We are now officially in the second-half of 2018 fantasy baseball season.
I hope you’re still in playoff contention in your league(s) this season. The trade deadline is fast approaching real-life MLB and in your fantasy leagues. If you’re out of the race in a dynasty league, it could be time to dump a couple starters for some young studs.
Which hot pitchers are we suggesting to pick up this week?
We look at some players who started out hot, some who are struggling and maybe a couple young guys who should be targeted in your free agent pool on July 22nd, 2018.
I’ll be posting a weekly fantasy baseball F/M/K every Sunday this baseball season…so keep coming back!
Before I begin, let’s go over the F/M/K terminology. The guys that I list under “F*ck” are guys that are currently hot and you need to pick them up. “Marry”, are guys that you need to stick with the whole season, even if they are struggling a bit. “Kill”, are guys that need to be dropped for better players in the free agent pool.
SP Danny Duffy – Kansas City Royals – 48.4% owned – Duffy has had a very rocky road this season. he has had the highest of ups and then the bottom just falls out. He has only allowed one run total in his last three starts. All three were against AL Central foes. His next start is Wednesday at home versus Detroit (another AL Central start). Duffy’s division is the worst in baseball, so facing a lot of bad teams has helped his fantasy numbers this year. He has some good luck on his side as he will miss the series at Yankee Stadium and will start the first game in their series versus the White Sox. Duffy could continue his hot streak into August.
RP Kirby Yates – San Digo Padres – 30.3% owned – Padres closer Brad Hand and reliever Adam Cimber were traded to the Indians, so they needed to name a new closer. Yates was named the new closer and he deserved it. He is 3-0 with a 1.43 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. He has good control and should have success in his new role.
OF Carlos Gonzalez – Colorado Rockies – 55.5% owned – After a rough 2017 season, CarGo bounced back this season. He is batting .281 with 11 homers and 43 RBI. He also has five multi-hit games over the last two weeks. He was taking a seat against lefties, but has started a few games against them in July. He even hit a homer against lefty Wade LeBlanc before the All-Star Break. He will most likely still sit out most games against southpaws, so if you can stomach that, he’s a nice addition.
SS Jorge Polanco – Minnesota Twins – 9.3% owned – Polanco is getting in a groove and has only taken one game off since returning from his 80-game suspension on July 2nd. He has yet to hit a homer, but he has an eight-game hitting streak and has stolen two bases during his streak. He’s a nice AL-only play, but if he can keep hitting, he could creep into mixed league consideration.
OF Willie Calhoun – Texas Rangers – 12.2% owned – Rangers top prospect Willie Calhoun was called up this weekend. He was the major piece in the Yu Darvish trade last season. He was hitting .306 with eight homers and 42 RBI in Triple-A. His power numbers were down a bit this season, but he has power potential as he hit 28 and 31 homers in the two previous minor league seasons. Calhoun doesn’t have a very good glove, but the Rangers wouldn’t have called him up to sit on the bench. I think he plays nearly everyday for the out-of-the-playoff-race Rangers.
1B/OF Matt Adams – Washington Nationals – 38.4% owned – Adams is back to playing nearly everyday for the Nationals and has three homers in his last four games. Ryan Zimmerman was reinstated from the disabled list, but I don’t see him eating into Adams playing time very much. Adams is hitting .287 with 16 homers and 40 RBI in only 69 games. He should be owned in more leagues.
SP Marcus Stroman – Toronto Blue Jays – 48.9% owned – Strowman has had a rough year. He was drafted in all leagues and was expected to pitch like a true ace. He sucked to start the year and landed on the disabled list from early May until June 23rd. He has only had one bad start since that date. His next start is at the White Sox, a team many pitchers have put up solid numbers against. Strowman will probably be very good now so we can all draft him next year, and for him to start bad again.
3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – Toronto Blue Jays – 14.6% owned – Vlad Jr. was reinstated from the disabled list, but was sent to Hi-A for a couple games, but should be going back to Triple-A very soon. I still think there’s a good shot of him being called up in August or on September 1st. If you’re out of the playoff hunt in your dynasty league, if he’s available, add him now. The guy is going to be a very good hitter and will only get better as his body matures.
