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Fantasy Baseball Category Targets: Week 12

Fantasy Baseball Category Targets: Week 12

Oftentimes when we’re scouring the waiver wire, we’re looking for players to bolster a particular category, rather than 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 12’s fantasy baseball 5×5 category targets.

For this exercise, I’ll be using ESPN ownership percentages. All stats are accurate going into Friday’s contests.

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Batting Average

David Peralta (ARI – OF): 36.0%

Peralta is quietly having a solid all-around season, and mixed leaguers are starting to take notice. A regular fixture in the two-spot for the Arizona Diamondbacks, he’s already racked up 46 runs, and a robust .332 average, which is top-10 among qualified hitters. Even with some regression, he’s a career .300 hitter, and with an improved 15.2% strikeout rate and 37.3% hard-hit rate, he should continue to hold a high average. He has a career .349 BABIP, so even his .371 BABIP isn’t necessarily that unsustainable. Peralta won’t wow you in power or speed, but should tally around 15 homers and 10 stolen bases by year’s end.

Home Runs

Matt Adams (ATL – 1B): 39.4%
Ian Happ (CHC – 2B/OF): 25.4%
Matt Davidson (CWS – 3B): 18.7%

Adams now has 10 home runs in the month of June, more than anyone not named Cody Bellinger. He continues to rake as a member of the Atlanta Braces, and curiously remains owned in less than half of ESPN leagues. We can’t expect him to keep up this torrid pace, but it’s hard to argue with his .933 OPS and 40.3% hard-hit rate this season. His 13 home runs are already just four off his career-high.

The latest intriguing Chicago Cubs prospect, Happ has 19 bombs between the minors and majors in 2017, and now that he’s getting regular playing time, he looks like a fine source of power to slot in as your middle infielder. Just be aware of his 32.1% strikeout rate — he’s not going to hit for average anytime soon.

Davidson is on a ridiculous hot streak, slugging seven long balls in his last 10 games, giving him 17 on the year. His strikeout rate is more extreme than Happ’s (39.0%), so he’ll likely have a crippling average in the long run, and he still bats in the bottom-half of the order. But deep leaguers in need of a home run boost could do worse than see how long this power binge lasts.

RBIs

Carlos Gomez (HOU – OF): 44.2%
Lonnie Chisenhall (CLE – OF) : 11.5%

Gomez became an afterthought during his DL stint, but now he’s flying off the shelves since hitting five home runs in five games since his return. He’s not as exciting as he used to be, but he’s up to a 40.5% hard-hit rate and .362 wOBA, which is tough to ignore. Plus, it never hurts to fit a power/speed combo in your lineup. With nine homers already, he should blow past last year’s 13.

A little more off the radar is Chisenhall, who is going largely unnoticed, despite some impressive recent play. He has a 1.170 OPS and 39.5% hard-hit rate in the month of June, earning him a move up to the fifth spot in the batting order. He’ll likely continue to sit occasionally against lefties, but with 10 homers, 37 RBIs and a .969 OPS on the year, he should have plenty of deep league fantasy value moving forward.

Runs

Shin-Soo Choo (TEX – OF): 22.3%

Did everyone forget that Choo is still pretty good? Turning 35 in July, he falls under the old and boring category, but he can still get on base as good as anyone, and has 41 runs leading off for the Texas Rangers. Despite the age stigma, he can still get you some round-trippers (11) and swipe some bags (6). Choo should be owned in more than just a quarter of ESPN leagues.

Stolen Bases

Mallex Smith (TB – OF) : 27.1%
Jarrod Dyson (SEA – OF): 16.8%

I listed Smith last week, but since he remains largely available, he deserves another mention. He’s up to 25 stolen bases between Triple-A and the majors this year, and has 245 across his minor league career. The dude can run, and he’s leading off for the Tampa Bay Rays. If he’s available and you need some wheels, there’s no better pick-up.

Much like Choo, Dyson is old news, but his 17 stolen bases has him tied for fifth in the league. No, he doesn’t hit for power, bats low in the order, and is frankly not the most thrilling add. But guys who can steal 17 bases don’t come around often these days, so deep leaguers should take notice. In 2016, he stole 30 in just 107 games.

Wins

Mike Fiers (HOU – SP): 41.7%
Mike Montgomery (CHC – SP/RP) : 13.9%

At the end of May, the plan was to banish Fiers to the bullpen, but injuries to other starters kept him in the rotation, and he’s been great ever since. Over his last five starts, he’s notched four wins with a 1.72 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He’s getting more groundballs and limiting hard contact this season, which could help keep the good times rolling. Given his history, he’s certainly not this good and is unlikely to excel in any one category, but pitching behind the Houston Astros’ offensive juggernaut should give him a healthy helping of wins.

It’s unclear how long Montgomery will stay in the Chicago Cubs’ rotation, but in the meantime, he could be a good source of wins behind a Cubs offense that’s starting to find its groove. He won’t hold that 2.26 ERA as a starter, but with an elite 61.0% ground ball rate, he should give deep leaguers some short-term value until Kyle Hendricks returns, with room for more if the Cubs ultimately decide to stick with him.

Strikeouts

Brad Peacock (HOU – SP/RP): 37.7%

Peacock gets a second straight mention as he continues to mow down batters while remaining available in a majority of leagues. Across his six starts, he has at least eight strikeouts in five of them. He struggles to go deep into games, and walks can be an issue, but when the guy has a 35.7% strikeout rate, are you really complaining? He’s gone over 95 pitches in each of his last two starts, and the stamina should only improve as he goes. The time to buy is now.

ERA and WHIP

Zack Godley (ARI – SP): 50.9%

The Godley shares are going fast, as the hurler continues to impress with a stellar 2.53 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. He could just as easily be listed under the “strikeouts” category, with two straight games of eight strikeouts apiece, giving him a 23.6% strikeout rate on the year. Couple that with a strong 59.9% ground-ball rate, and it’s hard to find something not to like in the 27-year-old Arizona Diamondback. Don’t expect the ERA to stay this low forever, but the skills are there to give you mixed league value the rest of the way.

Saves

Cam Bedrosian (LAA – RP): 34.6%
Huston Street (LAA – RP) : 3.9%
David Hernandez (LAA – RP) : 1.3%

Well, it took longer than expected, but Bedrosian and Street are finally healthy, and conveniently just when fill-in closer Bud Norris hits the DL. The trouble is, we have no idea how manager Mike Scioscia plans to use his bullpen, making it difficult to speculate on who will take over the closer role, or if this will be a committee moving forward. Most expect Bedrosian to eventually take the job, but Street was supposed to be the closer entering the season, and Hernandez has been pitching the ninth since Norris went down. Plus, there’s the question of what happens when Norris returns. It’s a bit of a mess, but if you’re desperate for saves, Bedrosian is probably your best guess, followed by Street. Keep a close eye on everyone’s usage in the coming days in case the situation gains more clarity.

Kenyatta Storin is a featured writer with FantasyPros. For more from Kenyatta, check out his archive and follow him @kenyattastorin

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