With the All-Star break just 10 days away, all of the player options available on your fantasy baseball team can be sorted into two categories: those who can provide help for the remainder of the season and those who offer short-term assistance until we all get some well-deserved rest for the Mid-Summer Classic. Fortunately, there are a few men from each category on the list below.
Apparently, no one told Miranda that he was supposed to be pulled from his job when Royce Lewis returned from the injured list. The 26-year-old has proven that good hitters find a way to stay in lineups, bouncing between third base and designated hitter while maintaining a .312 batting average and .859 OPS. There’s no way the Twins are moving one of their best hitters to the bench, especially when they’re sitting in a wild-card spot. And of course, the oft-injured Lewis is already back on the injured list, this time with an adductor strain. If you need one more reason to add Miranda, he went 5-for-5 with three RBIs and four runs scored on Thursday.
Neto and Garcia are the perfect solutions for anyone looking to solve a middle-infield problem with a high-end player. And both can be used to illustrate the same point: Players who contribute in every category but aren’t special in any tend to be underrated by fantasy managers. Both have a chance to put together a 20-20 season, as Neto has 11 homers and 12 stolen bases, while Garcia has racked up nine homers and 11 steals. And among players who are available in more than half of Yahoo’s leagues, Garcia ranks third in RBIs and Neto ranks sixth. While other managers try in vain to find the next 30-homer hitter or 30-stolen base speedster, smart managers will choose players who contribute in a balanced way like Neto and Garcia.
I’m honestly not sure how Kjerstad will fare from here. But what I do know is that his potential is high enough to be worth a roster spot in most leagues over the next few days. The second overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft played with Triple-A pitching this year, posting a .998 OPS and homering 16 times in 56 games. And after benching Kjerstad during his initial MLB tryout, the O’s have put him in the game more often this time around. The 25-year-old has hit .333 with two homers and a 1.095 OPS in 28 plate appearances since June 24, which should land him in the lineup at least twice during a weekend series against the lowly A’s. The schedule for left-hander Kjerstad isn’t favorable next week, but my interest in him is more related to the long-term possibility of one of baseball’s top prospects blossoming in a lineup that leads baseball in OPS and runs scored.
Christian Scott (starting pitcher, New York Mets, 26%)
Fantasy managers have become so fickle that even baseball’s top prospects are pushed to the back burner if they don’t get to work right away. Such is the case with Scott, who posted respectable stats (3.90 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) in five starts in May before returning to Triple-A for all of June. The right-hander returned Wednesday and was one out away from a quality start when Luis Garcia Jr. took him deep in the sixth inning. This is the perfect time to add Scott, who heads into a two-start week that includes favorable matchups with the Pirates and Rockies.
Managers looking to get ahead of their competition can book Abbott for a favorable two-start week. The left-hander with respectable stats (3.28 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) will enter the All-Star break having started at home against the Rockies, who rank 28th in road OPS, and the Marlins, who rank last in baseball in overall OPS. Pitching at offense-inducing Great American Ball Park has never been a hurdle for Abbott, who owns a career 3.43 ERA in his home ballpark. The 25-year-old has a concerning 5.04 FIP, meaning smart managers will leave him hanging for a week before sending him back to the waiver wire.
I would never recommend Chapman, a pitcher with a wild style, for long-term use. After all, the lefty has issued 29 walks in 32 innings this season, contributing to a troubling 1.56 WHIP. But Chapman continues to rack up strikeouts in droves (14.6 strikeout/9 ratio) and over the next 10 days, he can be invaluable as the Bucs’ temporary closer. The 36-year-old has two saves and one win since June 22, and David Bednar, who has yet to throw a bullpen session, should be sidelined by the All-Star break.
Hudson should be on the roster in virtually every Yahoo league that allows for daily lineup changes. The reliever hasn’t recorded a save this season, but he still ranks 36th among all players in the Yahoo Player Rater, by virtue of posting astonishing rates (0.99 ERA, 0.66 WHIP) while maintaining a heavy workload (45.1 IP). Hudson is unlikely to maintain this remarkable pace, but he should remain effective as part of a Brewers organization that often gets the best out of its pitchers. Smart managers will lower his rates by leaving Hudson in their active lineup while shuffling starters between their lineup and the bench.