C Elias Diaz – Pittsburgh Pirates – 19.2% owned – Diaz has taken over as the primary catcher since taking over when Francisco Cervelli was on the DL with a concussion. He’s been great at the plate is is hitting .290 on the year and has hit seven homers and 24 RBI. Cervelli is on the trading block and Diaz’s role will become more entrenched. Diaz and John Hicks have become two very good fantasy catcher options at a very thin position.
SP Wade LeBlanc – Seattle Mariners – 30.9% owned – LeBlanc is coming off a ten-strikeout performance at home versus the White Sox. His next start is against the Angels, a team that he only allowed one run in seven innings on July 3rd. LeBlanc is 6-1 and is in a position to get some wins on a very solid team. I think he is a prime streaming option on Friday.
OF Cameron Maybin – Miami Marlins – 4.3% owned – Maybin is on fire and is stealing bases at a nice rate. He has five steals in his last eight games. Players aren’t stealing games as much as in recent years, so to pick up a guy with this much stolen base potential is rare. Why is he popping off right now? He’s actually getting on base more, which is all a speed threat needs to become fantasy relevant.
RP Robert Gsellman – New York Mets – 14.0% owned – Gsellman is now the official closer for the Mets. They traded Jeurys Familia to the A’s, so Gsellman should now be owned in most leagues. There are better closing options out there, but Gsellman could still get some saves down the stretch.
OF Marcell Ozuna – St. Louis Cardinals – 94.2% owned – Ozuna’s ownership percentage took a hit over the last two weeks. He hasn’t been putting up power numbers, but his swing isn’t broken. The Cardinals offense has been pretty good since they fired manager Mike Matheny. Guys like Tommy Pham and Matt Carpenter are on fire and if people keep getting on base, Ozuna’s RBI potential will improve.
SP Jon Lester – Chicago Cubs – 96.2% owned – Lester was eaten alive in his first start after the All-Star Break. He gave up eight runs in three innnings to the Cardinals. His ERA jumped a half-run in just one start. The Cubs have great run production and Lester is too good to let this linger into his next start versus the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. There’s no need to panic and drop Lester.
OF Aaron Hicks – New York Yankees – 70.8% owned – Hicks cooled off, but he’s still playing everyday for the Yankees. He will play 81 games with the short porch in right field. This is just a lull and there’s no worry of him losing playing time right now. His ownership percentage dropped a few percentage points, but that could just be from teams dropping him to get some young prospect.
C Mike Zunino – Seattle Mariners – 19.7% owned – Zunino was on the disabled list for a minute, but he was recently reinstated. His power potential is off the charts, but he will most likely carry a very weak batting average. Considering where most of the catcher’s numbers are this season, the batting average isn’t a huge killer based on anything other than the top six or seven catchers.
SP Gio Gonzalez – Washington Nationals – 82.5% owned – Gonzalez hasn’t been very good this season. His ERA is decent (3.72 ERA), but he isn’t striking out batters as much as in the past. Over the past four starts, he has walked 14 batters in 17 innings. He was much better early in the season, but is in a slump. His track record shows he should snap out of it. Also, the Nationals have been pretty damn good since their team meeting before the All-Star Break.
1B Brandon Belt – San Francisco Giants – 76.0% owned – Belt had a great May, but only hit .239 in the month of June. His overall numbers are still very good as he’s hitting .287 with 14 homers and 43 RBI. He’s a crucial part of the Giants offense and Belt should still have career highs across the board by the end of the year. He’s a great 1B/3B flex play and if someone dropped him in your league, I’d give him a long look.
RP Bud Norris – St. Louis Cardinals – 71.0% owned – I’m not sure why the ownership of Norris continues to drop. He has only given up one run since June 22nd, but has only had five save opportunities in that time frame. He has a 2.97 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP with 18 saves on the season. I guess I answered my question a bit, but there’s no need to drop Norris. I don’t see many options out there with better long-term position for saves this season.
SS/3B Eduardo Escobar – Minnesota Twins – 85.4% owned – Escobar is in a slump, but he’s a streaky player. He’s been an extra-base hit machine this season. His season numbers are great as he is hitting .272 with 14 homers and 58 RBI. You shouldn’t drop him as he should get back hot again, like he has done numerous times this season.
