One of the coolest parts of this gig is getting the opportunity to talk fantasy baseball with you guys and gals over email and Twitter. That people actually want to hear my opinion on baseball is still a very humbling thing. Most of the time, I get asked about trades and various players on the waiver wire, which is always fun stuff, but I always appreciate it when I receive friendly advice or constructive criticism. Don't be shy.
Just to remind everyone, my general definition of "widely available," at least for the purposes of this column, is those players who are owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN.com leagues. I think it's a pretty solid threshold that allows me to identify players who could be of use in standard mixed leagues, but I understand that sometimes these players are already gone in deeper formats. I'm very conscious of this fact, so if given the opportunity to look a little bit deeper in a given week, I absolutely will. Well, consider this one of those weeks.
As you'll see below, I have listed five players who are owned in 10 to 50 percent of mixed leagues and five players who are owned in less than 10 percent of mixed leagues. Hopefully most of you will be able to find at least one player who can be an upgrade for your squad.
Let's move on to the good stuff.
MIXED LEAGUESScott Baker SP, Twins (Yahoo: 38 percent owned, ESPN: 21.5 percent)
Yes, Baker can be inconsistent at times, mostly due to his extreme fly ball tendencies, but he's severely underappreciated in fantasy leagues considering that he owns a 3.55 ERA and 78/23 K/BB ratio over 83 2/3 innings. The 29-year-old right-hander allowed one run in a complete-game victory over the Rangers in his last start and has a delicious matchup against the Padres on tap this Saturday. Dive in.
Tsuyoshi Nishioka 2B/SS, Twins (Yahoo: 16 percent owned, ESPN: 18.3 percent)
He's back. Nishioka was activated from the disabled list Wednesday and is expected to return to the starting lineup for Thursday's matinee against the White Sox. The Japanese import was batting just .208 (5-for-24) prior to fracturing his left leg in early April, so he's become something of a forgotten man in most mixed formats. I felt like Nishioka had a legitimate chance to contribute in batting average, stolen bases and runs scored coming into the season and I'm certainly not ready to give up after a handful of at-bats and a freak injury, especially when he can help at two rather weak positions.
Vernon Wells OF, Angels (Yahoo: 42 percent owned, ESPN: 35.3 percent)
You may find this hard to believe, but things are finally looking up for Mr. Wells. He had a two-homer game Monday against the Mariners and a three-hit night with a stolen base Saturday against the Royals. Sadly, those are arguably his best two games at the plate this season. In turn, it's fair to say that his recent DL-stint was exactly what the doctor ordered, even if it was just to clear his head for a couple weeks. I still think Wells can be a top-50 outfielder the rest of the way, which certainly gives him value in most mixed formats.
Scott Rolen 3B, Reds (Yahoo: 32 percent owned, ESPN: 20.2 percent)
I'll admit that Rolen has been a major disappointment this season. The 36-year-old third baseman is batting just .252 on the year and has only two home runs over his first 163 at-bats. The encouraging part, though, is that he has collected five doubles, one triple and six RBI over his last six games, including a three-hit game against the Dodgers on Wednesday. While I have little faith in his ability to stay healthy, I do think he can be a viable alternative until
David Wright and
Martin Prado are ready to return from their respective injuries.
Phil Hughes SP, Yankees (Yahoo: 30 percent owned, ESPN: 18.5 percent)
Well, look who is finally making some progress. Hughes reached 91-93 mph with his fastball during an intersquad game Tuesday and is slated to make his first minor league rehab start Sunday with Class A Staten Island. He'll likely need a couple more starts in order to build up his pitch count, but there's a real chance that he could rejoin the Yankees' starting rotation in early July. Stash him if you have the room, but if his velocity is truly back, he becomes an immediate must-own again.
