Continuing the series of weekly articles, we take a quick look at hitters for you to consider adding in deep mixed leagues and AL/NL-only formats. All of these players have less than 10% ownership.
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Colby Rasmus (OF – TB) 4%
Even in this era of increased power numbers in the game, there is likely to be room on your deep league roster for a slugger with 103 home runs over the last five years. Having missed the start of the season on the DL, Rasmus has gone 8-for-29 with three home runs and five extra-base hits. The 30-year-old is splitting his time between left field and right field, hitting sixth in the lineup. Rasmus’ career OPS vs. right-handed pitchers is more than 100 points better than against left-handers, and the Rays will only face one southpaw this week.
Justin Bour (1B – MIA) 9%
The Marlins’ first baseman must have been happy to see the calendar flip over to May. The 28-year-old hit .222 with a .297 OBP in a frustrating April. Over 12 games this month, Bour is slashing .306/.444/.583 with three home runs. The left-hander has 14 RBIs over the last 15 days, with only Anthony Rendon, Cody Bellinger, Aaron Altherr, Joey Votto, and Yonder Alonso having more. While he continues to hit behind Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Christian Yelich, there should continue to be plenty of RBI opportunities for Bour.
Denard Span (OF – SF) 4%
A leadoff hitter with 1,267 hits and 164 stolen bases is not usually available in 95% of leagues, but that is the situation with the Giants center fielder Denard Span. Since returning to the lineup, the veteran has gone 9-for-21 with a double, triple and two home runs. No one is expecting this level of production to continue, but Span has proven to be a valuable fantasy producer in the past, usually just limited by his health. If you are looking for help in the runs and OBP categories (and maybe a few stolen bases), grab the 33-year-old off waivers and ride him while he is healthy.
Derek Dietrich (2B/3B – MIA) 1%
Over the past two seasons, Dietrich has a .800 OPS covering more than 600 at-bats, yet he cannot claim a starting job in the Marlins’ lineup when everyone is healthy. Miami is not a haven for health with shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria hitting the DL with a strained oblique, joining third baseman Martin Prado (strained hamstring). Dietrich has played first, second, third and in the outfield this season but is hitting just .100 when coming off the bench. He has a far more impressive slash line of .277/.390/.415 as a starter, so consider him for at least the next couple of weeks when he will be receiving the majority of starts at third base.
C.J. Cron (1B – LAA) 7%
Pre-season playing time expectations were high for the Angels’ first baseman, especially with the likelihood of Albert Pujols being restricted to DH and new signee Luis Valbuena starting the season on the DL. Unfortunately for everyone who drafted Cron as a sleeper, he slashed .233/.277/.267 before he hit the DL. Last year, the 27-year-old reached career highs in runs, RBIs, home runs, batting average and on-base percentage. If he can recapture this form, Cron will be an excellent waiver pick up, hitting behind Kole Calhoun, Mike Trout, and Albert Pujols.
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Gavin Tramps is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Gavin, check out his archive or follow him @_tramps.
