Oftentimes when we’re scouring the waiver wire, we’re looking for players to bolster a particular category, rather than merely looking for the next trendy up-and-comer. Looking for stolen bases? Home runs? ERA and WHIP? I’ve got you covered. I present to you Week 11’s fantasy baseball 5×5 category targets.
For this exercise, I’ll be using ESPN ownership percentages. All stats are accurate going into Thursday’s contests.
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Batting Average
Howie Kendrick (2B/OF – PHI): 14.1%
Widely available in most leagues after missing six weeks with an oblique injury, Kendrick has been swinging a hot bat since his return. He won’t wow you in any one department, but he’s hitting .340, and could provide reasonable counting stats hitting in the top half of the Phillies’ lineup. The average is sure to regress — he has an unsustainable .423 BABIP — but as a career .290 hitter, it should remain high enough to give you a boost.
As a bonus, he’s also stealing at a higher rate than usual, with seven stolen bases already. He had 10 all of last season.
Home Runs
Derek Fisher (OF – HOU): 8.5%
Matt Chapman (3B – OAK): 1.1%
Fisher and Chapman are probably two names most didn’t know about before this week (or still don’t know about). Both are prospects making their major league debuts this week, and both had 16 home runs in Triple-A, which is why they’re worthy of your attention.
One of the Astros’ top prospects, Fisher is filling in for the injured Josh Reddick and wasted no time making an impact in his debut, going 2-for-3 and with a home run on Wednesday. He also stole 13 bases prior to his call-up, making him one of those always intriguing power-speed combos.
The trouble is his stay may be brief, as the Astros may return him to Triple-A upon Reddick’s return. But as we saw with Cody Bellinger, if Fisher puts on a show, they may have no choice but to keep him around, perhaps pushing the light-hitting Nori Aoki to the bench. Go in with tempered expectations, but the upside makes him worth an add in most formats.
On the other hand, with Trevor Plouffe getting designated for assignment, the path to playing time is wide open for Chapman. The power is undeniable (36 minor league homers last year), but he was striking out 31.0% of the time prior to his call-up and doesn’t provide any speed. The whiffs make him a risky bet in the majors, so he’s more of a deep league pickup, but keep an eye on him in other formats.
RBIs
Trey Mancini (1B/OF – BAL): 16.8%
Mancini was already having a fine season with 10 bombs, 34 RBIs, and a .299 average, but with Chris Davis going on the DL, he’s slated to take over first base in the short-term. The boost should be relatively minor, seeing as he was already getting pretty regular playing time, but he’ll now hit fifth most nights, which should provide him ample RBI opportunities. With a 26.9% strikeout rate and inflated .364 BABIP, it’s not likely he’ll keep up the high average, but he should otherwise continue to give solid corner infielder production.
Runs
Jose Pirela (2B – SD): 12.0%
Franchy Cordero (3B/OF – SD): 2.6%
I mentioned these two earlier this week, as this is your new dynamic duo batting first and second for the Padres. They’ve only combined for about 100 major league plate appearances this year, but they’re off to scorching hot starts, with each sporting a 1.000-plus OPS and a 44% hard-hit rate. They won’t keep that up forever, though, and it’s tough to say what their long-term values are.
Each showed a little pop and speed in Triple-A prior to their call-ups, but Pirela doesn’t historically have much power, and Cordero struggles with strikeouts. Furthermore, it’s unclear how playing time will shake out once Manuel Margot returns from the DL. Still, as long as they’re hitting high in the order, they should score their share of runs, giving them fantasy value in deep leagues.
Stolen Bases
Cameron Maybin (OF – LAA): 37.4%
Mallex Smith (OF – TB): 24.2%
Lewis Brinson (OF – MIL): 13.7%
In the year 2017, it’s not as easy to find stolen bases as it used to be. And yet, if you have the need for speed, there are plenty of options you can grab this week.
Maybin has already stolen seven bases in five games since he returned from the DL, and his 20 is top-five in the league. Meanwhile, Smith has 23 of his own between the minors and majors this year and has the talent to race up the stolen bases leaderboard, ahem, quickly.
Brinson doesn’t have the elite stealing potential of the other two, but he deserves a mention as a recent call-up for the Brewers. A consensus top-100 prospect, in Triple-A he slashed .312/.397/.503 with 41 runs, six homers, and seven stolen bases, and will get regular playing time while Ryan Braun is on the DL. At just 23 years old, he’s still pretty raw, and isn’t guaranteed to stick around when Braun returns, but is worth a deep-league pickup based on his potential.
Wins
Jacob Faria (SP – TB): 17.2%
It’s only been two starts, but the Faria hype train is going strong. He has a 1.42 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, with 13 strikeouts and just two walks in 12 2/3 innings. He held impressive numbers in the minors, although walks were often an issue, which could be a concern moving forward.
Wins are always difficult to project, but Faria has already notched two, and the Rays offense can put up runs in bunches. He’ll also benefit from playing home games in pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field. It’s never easy to trust a young pitcher, and some growing pains are almost certainly inevitable, but based on his upside, Faria deserves a look in most leagues.
Strikeouts
Brad Peacock (SP/RP – HOU): 27.2%
I mentioned Brad Peacock a couple weeks back, and yet he’s still low-owned, and has actually seen a recent dip in ownership. Sure, he doesn’t pitch deep into games, but the man continues to rack up strikeouts, with 10 in his last outing, and eight-plus in four of his last five games. His strikeout rate as a starter is a ridiculous 37.1%, which is better than Chris Sale or Max Scherzer.
Obviously, he’s extremely unlikely to keep up with those guys, but it shows just how good he’s been. Walks will continue to be an issue, but his pitch counts should get higher as he goes, allowing him to pitch deeper into games over the long haul. If you need punchouts, it’s you won’t find a better candidate.
ERA and WHIP
Aaron Nola (SP – ATL): 41.8%
With a 4.40 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, Nola doesn’t exactly look like a pitcher who will help you in those categories, but rarely will you find a pitcher this talented available in nearly 60% of leagues. He’s been inconsistent, but many projected him for a mid-3.00 ERA this year, and he had a 3.29 SIERA in 2016.
The peripherals are solid across the board, with a 21.9% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate, 49.2% ground-ball rate, and 28.2% hard-hit rate. Better days should be ahead, so take advantage if he’s been dropped by an impatient owner.
Saves
Archie Bradley (SP/RP – ARI): 11.1%
No change is imminent in Arizona, but when Fernando Rodney is the guy at the closer helm, it’s a situation to monitor by default. In fact, Rodney has actually performed pretty well lately, as he hasn’t given up an earned run since the end of April. Of course, that April was an utter disaster (12.60 ERA), which is why it might be a good idea to stash Bradley away while you still can.
He has an impressive 1.21 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and a 31.2% strikeout rate, and would almost certainly be the next man up if Rodney is displaced. At the very least, keep a close eye on things, and be ready to pounce the next time Rodney struggles.
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Kenyatta Storin is a featured writer with FantasyPros. For more from Kenyatta, check out his archive and follow him @kenyattastorin.