Shopping at the five-and-dime:(Players owned in less than 10 percent of Y! and ESPN.com leagues)
Jeff Karstens SP, Pirates (Yahoo: 8 percent owned, ESPN: 9.6 percent)
There are lots of things to like about Karstens right now. For instance, he currently ranks fifth in the National League with a 2.66 ERA while averaging just 1.52 BB/9. On the other hand, his .259 batting average on balls in play and 83.1 percent strand rate tells us that he's been at least somewhat fortunate. While it would be smart to expect some correction moving forward, I'm willing to take my chances with a matchup against the reeling Indians this weekend.
Charlie Blackmon
OF, Rockies (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 1.7 percent)
We probably won't see
Dexter Fowler in the major leagues again for a while. Blackmon, who was called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs last week to replace the injured Fowler on the active roster, is batting .343 (12-for-35) over his first nine major league games. Even more enticing for fantasy owners is that he has stolen a base in each of his last five games. And while only one of his hits have gone for extra bases, he showed sneaky pop from the left side of the plate in the minors. The 24-year-old should continue to provide some value in mixed leagues as long as he gets regular playing time in left field.
Dustin Ackley OF/2B, Mariners (Yahoo: 7 percent owned, ESPN: 3.6 percent)
The wait is over. The Mariners finally did the inevitable following Wednesday's game, calling up 2009 No. 2 overall pick
Dustin Ackley from Triple-A Tacoma. The 23-year-old was hitting .303/.421/.487 with nine homers, seven stolen bases and an impressive 38/55 K/BB ratio over his first 66 games this season, a marked improvement from what he showed in Triple-A last year. We surely won't see the same production now that he's calling Safeco Field home, but he won't embarrass himself in the power and speed categories. While it will take him a few games to gain second base eligibility in Yahoo! leagues (thanks a lot!), he should be worth a flier in most mixed leagues right away.
Cliff Pennington SS, Athletics (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 1.2 percent)
There's a new sheriff in town. Well, sort of. Bob Geren was given his walking papers last week and new skipper Bob Melvin has a different way of doing things. One of the most notable changes is that he has installed Pennington as his No. 2 hitter. The lineup tweak has worked out pretty nicely so far, as the speedy shortstop has reached base safely in all six games. Runs are still hard to come by in this lineup, but Pennington will obviously provide much more value out of the No. 2 spot than he was batting ninth.
Carlos Carrasco SP, Indians (Yahoo: 8 percent owned, ESPN: 3.1 percent)
Everyone is rightfully buzzing over Carrasco's current 15 1/3 innings scoreless streak, including seven shutout frames against the Yankees on Monday night, but the truth is that he's been an effective starter for most of the year. In fact, if you take out his season debut against the White Sox back on April 2, the 24-year-old right-hander has a 3.55 ERA and 43/20 K/BB ratio over 11 starts. Not too bad. I wouldn't hesitate using him against the Pirates on Saturday.
One of the coolest parts of this gig is getting the opportunity to talk fantasy baseball with you guys and gals over email and Twitter. That people actually want to hear my opinion on baseball is still a very humbling thing. Most of the time, I get asked about trades and various players on the waiver wire, which is always fun stuff, but I always appreciate it when I receive friendly advice or constructive criticism. Don't be shy.
Just to remind everyone, my general definition of "widely available," at least for the purposes of this column, is those players who are owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN.com leagues. I think it's a pretty solid threshold that allows me to identify players who could be of use in standard mixed leagues, but I understand that sometimes these players are already gone in deeper formats. I'm very conscious of this fact, so if given the opportunity to look a little bit deeper in a given week, I absolutely will. Well, consider this one of those weeks.
As you'll see below, I have listed five players who are owned in 10 to 50 percent of mixed leagues and five players who are owned in less than 10 percent of mixed leagues. Hopefully most of you will be able to find at least one player who can be an upgrade for your squad.
Let's move on to the good stuff.
