Navigating the day-to-day landscape of a fantasy baseball season can easily be the game’s most challenging aspect. For a variety of different reasons, these decisions can be the toughest. First off, managing the delicacies of a fantasy baseball team takes time that owners don’t always have. Of course, roster spots and transactions are limited as well, which makes each and every choice that much more crucial. Finally, even the best fantasy baseball managers become too farsighted and struggle to win in the meantime. Baseball is a hard enough game to predict today, let alone in a month or more from now.
Drafting, making trades, and even keeping up with what’s going on around baseball can all be fun. Making the tough, day-to-day decisions in a league might not be so fun. This week, Burning Questions is here to help you with just that.
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Who are some hot hitting pickups that could help you win right now?
Aledmys Diaz (1B/2B/3B/SS – HOU)
With Jose Altuve out, Aledmys Diaz should get everyday playing time for Houston. Right now, a small child could probably do some damage in the loaded Astros lineup. Diaz has shown before that he can succeed at the major league level. While he probably won’t help at all in the average department, he could slide right into your infield and provide a great source of runs, RBIs, and even home runs. He has two homers and seven RBIs in the last three games.
Gio Urshela (3B/SS – NYY)
The Yankees have lost half of their team to injury, and out of those ashes rose Gio Urshela. To say he has been an unexpected savior might actually be an understatement. He’s hit .341 on the season, and he actually has hit as high as the three spot. While he might not provide a ton of home runs or stolen bases, he could still be a very useful part of a fantasy lineup.
Yuli Gurriel (1B/2B/3B – HOU)
Remember that thing about the Astros’ lineup? Gurriel is part of the reason it’s been so successful. He has hit .364 in May after batting a whopping .440 (11-for-25) last week. He might be owned in your league, but if not, he can help you win right now.
Avisail Garcia (OF – TB)
Garcia is a very odd case that we could spend pages and pages analyzing. None of that matters right now, however, as he is sizzling hot and hitting for one of the better offenses in baseball. Over the last week, Garcia put his power and speed on display while hitting .350. He’s never had a tendency to stay healthy, but as long as he is and is hitting well, he needs to be inserted into lineups.
Who are some hot pitching pickups that could help you win right now?
Brad Peacock (SP/RP – HOU)
Potential for a low ERA and WHIP? Check. Plenty of strikeouts? Check. High chance of getting wins? Check. What more could an owner want in a starting pitcher? Peacock has a higher floor than just about any pitcher who could potentially be on your waiver wire. He has been a little inconsistent in his return to the starting rotation this year, but his spot seems extremely secure because of Collin McHugh’s struggles. Peacock is coming off of an extremely strong start last week against the Royals and is in the midst of a two-start week. If he isn’t yet owned, snag him now.
John Means (SP/RP – BAL)
Means means business right now. I mean, with his mean array of pitches, it’s no surprise the amount of success Means has found. He dominated both Boston and LAA last week to the tune of a 1.38 ERA and 0.77 WHIP, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down. If you mean for your pitching staff to find success, John Means is the pickup for you.
Lucas Giolito (SP – CWS)
Speaking of good weeks, Giolito had one heck of a last week. In 14 innings pitched, he only gave up one run and racked up 14 strikeouts. Add in a 0.77 WHIP, and this guy was good. After working his season-long ERA all the way down to 3.55 after a rough start to the season, Giolito looks useful in all leagues.
Kyle Gibson (SP – MIN)
Forget the last week, Kyle Gibson has had a great last four starts. After an absolutely disastrous beginning to the season, he has found his groove and looks to be a potential diamond lost in the rough of starting pitchers. He’s on a roll and needs to be rostered.
Luke Jackson (RP – ATL)
One week after talking down Luke Jackson, two more A.J. Minter blow-ups thrust him officially into the Braves’ closing job. Jackson has saves in three of his last four appearances, and until the Braves inevitably acquire someone better, he is the undisputed closer.
Steve Cishek (RP – CHC)
Another new closer, Steve Cishek, finds his name on this list of hot pitcher pickups as well. His numbers aren’t going to blow any minds, but he has already proven to the Cubs that he can be an effective closer. Just like Jackson, unless the Cubs acquire an outside arm, he very well might be the guy for the year. Brandon Morrow can’t stay healthy for more than a day, and Pedro Strop has had plenty of his own problems. Cishek is the closer right now and may very well find himself in that role all year long.
Who are some underrated names to trade for right now?
Fantasy owners value names. Big-name players having rough years often remain hard to acquire. Lesser known names having quality years are unarguably easier to trade for, at least towards the beginning of the season. Right or wrong, that’s fantasy sports. Sure, “buying low” on a big name can be a quality trading strategy. However, one of the easiest ways to win a trade is to simply buy a lesser popular name for below face value. Fantasy owners get attached to certain players, and they value names. Here are a few underrated players to target.
Josh Bell (1B – PIT)
Bell’s name is not a familiar one, and his high BABIP may have some owners concerned. Truth be told, he just keeps crushing the ball. In fact, his hard contact rate is all the way up 49.1%, while his soft contact rate is below 10%. Absurd. Bell could be an easy target for owners to acquire, and he might just be blossoming into a star.
Yandy Diaz (1B/3B – TB)
Diaz’s peripherals actually say he might be getting a little unlucky in the average department, but regardless, this is a player who has vastly overachieved expectations. He may very well hit 35+ home runs on the year. If he does, it would be no surprise for him to finish just south of 100 runs and RBIs. Mix that in with a .275 AVG, and Diaz probably isn’t being valued as high as his fantasy owners should have him.
Mallex Smith (OF – SEA)
Here me out on this one, and you can thank me later. If Smith isn’t owned in your league, pick him up. There’s a reason he’s still owned in most highly competitive leagues. After a longer-than-minimum stay in the minors, he is still somehow tied for seventh in all of baseball in stolen bases. And let’s be honest, while he was up in the majors, he was a train wreck. If he could just have hit .250, he’d still be leading the league in steals. On top of that, Smith has raked in his time in Triple-A. In 10 games, he’s hitting .333 with seven steals. This is a guy who didn’t have much of a spring due to injuries and got very unlucky in his first few weeks of the season. The arrow is pointing straight up for Smith, and owners might just be willing to part with him for less than he’s worth.
Luke Weaver (SP – ARI)
Weaver seems like just the player to try and trade for right now. He isn’t a sexy name and is coming off of a rough 2018. He is pitching very well right now, but not so well that owners won’t be willing to trade him. Weaver’s peripherals look pretty solid on the season, and nothing stands out that should scare potential owners away. Keep in mind, the Diamondbacks must have seen something in Weaver to trade away Paul Goldschmidt. Weaver seems prime for the picking, and owners don’t fully value him yet.
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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.
