This is the 17th week of the fantasy baseball season.
The trade deadline is just days from now. The trade deadline in your league is a week or two away. If you’re out of the race in a dynasty league, it’s time to start playing for next year. Shoot for some can’t miss prospects if you have to move a stud.
Which hot hitters 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 29th, 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 Rich Hill – Los Angeles Dodgers – 69.1% owned – Hill had some rough starts early in the year, but he is pitching his best right now. He has only allowed one run in his last two starts and struck out 17 in those two games. His next start is versus the Brewers, a team he faced two weeks ago. He only allowed one run in six innings of work for the win. Hill is best when he can get swings and misses. He’s not a very good ‘pitch for contact’ pitcher, so he needs his stuff to move. I like him a lot down the stretch.
RP Brad Hand – Cleveland Indians – 88.8% owned – When Hand was traded to the Indians, many thought he may usurp Cody Allen as the team’s closer. Allen hasn’t been very good of late and Hand has only given up one run as an Indian. Hand was called on for the save versus the Pirates. Indians manager Terry Francona said that Hand could get a few opportunities, but he was called on to close that game with Allen rested and ready to go. Francona hasn’t named Hand as his official closer, but his actions sure seem like Hand is the guy right now.
OF Michael Conforto – New York Mets – 54.2% owned – Conforto has been in every section of my fantasy baseball F/M/K this season. He appears to finally be healthy and has hit four homers and drove in 12 RBI over the last two weeks. He did just jam his thumb, so he could miss a game or two, but it doesn’t seem to be serious. Conforto isn’t in any danger of being traded, so he could be a dependable short-term pick-up if you’re in need.
SS Lourdes Gurriel – Toronto Blue Jays – 19.5% owned – The younger Gurriel has been on fire in July. He currently has a multi-hit hitting streak that dates back to July 11th. Yes, he has at least two hits or more in ten straight games. He is hitting .409 with four homers and 12 RBI in the month of July. If you’re needing a SS/2B to fill-in for DL stints by D.J. Lemahieu or Jose Altuve, pick him up for a really nice short-term add.
OF Eloy Jimenez – Chicago White Sox – 9.2% owned – Jimenez was acquired from the Cubs when they traded away ace Jose Quintana last season. He hasn’t been called up, but he’s tearing it up in Triple-A. Since the All-Star Break, he is hitting .444 with four homers and nine RBI. He could be called up at any moment, especially if they trade away an outfielder like Avisail Garcia.
1B Yonder Alonso – Cleveland Indians – 37.2% owned – Alonso has been right at the level of streaming option nearly all season. First base is crazy deep, so he isn’t owned in many standard mixed leagues. He had a crazy week as he hit three homers and went 8 for 20. He’s playing everyday and he should at least get a look if you’re in the market for a streaming 1B/3B flex spot.
SP Jack Flaherty – St. Louis Cardinals – 63.9% owned – Flaherty is one of the many talented starters the Cardinals have at their disposal. He has shot up the ranks and now looks to be the best of the crop. Flaherty has been outstanding at home, but has been average on the road. His next start is at home versus the Rockies and then follows that up with a road game at the Pirates. Both match-ups favor Flaherty and would be a two-start pitcher this week.
3B Matt Chapman – Oakland A’s – 49.4% owned – There are quite a few underrated hitters on the A’s. Over the past two weeks, Chapman has hit three homers, scored 14 runs and drove in seven RBI. He is also hitting .429 during this stretch. Those numbers are better than Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado and Javier Baez. I think it’s time you give Chapman a long look.
C Mike Zunino – Seattle Mariners – 20.9% owned – I was having a hard to trying to recommend a catcher to pick-up this week. I try to spread out my picks to cover every position. Elias Diaz has been a popular pick the last two weeks, but he’s losing at-bats. Zunino is healthy again and should be a nice source of power. His batting average will blow, but it’s worth his power output.
SP Clay Buchholz – Arizona Diamondbacks – 37.3% owned – Buchholz has been an outstanding surprise for the D-backs. He has started nine games and has only allowed more than two runs just once. They are limiting his exposure and aren’t letting him face many lineups a third time. He currently has a 2.38 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. This is a huge step up from his last couple years in Boston.
OF Jackie Bradley Jr. – Boston Red Sox – 17.4% owned – It has mostly been a very forgettable season for Bradley. His overall season numbers aren’t great (.213 AVG./8 HRs/40 RBI), but has strung together a nice stretch of games in late-July. This recommendation is more for deeper leagues, but he is driving in runs and is in the lineup nearly everyday in a high-octane offense.
SS/3B/OF Yairo Munoz – St. Louis Cardinals – 10.2% owned – This is another deeper league recommendation, but his position-flexibility is intriguing in standard mixed leagues. He’s been getting a lot of playing time and will now be the primary replacement for the injured Kolten Wong (knee). He could be worth a week-long roster spot until Wong is activated.
OF Marcell Ozuna – St. Louis Cardinals – 92.9% owned – Ozuna’s ownership percentage took another hit and has dropped every week since the beginning of July. He hasn’t been putting up power numbers, but did hit a grand slam this weekend. The Cardinals offense has been pretty good since they fired manager Mike Matheny. Guys like Tommy Pham and Matt Carpenter are hitting well and if people keep getting on base, Ozuna’s RBI potential will improve.
SP Jon Lester – Chicago Cubs – 96.1% owned – Lester was eaten alive in his first start after the All-Star Break. He gave up eight runs in three innings to the Cardinals. His ERA jumped a half-run in just one start. The Cubs have great run production and Lester will be in line for wins down the stretch. He bounced back and pitched six innings and only allowed one run versus the Diamondbacks. His next start is at Pittsburgh, another nice match-up for Lester.
