To say that fantasy baseball involves a bit of luck would be an understatement. Don’t get me wrong, skill does play a major role. But sometimes, when your luck sucks, your luck sucks. Just ask Chris Sale, who’s now 0-5, or Yankees fans. The trouble lies in the fact that good luck rarely transforms bad fantasy teams into winners. Rather, and much more often, bad luck takes potentially star-studded teams and ravages them. If you’ve looked up to find yourself as one of those teams, stuck in the basement of your league, decimated by injuries, poor play, or whatever the case may be, look no further than this week’s burning questions. You may not be able to control the bad luck you’ve received, but you can create a little good luck of your own. Call this the lottery version, because it’s time to hit some jackpots.
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Who are some high-ceiling hitters worth a flier?
Eric Thames (1B/OF – MIL)
It’s only a matter of time until the Milwaukee Brewers become fed up with Ryan Braun‘s abysmal production. Braun, who is now 35, has hit to the triple slash line of .200/.255/.389 so far in 2019. Unless he quickly turns things around, Thames has to get more time for Craig Counsell‘s club. In very limited at-bats, Thames has hit .288 with five home runs, the same amount as Ryan Braun in 43 fewer plate appearances. While Thames might not be a star, the Brewers have no doubt found a way to limit potential good players in the recent past. Look at the way Domingo Santana has performed in his first year away from Milwaukee. Even if they stick with the former MVP in left field, Thames started the club’s last three games against a righty at first base instead of the slumping Jesus Aguilar. Either way, Thames seems destined to play regularly soon, and he’s already proven he can succeed.
Jose Martinez (1B/OF – STL)
Martinez can hit, plain and simple. Since entering into the league in 2016, he’s had a .313 average in a sporadic role that makes it tough to succeed. Don’t look now, but he is playing every single day for the Cards. Yes, Harrison Bader was injured, but the Cardinals are still finding a way to consistently keep Martinez’s bat in the lineup upon the center fielder’s return. While Martinez may not hit a ton of home runs, he will hit .300 or higher. With an average like that, his RBI total should look pretty good while hitting behind Paul Goldschmidt, Paul DeJong, and Marcell Ozuna.
Raimel Tapia (OF – COL)
If you thought Braun’s production was bad, get a look at Ian Desmond’s. His .193/.234/.341 triple slash is even worse, and he only has two home runs without a single stolen base. Yikes. The Rockies’ logical alternative to playing Desmond is Raimel Tapia, who hit 11 home runs with 21 steals in only 105 games in Triple-A last season. He has sneaky fantasy upside, and when he does finally get time, he’ll be playing at Coors Field. Tapia is the definition of a high-upside stash.
Michael Chavis (2B/3B – BOS)
If you haven’t noticed, potential playing time has been a huge issue with all four of these high-upside fliers. And speaking of which, Michael Chavis seems to be the favorite to run away with the Red Sox’s second base job. Dustin Pedroia hasn’t stayed on the field for more than a few games in years, and Chavis has gotten off to a tremendous start since his promotion. There’s mouth-wateringly good upside for this 23-year-old, and he’s absolutely worth a grab from the waiver wire.
Who are some prospects to stash in hopes of hitting it big?
Nick Senzel (2B/3B/OF – CIN)
At one point, it almost seemed likely Senzel was likely to get called up last season or at the beginning of the year. Both injuries and a logjam in Cincinnati’s infield helped thwart that idea. Senzel, however, remains one of the top-five prospects in all of baseball and should receive a promotion sooner rather than later. This is a guy who has five-tool potential and could help every fantasy lineup if he receives the call.
Luis Urias (2B – SD)
With Fernando Tatis Jr. injuring his hamstring and Ian Kinsler potentially on his way out, Urias might be that much closer to getting promoted for good. On top of that, Urias belted a whopping five home runs over the weekend, taking him up to seven on the year. He’s crushing Triple-A pitching, and he’s going to be called back up soon. When he does, he’ll be ready to roll and stay up for good.
Forrest Whitley (SP – HOU)
Don’t look at Whitley’s stats so far this year, because they’re not good. One thing still hasn’t changed, though: his stuff is electric. Even with the struggles, Whitley should absolutely be up with the Astros this season. What role he fills will depend on Houston’s needs, and obviously that will largely determine his value. His stuff is so good, however, that if he ends up in Houston in a prominent role, he could play a massive part of a fantasy team in the second half of the season.
Who are some buy-low candidates who could turn around a fantasy team?
Almost any pitcher in or around the top 10 of preseason rankings.
Seriously, you want to hear every top pitcher who has somewhat struggled so far? Here goes nothing: Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, Jacob deGrom, Corey Kluber, Gerrit Cole, Aaron Nola, Carlos Carrasco, Noah Syndergaard, Walker Buehler, and that’s not all. Some players on that list have struggled more than others, but every one of them has drastically underachieved.
Throw out a trade for any of them. See if anyone bites. Yes, a few of them have been pretty concerning thus far, none more than Sale. If I could grab Boston’s ace for a return significantly below his first-round draft value, though, I’d do it all day.
Trea Turner (SS – WAS)
Unfortunately, Turner has been a forgotten man this season. Out with a finger injury since the first week of the season, owners have been forced to keep him on the IL. No, Turner isn’t coming back extremely soon, but because of that, now is the perfect time to try and buy him off of another owner. This speedster was a first-round draft pick in most leagues and could change the landscape of an entire fantasy team when he comes back. Buy him for less than his first round value right now and reap the rewards later.
Andrew Benintendi (OF – BOS)
Benintendi has been the definition of “meh” this season, if “meh” has a definition. He’s hit .276 with two homers and two steals, but those alright numbers are probably nothing owners feel like they can’t lose. In fact, he might be pretty easy to trade for at this point. Here’s the deal: the Red Sox offense is going to get better. Benintendi doesn’t hit 30 home runs or steal 30 bases, but that’s expected. His success is very much predicated on a high average, along with having high run and RBI totals. So far, Boston hasn’t helped provide him with either one of those. As the offense improves, Benintendi will become much more useful. Try and snag him now before that happens.
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Alex Altmix is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Alex, check out his archive or follow him @Altmix_23.