MIXED LEAGUESScott Baker SP, Twins (Yahoo: 38 percent owned, ESPN: 21.5 percent)
Yes, Baker can be inconsistent at times, mostly due to his extreme fly ball tendencies, but he's severely underappreciated in fantasy leagues considering that he owns a 3.55 ERA and 78/23 K/BB ratio over 83 2/3 innings. The 29-year-old right-hander allowed one run in a complete-game victory over the Rangers in his last start and has a delicious matchup against the Padres on tap this Saturday. Dive in.
Tsuyoshi Nishioka 2B/SS, Twins (Yahoo: 16 percent owned, ESPN: 18.3 percent)
He's back. Nishioka was activated from the disabled list Wednesday and is expected to return to the starting lineup for Thursday's matinee against the White Sox. The Japanese import was batting just .208 (5-for-24) prior to fracturing his left leg in early April, so he's become something of a forgotten man in most mixed formats. I felt like Nishioka had a legitimate chance to contribute in batting average, stolen bases and runs scored coming into the season and I'm certainly not ready to give up after a handful of at-bats and a freak injury, especially when he can help at two rather weak positions.
Vernon Wells OF, Angels (Yahoo: 42 percent owned, ESPN: 35.3 percent)
You may find this hard to believe, but things are finally looking up for Mr. Wells. He had a two-homer game Monday against the Mariners and a three-hit night with a stolen base Saturday against the Royals. Sadly, those are arguably his best two games at the plate this season. In turn, it's fair to say that his recent DL-stint was exactly what the doctor ordered, even if it was just to clear his head for a couple weeks. I still think Wells can be a top-50 outfielder the rest of the way, which certainly gives him value in most mixed formats.
Scott Rolen 3B, Reds (Yahoo: 32 percent owned, ESPN: 20.2 percent)
I'll admit that Rolen has been a major disappointment this season. The 36-year-old third baseman is batting just .252 on the year and has only two home runs over his first 163 at-bats. The encouraging part, though, is that he has collected five doubles, one triple and six RBI over his last six games, including a three-hit game against the Dodgers on Wednesday. While I have little faith in his ability to stay healthy, I do think he can be a viable alternative until
David Wright and
Martin Prado are ready to return from their respective injuries.
Phil Hughes SP, Yankees (Yahoo: 30 percent owned, ESPN: 18.5 percent)
Well, look who is finally making some progress. Hughes reached 91-93 mph with his fastball during an intersquad game Tuesday and is slated to make his first minor league rehab start Sunday with Class A Staten Island. He'll likely need a couple more starts in order to build up his pitch count, but there's a real chance that he could rejoin the Yankees' starting rotation in early July. Stash him if you have the room, but if his velocity is truly back, he becomes an immediate must-own again.
Shopping at the five-and-dime:(Players owned in less than 10 percent of Y! and ESPN.com leagues)
Jeff Karstens SP, Pirates (Yahoo: 8 percent owned, ESPN: 9.6 percent)
There are lots of things to like about Karstens right now. For instance, he currently ranks fifth in the National League with a 2.66 ERA while averaging just 1.52 BB/9. On the other hand, his .259 batting average on balls in play and 83.1 percent strand rate tells us that he's been at least somewhat fortunate. While it would be smart to expect some correction moving forward, I'm willing to take my chances with a matchup against the reeling Indians this weekend.
Charlie Blackmon
OF, Rockies (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 1.7 percent)
We probably won't see
Dexter Fowler in the major leagues again for a while. Blackmon, who was called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs last week to replace the injured Fowler on the active roster, is batting .343 (12-for-35) over his first nine major league games. Even more enticing for fantasy owners is that he has stolen a base in each of his last five games. And while only one of his hits have gone for extra bases, he showed sneaky pop from the left side of the plate in the minors. The 24-year-old should continue to provide some value in mixed leagues as long as he gets regular playing time in left field.