OF Mitch Haniger – Seattle Mariners – 94.5% owned – Haniger is in the midst of a slump. Going into next week, he is just 1 for 20, but he has been streaky this season. Is this just a short-term lull or did he hit a wall? He has never played in this many games in the Majors, so there is a possibility that he hit a wall…but I think it’s just a lull. He’s been a great fantasy player and think he has worth down the stretch.
C Evan Gattis – Houston Astros – 91.9% owned – Gattis is another streaky player, but his highs and lows are quite pronounced. He has had a rough July, but did go 3 for 3 versus the Rangers on Friday. He needed a slumpbuster and that could be the beginning of another hot run. Also, who are you picking up in place of Gattis? There’s no one out there on the waiver wire as good as Gattis…and it’s not even close.
SP Chase Anderson – Milwaukee Brewers – 54.1% owned – Anderson has been great for the Brewers this Summer. He had a few rough starts to begin the year, but he hasn’t allowed more than two runs in a start since June 17th. The Brewers are buyers at the trade deadline and their offense will get an impact bat or two, which will help Anderson’s run support. I think he could be a nice source of wins late in the season.
1B/OF Jose Martinez – St. Louis Cardinals – 87.8% owned – Trade rumors could be the reason his ownership percentage took a hit this week. He’s also in a slump, but his overall numbers are good. He’s hitting .295 with 13 homers and 59 RBI. He is rumored to be possibly be headed to an AL team due to his poor defensive metrics. He could be a team’s primary DH option. Depending on the team, I think it could be a huge plus for him.
RP Sergio Romo – Tampa Bay Rays – 38.7% owned – Romo’s ownership percentage took another hit this week, but he’s been a nice surprise in fantasy. He has 12 saves on the year and five this month alone. There’s little chance he will be traded and should keep his job at the Rays closer past the trade deadline…you can’t say that for sure with nearly half of the closers out there.
SS/2B Paul DeJong – St. Louis Cardinals – 54.3% owned – The Cardinals are taking up a lot of spot on this week’s list. I’m not sure who is getting picked up in place of DeJong, but I don’t see many guys out there on waiver wire that will be a better SS/2B flex option than him. He is starting to see the ball better and his bat speed is connecting on inside pitches a lot better. Keep him in your lineup and don’t take a risk with someone else.
SS Jorge Polanco – Minnesota Twins – 7.2% owned – Polanco currently has a six-game hitting streak and has only failed to get a hit once since July 13th. His ownership jumped a bit last week and there’s no need to drop him. In fact, he should probably be added to the F*CK section of this week’s list. He’s playing everyday and now that Eduardo Escobar was traded, there’s no fear of him losing at-bats to anyone.
SP Matt Harvey – Cincinnati Reds – 21.2% owned – Harvey was pitching well until he ran into the Pirates late last week. He gave up eight runs in 3.2 innings. He bounced back and only allowed two runs in five innings versus the Phillies. There are rumors that teams are asking about him before the trade deadline. I honestly don’t want anything to do with him. I don’t see him pitching well in high-leverage situations or starting games for a contender. I could be wrong, but I don’t want anything to do with him.
SS Addison Russell – Chicago Cubs – 32.1% owned – Russell is having a nice bounce-back year after struggling in 2017. Chicago called up David Bote, a utility man who currently has a hot bat, and Russell missed two-straight games. Baez can easily play shortstop and Bote plays good defense at second base. I could see Russell taking a seat one or two times a week, as long as Bote stays hot.
3B Josh Donaldson – Toronto Blue Jays – 81.9% 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-to-mid 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 Chapman, Maikel Franco or Ryon Healy.
RP Cody Allen – Cleveland Indians – 89.4% owned – I mentioned Allen above in the Brad Hand section. I think Allen has lost his closer job to Hand. Allen’s season numbers are very pedestrian. He has a 4.68 ERA and 1.23 ERA, and with the Indians a shoo-in to make the postseason, they need a more reliable closer. I’d dump Allen and pickup Kirby Yates, Robert Gsellman or Hector Rondon.
C Kurt Suzuki – Atlanta Braves – 46.3% owned – Suzuki is in a slump and has only six 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, Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Elias Diaz than Suzuki.
OF Kyle Tucker – Houston Astros – 19.0% owned – Tucker was a trendy pickup when he was called up. The Astros said he would be playing everyday, but they didn’t expect him to struggle this much. He’s hitting .143 with no homers and just three RBI. His BABIP is only .188, so there is a little bad luck to blame. I think it’s time to dump Tucker. I’d rather have Jake Bauers, Mallex Smith or Michael Conforto.
3B Jake Lamb – Arizona Diamondbacks – 39.4% owned – Arizona traded for Eduardo Escobar and it was a huge blow to Jake Lamb owners. Escobar will mostly play shortstop, but will most likely move over to third base to face lefties. Lamb hasn’t been very good in fantasy, so this may only affect NL-only leagues. If you own him in an NL-only league, I’d look to add Charlie Culberson, Johan Camargo or Pablo Sandoval.
SP Lance Lynn – Minnesota Twins – 16.4% owned – I usually don’t add players with this low of an ownership percentage in this section. I just couldn’t stop myself from telling people to dump Lynn. He’s not the same pitcher he was in the past. His control is all over the place is sports a bloated 1.63 WHIP. There are better options out there, even in deep AL-only leagues. If you’re in an AL-only league and need to replace Lynn, I’d look to add Mike Fiers, Matthew Boyd or Ryan Borucki.
1B/2B/SS/OF Marwin Gonzalez – Houston Astros – 52.41% owned – It kills me to put Gonzalez in this section (again) since I love his position-flexibility so much. I’m going to keep him on this list until his ownership drops below 50%. He’s just not producing, at all. He is currenly 1 for 12 in his last four games. 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 Kole Calhoun.
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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.