Often 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 21’s fantasy baseball 5×5 category targets. For this exercise, I’ll be using ESPN ownership percentages. Stats are accurate entering Friday’s contests.
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Batting Average
Brandon Phillips (2B/3B – ATL): 44.0%
He’s no longer the exciting 20 home run, 20 stolen bases threat he was in his prime, but this “old man” is still plenty useful. Striking out just 10.9% of the time, Brandon Phillips is hitting .289 this season, and has posted a .291 average since the start of 2015. Locked into the two-hole for the Atlanta Braves, he’ll net you a nice helping of runs, and with 11 dingers and 10 swiped bags, he can still provide a little power and speed.
Home Runs
Rhys Hoskins (1B/OF – PHI): 51.5%
Curtis Granderson (OF – LAD): 38.2%
Rhys Hoskins is flying off waiver wire shelves, and with good reason. The dude has homered in five of his last six games, and already has eight in just 64 plate appearances. While he can’t keep up this torrid pace, with a 50.0% hard-hit rate, 47.6% fly-ball rate, and a stellar minor league track record, the power is very real. Supported by strong plate discipline not often seen by young sluggers, if he’s still available in your league, grab him while you still can.
Meanwhile, Curtis Granderson is swinging a hot bat of his own, sporting a 1.029 OPS and nine dingers this month. He hasn’t missed a beat since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, and as long as you can stomach the poor batting average (.225), he remains an underrated source of power.
RBIs
Greg Bird (1B – NYY): 6.8%
Left for dead several times this year, Greg Bird is finally healthy and set to return to the New York Yankees. Bird was slashing just .100/.250/.450 in 72 plate appearances before going down with the ankle injury that has derailed his season. He’s a total wild card at this point, but he’s shown power at the major league level — in 2015, he slugged 11 home runs in 178 plate appearances. He also may be joining up at a good time, should any Yankees face lengthy suspensions from the brawls with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
Runs
Kevin Kiermaier (OF – TBR): 20.2%
Since returning from the DL, Kevin Kiermaier sure doesn’t look rusty, hitting .400/.444/.880 over 27 plate appearances with three bombs and a stolen base. The new leadoff man for the Tampa Bay Rays, Kiermaier should score plenty of runs, and could be a sneaky power-speed combo the rest of the way. Despite missing time, he has 10 home runs, only two away from tying his career-high.
Stolen Bases
Byron Buxton (OF – MIN): 54.8%
Keon Broxton (OF – MIL): 24.8%
Cameron Maybin (OF – LAA): 10.6%
Unless you’re a diehard Minnesota Twins fan, most of you probably didn’t expect Byron Buxton to be a potential fantasy difference-maker down the home stretch, but here we are. The speed is well-documented (22 stolen bases), but it’s the bat that’s woken up, as Buxton is slashing .302/.340/.570 since the All-Star break, and has reduced his strikeout rate to 24.7%. Maybe the former top prospect is finally starting to figure things out, and it sure can’t hurt to take a flyer on him to find out.
Keon Broxton is quietly one stolen base away from a 20-20 season, and has performed well since returning from Triple-A at the start of August. Strikeouts remain a constant issue, so the batting average is an eye-sore (.230), but legitimate power-speed threats don’t come around on the waiver wire often.
Widely available across ESPN leagues, Cameron Maybin is tied for the fifth-most stolen bases in the league (28) despite playing in only 88 games. Oh, and he’s leading off for the Los Angeles Angels. He’s a no-brainer pickup if you need speed.
Wins
Collin McHugh (SP -HOU): 36.5%
Collin McHugh is unlikely to wow you with his strikeouts or ERA, but playing for one of the best teams in the league has its benefits. He’s only nabbed one win in six starts, but expect that to change over the long haul behind the vaunted Houston Astros offense. This season, McHugh has a respectable 4.01 ERA and 22.0% strikeout rate, while limiting hard contact (27.1% rate).
Strikeouts
Patrick Corbin (SP – ARI): 60.4%
Carlos Rodon (SP – CHW): 52.1%
Their season stats aren’t particularly noteworthy, but these two are on the upswing, and owners are slowly starting to take notice.
Since the All-Star break, Patrick Corbin has posted a 2.84 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, while upping his strikeout rate to 24.1%. He’s also limiting batters to just a 27.9% hard-hit rate. Typically struggling against righties throughout his career, he’s held them at bay during this recent stretch. We’ve seen Corbin have success in the past, so with everything clicking, he could be in for a strong finish.
More people would probably be talking about Carlos Rodon if he didn’t play for the lowly Chicago White Sox. He scuffled when he first came off the disabled list, but this month he’s turned things around, putting together a 2.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 24.8% strikeout rate over his last four starts. Wins might be few and far between — he has only two in ten starts — but he has excellent punchout potential.
ERA and WHIP
Luke Weaver (SP -STL): 22.0%
Through 23 1/3 innings, including three starts, Luke Weaver has a pristine 2.31 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, to go with a 26/8 K/BB ratio. Although it’s always risky to put our faith in young hurlers, Weaver also has a 2.55 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 15 Triple-A starts this season, and could be proving he can handle the majors. Pressed into the rotation for the injured and ineffective Adam Wainwright, it’s not inconceivable that Weaver holds a spot through the end of the year.
Saves
Juan Minaya (RP – CHW): 8.7%
With three saves now on his ledger, Juan Minaya looks like he’s the man to own in the White Sox bullpen. He has just a 4.36 ERA, but does pack some punch with a 30.2% strikeout rate. Yes, it’s the White Sox, but even poor teams will get their save opportunities. As we’ve seen from guys like Brad Ziegler — who’s already up to eight saves — saves are saves, no matter where they’re coming from.
Kenyatta Storin is a featured writer with FantasyPros. For more from Kenyatta, check out his archive and follow him @kenyattastorin.
