If you’re battling for points in a particular category there is still plenty of help available on your waiver wire. As we’ve done all season we’ll provide you with one player in each 5X5 category who is available in at least 50% of polled leagues and can help you move up and gain ground.
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Batting Average
Austin Jackson (OF – NYM) 2%
Jackson’s lackluster performance is what got him a ticket out of San Francisco, but he’s a different player since joining the Mets. In the 19 games (15 starts) he’s played since he was traded to NY, Jackson is slashing .379/.423/.591 with two homers, nine RBI, 10 runs and a stolen base. Jackson isn’t going to keep this up for the rest of the season, but there is no reason you can’t ride him while he’s hot. He will continue to get plenty of playing time while he’s hitting this well.
RBI
Johan Camargo (2B/3B/SS – ATL) 34%
The Atlanta Braves offense is one of the most productive in MLB. As of today, the Braves are scoring 4.88 runs per game, good for sixth-best overall. Camargo’s hot hitting has earned him a promotion to batting fifth in the Braves’ lineup, and he’s making the most of it. Since the All-Star break, Camargo has put up a .302/.330/.521 triple slash with four home runs, 17 RBI, and 16 runs. Since the promotion to fifth in the order on August 10, he’s slashed .367/.367/.533. He appears to have new-found confidence at the dish, so take advantage of his multi-positional eligibility and get him into your lineup for plenty of runs and RBI.
Runs
Jackie Bradley (OF – BOS) 26%
The Red Sox centerfielder has not had a great 2018 campaign. His overall numbers are just .218/.305/.387, but since the All-Star break he’s slashing .250/.337/.539 with five home runs, 15 RBI, and 18 runs. The Red Sox have the most prolific offense in MLB, creating 5.45 runs per game. As long as Bradley continues his clutch hitting, there is no reason he can’t continue to produce plenty of runs in that lineup.
Home Runs
Yonder Alonso (1B – CLE) 49%
Alonso has already driven in a career-high number of runs, and he’s on pace to match his career-high home run mark as well. After a tough season with Seattle in 2017, Alonso seems to have found his power stroke again and fantasy team owners would do well to grab him now if he’s available. The Indians are yet another prolific offense, generating 5.13 runs per game, which is second only to the Red Sox.
Stolen Bases
Amed Rosario (SS – NYM) 7%
The Mets have decided to allow their young players to go out and just play their game since the team is too far out of contention to do much of anything. Since the All-Star break, they’ve given Rosario a green light to steal whenever he thinks he has a shot and the result has been eight steals in nine attempts over the 24 games since the break. Rosario now has 14 stolen bases in 20 attempts for a 70% success rate. Rosario needs to work on getting on base too before he becomes a truly useful fantasy asset, but it appears he will get plenty of chances to run over the last six weeks of the season.
ERA
Trevor Williams (SP – PIT) 35%
Williams has been a revelation for the Pirates and his ownership rate is still very low for someone who is pitching so well. Four of his last five starts have been shutouts, and he’s lowered his season ERA to 3.66 from 4.60 at the beginning of July. His strikeout rate of 6/9 IP could be better and so could his walk rate of 3/9 IP, but both are serviceable enough if you’re getting good low ERA innings. He could easily pick up another three to six wins if he continues pitching this way.
WHIP
Tyler Glasnow (SP/RP – TB) 23%
It’s interesting that Glasnow suddenly started pitching much better with the move to the Rays. Then again, we saw this earlier in the year with Gerrit Cole, who suddenly looked like the second coming of Cy Young when he moved to Houston. Since the trade to Tampa Bay, Glasnow has a 0.75 WHIP along with a 2.25 ERA and opposing batters are hitting just .150 off him. His strikeout rate has also gone through the roof with 20 punchouts in his last 12 innings. Glasnow looks like the phenom everyone thought he’d be two years ago when he first came up from the Pittsburgh minor league system.
Strikeouts
German Marquez (SP – COL) 29%
Another pitcher whose strikeout rate seems to have shot up suddenly is Rockies hurler Marquez. He’s struck out 62 batters over his last 52.2 innings pitched. Now, keep in mind that his overall ratio stats are nothing to write home about. However, despite the fact that he’s allowed six home runs, his ERA is just 2.91 during that span. Like most Rockies pitchers, Marquez excels when he’s pitching on the road where he has a 3.71 strikeout per walk ratio.
Wins
Yovani Gallardo (SP – TEX) 2%
Yes, I know Gallardo’s ratio stats are a disaster. However, a win is a win is a win, and if you need wins to move up in that category, Gallardo seems to be luckier than most starting pitchers. Nine of his 10 starts with the Rangers this season have resulted in a decision, and he has a 7-2 record over that span including wins in four of his last five starts. Yes, you’ll have to be able to tolerate his 5.33 ERA and 1.97 WHIP and find a way to live with his 5.33 K/9 rate, but as long as he gets excellent run support from the Rangers’ lineup, he will continue to get wins.
Saves
Jose Leclerc (RP – TEX) 24%
Leclerc has emerged as the Rangers’ closer with the departure of Keone Kela to the Pirates. His 36.1% strikeout rate is seventh-best among relievers and opposing hitters are batting just .140 against him. Over his last five outings, he has a 0.00 ERA, 0.40 WHIP and eight strikeouts. The job is his to lose now, yet he seems to be available in a large number of leagues. It’s just a matter of time before he’s scooped up, so go get him ASAP.
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Tim McCullough is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Tim, follow him @timstenz.
