Another week of fantasy baseball action is upon us, and I’m here to talk to you about deep league ‘movers.’ I’m thinking of my 15-team leagues at the NFBC as I pen this, but any platform can house your 15-team league, and these guys should be worthy of consideration if you need to patch a hole somewhere. For those of you in shallower formats, the following names could be watch list candidates, if not guys you ride for a week or so if you’ve been ravaged at a particular position.
Catcher
Danny Jansen (C – TOR)
You’ll need to add Jansen now on the cheap–or at least as cheap as he’ll come after hitting a homer on Saturday in his first game back from the injured list. Jansen can operate at around a 15-homer pace, if not more. He was one of my preseason favorites to round out my catching options in draft-and-holds, so I’m not abandoning ship now. He has underperformed his expected batting average marks for three years running due to a lot of pulled fly balls turning into outs instead of leaving the yard. That might be nerve-wracking given the current state of the dead baseball, but one of these years, Jansen will have some BABIP luck and bat .245+ with solid power. If he’s healthy, he’s a C2 option in leagues that require such.
This is truly disgusting, but Nido should operate as the starting backstop for the Mets while James McCann (broken hamate, left wrist) is on the shelf for around six weeks. We saw a glimpse of Nido’s usefulness in the Covid-shortened 2020 season when he slashed .292/.346/.583. No one is expecting that or anything close, but sometimes in deep leagues, you have to mine for at-bats. You’re welcome?
Jonah Heim (C – TEX)
Heim made this list last week, and he’s even more solidified as the Rangers’ primary catcher now that Mitch Garver (sprained flexor tendon) is shelved. The 26-year-old switch-hitting Heim has a robust 14.5% walk rate against a minuscule 9.7% strikeout rate. He’s slashing .302/.403/.528, a production that seems to be supported mainly by his quality of contact. A .279 xBA and a 44.7% hard-hit rate–coupled with Heim’s contact ability–that’s a powerful combination.
Corner Infield
What is 2022? Guys like Brandon Drury and Colin Moran are back on the radar? Or should we be asking, what are the Reds? At any rate, Moran is raking for Cincinnati at the moment. He has had four home runs over the last six days and at least one hit in seven of eight games. He’s a lifetime .219/.282/.330 hitter with just six homers against southpaws. But against right-handed pitching, he’s a palatable .276/.338/.440, with a .338 wOBA and a 107 wRC+. Basically, he’s league average. But he’s also hot and gets some games in Cleveland (historically a nice place for lefties) and Toronto for Week 7. He’s definitely in consideration if injuries have ravaged you at the corner infield position. Joey Votto may return for the Toronto series, but that was the initial estimation, and mostly these returns don’t happen as swiftly as we fantasy players would like. There might be one more week of Colin Moran to benefit from.
Moose double-donged on Friday night, much to the sadness of managers who probably had him resting on their benches. But for those of us who took a cheap dart on him during the draft season to cover a paper-thin third base position, now might be the time to get him into lineups. He’s batting cleanup for Cincinnati, and even though it’s just five games on tap for the coming week, at least it’s five quality hitting environments. His Statcast data is a sea of blue right now, but you can argue that he’s still working his way back to full health from a biceps injury. If he’s truly back to form, he’s a middle-of-the-order bat for a Reds team that still resides in a prime locale for hitting.
Hunter Dozier (1B, 3B, OF – KC)
I’ve drafted Dozier as a bench bat for multiple years since his surprise 26-homer campaign back in 2019. And while 2020 and 2021 were easy to forget, his current expected statistics mirror those of 2019. His .259 xBA is up from the two poor seasons prior, as is his .456 xSLG. His XWOBACON is also up to .404 after logging a .420 mark in 2019. Lastly, his 7.4% barrel rate isn’t setting the world alight, but it does represent a career-high. As a depth outfield play or a guy who can cover either corner, he’s a helpful piece. He’s also not a lug. He’s versatile for a reason. He’s a pretty good athlete, with a sprint speed mark in the 72nd percentile. On Friday, he went 5-for-5, scoring four runs and bringing his average up to .277–again, more in line with his 2019 mark of .279. I’ll bite, especially with the Royals getting a full seven games for Week 7.
Middle Infield
It’s been the week of Wong so far. He has a hit in six of seven games, a home run, and two steals over the last seven days. He should be his usual self moving forward, a runs-scored and batting-average asset. But he also popped 14 homers in just 116 games last year while logging a 4.1% barrel rate. That’s not great, but it was a career-high. He has just one barrel on 86 batted ball events this year, despite elevating the ball more. Overall I say we like that batted ball profile shift, hitting fewer ground balls with more line drives and fly balls (if they start clearing the fence). Stay tuned on the power, but the batting average, runs scored, and stolen bases should make him worthy of rostering in all formats.
Brad Miller (1B, 2B, 3B, OF – TEX)
Miller is 32 years old, but he’s still giving us home runs and steals despite being a question mark in the batting average and playing time departments. Still, he is the third-best middle infielder in 5×5 leagues over the last week of games. Three homers, two steals, and a .353 BA will do that for you. Over the previous two weeks, he’s still the 11th-ranked middle infielder. Despite Miller’s super-utility status, that’s at least deserving of middle infield slot consideration. With his hot bat, he’s likely to get an at-bat or two even in games he doesn’t start for Texas. The Rangers have a full seven games on tap for Week 7.
Outfield
Gamel is a top 20 outfielder in 5×5 leagues over the last two weeks of action, with a .409 batting average and a pair of homers during that stretch. He’s a bit over his head with a .364 BABIP, but he’s a career .340 BABIP and a career .261 hitter, so it’s not a total mirage. Furthermore, the expected statistics point to trusting the .307 batting average. His expected .329 BA is inside the top 4% of the league, and he’s got a lot of pink to dark red on his Statcast page. All three of his home runs have come against right-handed pitching, but Gamel has a higher career slash line against left-handed pitchers, albeit sacrificing some power. But at still just 29 years old and seeing regular at-bats for the Pirates, Gamel has a chance for a career season in 2022.
Sheets has three career hits over 29 plate appearances against southpaws, so let’s be honest about the fact that he’s probably only starting against right-handed pitching. But in deep leagues, we have to dig…deep. Sheets should play against right-handers, and he’s got enough versatility to see time at each corner outfield slot, first base, and DH. He may not be a plus in the batting average department, but we like his ability to hit dingers. Sheets’ 12.7% barrel rate is inside the top 15% of the league, and his three homers over the last week of games have him ranking inside the top 20 outfielders in 5×5 leagues. The White Sox play a full seven games next week, so Sheets should be on your radar as a guy who can round out your outfield or even cover your CI slot in a pinch. He may be heating up alongside the weather, too. After a .213 BA, .085 ISO, and 68 wRC+ in Mar/Apr, Sheets is up to a .257 BA, a .314 ISO, and a 162 wRC+ so far in May. A bit over his head? Maybe. But baseball is a game of streaks, people.
Those are the names that leaped out at me heading into the weekend. May some of these guys help you in some capacity in the week ahead. Let me know if there’s anyone on your deep league radar that I’m missing!
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Beyond our fantasy baseball content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you prepare for your draft this season. From our free mock Draft Simulator – which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents – to our Draft Assistant – that optimizes your picks with expert advice – we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball draft season.
Heath Capps is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Heath, check out his archive.
