This week’s deep-league hitter dive chronicles three power bats shuttled around the infield. Two of them are still clawing for playing time despite belting 30 homers two years ago, and the other has finally escaped a platoon and settled into a feature role.

The fourth player highlighted … Well, there’s nobody like him. An old-school skill set and surprising versatility have quickly made the rookie a cult hero, but he’ll need a starting job before fantasy investors join the celebration.

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Jedd Gyorko (1B/2B/3B – STL): 8 Percent Owned
Give Jedd Gyorko an everyday job, and there’s no chance he’s eligible for this column. St. Louis’s lineup logjam is the lone reason he’s available in a whopping 92 percent of leagues. That may not change soon. The infielder has logged fewer plate appearances (211) than Jose Martinez, Kolten Wong, and Matt Carpenter, all of whom wield a higher fWAR. They also welcomed back shortstop Paul DeJong over the weekend.

Yet the overqualified utility man has caught fire in July, reaching base 15 times in 31 plate appearances while smacking two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Sticking with the hot hand, manager Mike Matheny kept Gyorko in the lineup for six straight games before sitting him on Saturday. He even tried a slumping Martinez in right field before giving him two consecutive off days.

Gyorko has plenty of pop to contribute when allowed. Since arriving in St. Louis in 2015, he has averaged 25 homers per 500 plate appearances. He has also, however, not received 500 plate appearances in a season since 2013 despite exceeding 2.0 fWAR in each of the last two campaigns. This year’s .260/.318/.432 doesn’t demand more attention, but a 39.7 hard-hit percentage suggests the guy who notched a 112 wRC+ in 2016 and 2017 has not entirely vanished. Don’t forget about him in deeper leagues, at least not while he’s swinging a sizzling bat.

Wilmer Flores (1B/2B/3B – NYM): 5 Percent Owned
For as much as I discussed Wilmer Flores in the preseason and monitored the few healthy Mets’ position players in this column, I mistakenly thought I already highlighted the Friends lover here. It looks like I haven’t, so let’s pivot to the one Met who melts this cynical fan’s icy heart.

When Flores plays, he hits. He’s now batting .268 with 25 homers and 79 RBI in 566 plate appearances dating back to last year. While he unleashed 18 of those long balls last season, he has improved his overall approach in 2018. The free swinger has upped his walk percentage to 7.7, which would constitute a new personal best. Only four hitters with at least 200 plate appearances have submitted a lower strikeout rate than his 10.0 percent. He has also bolstered last year’s 35.4 hard-hit rate that shattered a career high. The biggest key to his success, and the reason the Mets are riding his hot hand as an everyday starter, is his newfound success against righties:

 
Formerly stuck in the lesser end of a platoon, Flores has demanded a larger spotlight by batting 21-for-73 with six doubles and four homers since returning from a back injury. While he’s not necessarily a skilled defender at any infield position, deep-league managers will nonetheless enjoy his multi-position eligibility. (His value takes a hit in formats where he has not unlocked second base.) His torrid comeback could spark a summer trade, and this nihilistic Mets sufferer fan is convinced he can follow Justin Turner and Daniel Murphy’s lead after finding greener pastures.

Brad Miller (2B/SS – MIL): 4 Percent Owned
Despite opening 2018 as Tampa Bay’s leadoff hitter, Brad Miller quelled any interest by batting .230/.284/.377 through April. He had repaired his slash line to .256/.322/.429 by the time Milwaukee acquired the infielder last month. The understated swap for Ji-Man Choi is quickly resembling last year’s regrettable Tim Beckham trade.

Shipped to a contender, a revived Miller has gone .317/.378/.537 with two homers in 13 games. He even spent five days in the leadoff spot before Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain returned from the DL. For all of the Brewers’ first basemen and outfielders, they’re desperate for middle-infield production. As of Sunday, their second basemen and shortstop collectively rank 26 and 29 in wOBA, respectively. Miller, who swatted 30 homers in 2016, will thus keep receiving regular starts as long as he produces.

A 30.6 strikeout percentage will eventually contaminate his .269 batting average — far above is career .241 clip — yet the plate discipline (9.1 BB %) and power are nothing new. Moving from Tropicana Field to Miller Park will particularly help a slugger with a 43.5 fly-ball percentage, so follow Milwaukee’s lead and ride the hot hand.

Willians Astudillo (C – MIN): 2 Percent Owned
Baseball fans have quickly become infatuated by Willians Astudillo, a 5’9″, 225-pound catcher-turned Swiss Army knife who never walks or strikes out. The fascination has yet to translate to fantasy circles. He’s owned in 2 percent of Yahoo leagues despite brandishing catcher eligibility.

The 26-year-old newcomer has played second base, third base, left and even center field since his arrival, but maintaining catcher classification is his meal ticket to fantasy relevance. You’re investing in batting average from someone with a classic affinity for contact. Astudillo struck out 76 times over 2,342 minor league plate appearances. Mike Trout has 78 strikeouts this season, and it’s not concerning in the slightest.

Those bat-to-ball skills yielded a .308 batting average, and he even showed some power potential prior to his promotion. He needed just 49 games to set a new season high with seven homers. He didn’t sacrifice much to unleash more pop, as his strikeout percentage climbed to a still-microscopic 4.8.

Minnesota just needs to play him. He has vanished after collecting five hits-while honoring his reputation with no walks or strikeouts in four starts, so don’t rush to grab him. Yet Mitch Garver is hardly a sturdy fixture behind the plate, so keep the unconventional Astudillo on the deep-league (particularly larger two-catcher formats) radar.

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