SS Ketel Marte – Arizona Diamondbacks – 26.1% owned – Marte was also in a little slump, but has shown more power than expected. He didn’t have a single homer until June 1st, but has hit nine since that day. He’s starting nearly everyday and is a solid middle infielder option, especially in NL-only leagues. His ownership percentage dropped during his slump, but there aren’t many better options out there.
SP Dylan Bundy – Baltimore Orioles – 65.7% owned – Bundy has been inconsistent all year. He strings together a great start with an utter abomination. He is starting to be more consistent, but it’s consistently bad. He has given up at least five runs in each of his last three starts. His next start is versus Boston, which is a bad match-up. He did pitch eight shutout innings in his last start against Boston, but I don’t trust him right now. You’re not going to get many win opportunities with Bundy and his overall numbers are pedestrian.
SS/2B/3B Yangervis Solarte – Toronto Blue Jays – 83.7% owned – Solarte was looking like he was about to have a career year, but his production slammed on the brakes in July. He has went hitless in eight of his last eleven games. His batting average dropped to .236 and has only one RBI since July 4th. It’s time to cut him and add Joey Wendle or Yairo Munoz.
3B Josh Donaldson – Toronto Blue Jays – 84.0% owned – This suggestion is for fantasy owners that are struggling with injuries. You only have one DL spot in standard leagues and sometimes you need to make some tough decisions. Donaldson has been on the DL for weeks and weeks, and he had a recent setback. He doesn’t have a timetable to return, but is going through a running program. It would put Donaldson’s earliest possible activated at early-August. There are 1B/3B guys out there that can help your team now. You can drop Donaldson and be just fine. You can add Matt Duffy, Tim Beckham or Yuli Gurriel.
SP Kevin Gausman – Baltimore Orioles – 43.1% owned – Gausman was blown up in his last start at home versus the Phillies. He gave up 12 hits and five runs in five innings. His strikeout numbers keep dropping and hasn’t had more than five strikeouts in a game since mid-June. Like Bunday, Gausman’s numbers are good enough to basically punt wins to start him.
C Kurt Suzuki – Atlanta Braves – 47.9% owned – Suzuki is in a slump and has only three total hits since July 4th. He now only starts about every other game and is losing starts to Tyler Flowers. I’d rather own Yan Gomes, Omar Narvaez or Austin Hedges than Suzuki.
OF Joc Pederson – Los Angeles Dodgers – 20.5% owned – Pederson had a great June, but he started July off on a slump (and he hasn’t rebounded). He is also losing at-bats to Enrique Hernandez and now Chris Taylor, thanks to the Manny Machado trade. Pederson is basically only going to play against righties…and could be worse when Yasiel Puig returns. I’d rather own Carlos Gonzalez, Jesse Winker or Mallex Smith.
1B/3B Ryon Healy – Seattle Mariners – 35.4% owned – Healy is an extremely streaky hitter. He goes crazy for a week or two, but then hits a wall. He will then be ice cold…until he heats up like crazy again. Well, Healy has been on a cold streak since the start of July. I’ve been waiting for him to get hot, but it hasn’t happened. I think it’s time to cut him until you see signs of him seeing the ball better. I’d drop him and pick up Jake Bauers, Matt Adams or Greg Bird.
SP CC Sabathia – New York Yankees – 44.2% owned – Sabathia is another pitcher that started out the season on fire, but has now lost steam. His last two starts were on the road and he gave up nine runs in 10.2 innings. One of those bad starts were against the lowly Orioles. Sabathia’s strategy of pitching to contact worked early in the year, but batters are seeing balls much better by the Summer. He needs more swing-and-miss pitches. I think his days of a streaming option are over.
1B/2B/SS/OF Marwin Gonzalez – Houston Astros – 52.1% owned – It kills me to put Gonzalez in this section (again) since I love his position-flexibility so much. He’s just not producing, at all. He has a small five-game hitting streak, but it doesn’t make up for the ice cold slump he was in right before this streak. The Astros are expected to add some pieces before the trade deadline and Gonzalez could see himself buried on the bench. There are better guys out there with more consistent playing time. I’d rather own Jason Heyward, Joey Wendle or Yuli Gurriel.
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.