in 41 innings of Triple-A to end last season. Things have only gotten better for Glasnow this year with his strikeouts up and his walks significantly down, so it’s only a matter of time before his promotion.
Glasnow already has an excellent fastball-curveball combination, and his changeup has come around nicely in his last two Triple-A starts. The only thing left for Glasnow to improve is command, but his sheer strikeout numbers give him plenty of upside.
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Nathaniel Reeves is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Nathaniel, check out his archive or follow him @njr3701.
