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Hitters to Target in Deep Leagues (2018 Fantasy Baseball)

Hitters to Target in Deep Leagues (2018 Fantasy Baseball)

All five of these highlighted players were recently injured, benched or stuck in the minors. Now they’re flourishing with regular big league reps.

The first case amounts to the individual’s better health, but the others have received more playing time because of surrounding injuries. As shown in these case studies, sometimes rookies and veterans require patience before finding their form. They’re all, as of Sunday evening, owned in no more than 9 percent of all leagues. Grab them now for a deep-league jolt.

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David Dahl (OF – COL): 9 Percent Owned
The Rockies play their next six games on the road, but David Dahl should be owned in double-digit leagues by next Monday.

Out for more than two months with a broken foot, the oft-injured outfielder returned from this season’s second DL stint on August 5. It was just in time to spend a week at Coors Field, where he went 6-for-23 with three walks, a double, and a homer. The most important part of his comeback? Colorado started him all but once over Gerardo Parra, who should return to a fourth outfielder role with his -0.5 fWAR.

Health woes make Dahl a dubious long-term investment, but he needs to be owned when healthy. The 24-year-old outfielder sports a career .301/.346/.491 slash line with 12 homers and eight steals in 361 career plate appearances. He’s a strict matchup play, but a relatively easy one to navigate given his .390 wOBA at Coors and .387 wOBA versus righties. Stash him on the bench this week before starting him next week, when the Rockies host a pair of three-game tilts against the Padres and Cardinals.

Franmil Reyes (OF – SD): 8 Percent Owned
A cleanup hitter with a .496 slugging percentage has an 8-percent consensus ownership rate. That should not last much longer.

Granted, Franmil Reyes also has registered a .292 on-base percentage and 33.6 strikeout percentage for the Padres. While they haven’t always had room for him in their outfield, the 23-year-old has clearly outgrown Triple-A, where he hit .324/.428/.614 in 58 games. He has already crushed three homers in seven games since his recent call-up.

Wil Myers is nearing a return from the DL, but the Padres appear serious about trying him at third base. That would keep Reyes and his 70-grade raw power in a regular right-field role. You’re paying purely for power until he refines his plate approach, but it’s well worth the price of admission.

Willy Adames (2B/SS – TB): 4 Percent Owned
When mentioning Willy Adames in passing right before his promotion, I called him a “polished prospect who won’t send fantasy managers into a tizzy.” Two months later, his ownership rate remains a paltry 4 percent.

Before anyone could develop a case of Shiny New Toy Syndrome, the 22-year-old middle infielder batted .200 through 34 games. He has fared much better in August, going .405 (15-for-37) with two doubles and homers apiece in 11 contests. The newcomer has also reached base in 14 of his last 15 games and swiped a bag in each of the past four bouts.

A prototypical “better in real life” talent, Adames has invited Ben Zobrist comparisons throughout his minor league ascension. He topped out at 11 homers and 13 steals in 2016 and never batted above .290. Yet he did maintain a .363 on-base percentage with a 12.4 walk percentage. And given that track record, he has actually displayed more pop and speed than initially expected by tallying five long balls and five steals in 45 major league games.

Even in his prime, Adames is unlikely to make a major impact in any single category. For now, grab the hot hand who can do a bit of everything. For later, enjoy a steady producer best suited for OBP formats.

Neil Walker (1B/2B/3B – NYY): 3 Percent Owned
Neil Walker’s horrid start-not his recent rebound-defied the norm. While injuries have always hampered his availability, the career .270/.339/.431 hitter is bound to post a wRC+ below 100 (73) for the first time since 2009 when he logged just 40 plate appearances in his big league debut. Given his steady results when healthy, it’s not a surprise to see the 32-year-old turn the corner.

Batting .197/.278/.285 before the All-Star break, Walker has since hit .328/.369/.531. He has rediscovered his power with three homers in his last six games, matching his previous season total through July.

Although benched after Thursday’s two-homer game, Walker then made the first start of his career in right field. Aaron Judge’s return isn’t imminent, so there’s especially room for the second baseman if Giancarlo Stanton’s ailing hamstring eventually allows him to play the field. The Bronx Bombers should find ways to get Walker in the lineup. If they do, he’s once again a sturdy deep-league contributor.

Tyler White (1B – HOU): 2 Percent Owned
The Astros desperately needed an ancillary player to produce with Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, and George Springer all sidelined. Tyler White has accepted the call to action, batting .317 (13-for-41) with three homers since getting re-promoted in late July.

White would already be a mixed-league mainstay if he played for almost any other team. He has made the most of his limited opportunities by slashing .276/.362/.537 in 152 major league plate appearances since the start of 2017. Max Muncy, Joey Votto, and Freddie Freeman are the only first basemen with a wRC+ higher than his 147.

As their AL West lead keeps dwindling, would the Astros dare to bench or demote the streaking slugger again? The early signs point to no. Carlos Correa’s return allows Alex Bregman to shift back to third base, which in turns can send Yuli Gurriel across the infield from third to first. Yet White has started all three games since the star shortstop’s activation. The Astros have prioritized his hot bat by DHing White on Friday, moving Gurriel to second on Saturday, and sitting him on Sunday. Altuve’s return would provide yet another challenge to White’s playing time, but the defending champions seem to realize he’s too hot to sit. Perhaps it’s Gurriel and his .177 second-half slugging percentage who instead falls out of the picture.

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Andrew Gould is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrewgould4.

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