Dustin Ackley OF/2B, Mariners (Yahoo: 7 percent owned, ESPN: 3.6 percent)
The wait is over. The Mariners finally did the inevitable following Wednesday's game, calling up 2009 No. 2 overall pick
Dustin Ackley from Triple-A Tacoma. The 23-year-old was hitting .303/.421/.487 with nine homers, seven stolen bases and an impressive 38/55 K/BB ratio over his first 66 games this season, a marked improvement from what he showed in Triple-A last year. We surely won't see the same production now that he's calling Safeco Field home, but he won't embarrass himself in the power and speed categories. While it will take him a few games to gain second base eligibility in Yahoo! leagues (thanks a lot!), he should be worth a flier in most mixed leagues right away.
Cliff Pennington SS, Athletics (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 1.2 percent)
There's a new sheriff in town. Well, sort of. Bob Geren was given his walking papers last week and new skipper Bob Melvin has a different way of doing things. One of the most notable changes is that he has installed Pennington as his No. 2 hitter. The lineup tweak has worked out pretty nicely so far, as the speedy shortstop has reached base safely in all six games. Runs are still hard to come by in this lineup, but Pennington will obviously provide much more value out of the No. 2 spot than he was batting ninth.
Carlos Carrasco SP, Indians (Yahoo: 8 percent owned, ESPN: 3.1 percent)
Everyone is rightfully buzzing over Carrasco's current 15 1/3 innings scoreless streak, including seven shutout frames against the Yankees on Monday night, but the truth is that he's been an effective starter for most of the year. In fact, if you take out his season debut against the White Sox back on April 2, the 24-year-old right-hander has a 3.55 ERA and 43/20 K/BB ratio over 11 starts. Not too bad. I wouldn't hesitate using him against the Pirates on Saturday.
AL ONLYAndrew Miller SP, Red Sox (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)
Faced with the possibility that Miller would use the out-clause in his minor league contract, the Red Sox have decided to add the southpaw to their starting rotation next week against the Padres. Miller, a former top prospect with the Tigers and Marlins, has a 2.47 ERA and 61/35 K/BB ratio over 12 starts and one relief appearance with Triple-A Pawtucket this season. Keep in mind that the 26-year-old has an awful 5.84 ERA over 294 1/3 major league innings, so it would be wise to temper expectations, but this is a pretty nice first matchup.
Dayan Viciedo 3B, White Sox (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)
White Sox general manager Ken Williams said earlier this week that Viciedo is "ready" for the big leagues. And, really, it's hard to argue. The Cuban defector is hitting .318/.365/.518 with 10 homers and 45 RBI over his first 62 games with Triple-A Charlotte this season. He also has a 43/16 K/BB ratio over 245 at-bats, which is actually a nice improvement from what we've seen in the past. It will be interesting to see how the White Sox use him, as he has played exclusively right field this season, but I'd stash him where available.
Eduardo Nunez 3B/SS, Yankees (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)
You might have missed this story, but
Derek Jeter went on the disabled list this week with a calf injury. Crazy, I know. Anyway, Nunez should get the majority of the playing time at shortstop during his absence. The 24-year-old already has back-to-back multi-hit games under his belt, including a home run and two stolen bases in Wednesday's win over the Rangers. He's an obvious add in AL-only leagues and may even have some temporary value in deeper mixed formats that use a MI (middle infielder) slot.
NL ONLYLucas Duda OF, Mets (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)
Duda recently earned a promotion from Triple-A Buffalo by batting .438 with five homers and 12 RBI over his first nine games in June. It hasn't translated to much success in the big leagues, as he is just 3-for-16 (.188) since being called up from the minors, but Mets manager Terry Collins continues to give him looks against right-handed starters. The Mets face all right-handers this weekend against the Angels, so it might be worth playing him in case he finally goes deep.
Jose Lopez 2B/3B, Marlins (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 16.9 percent)
It didn't take long for Lopez to find another opportunity. After being cut loose by the Rockies earlier this month, he is already on the Marlins' major league roster. The Marlins seem pretty satisfied with their current platoon of
Greg Dobbs and
Wes Helms at third base, but I could at least see Lopez stealing at-bats against left-handed pitching, if not more. Remember, he's only two years removed from hitting 25 home runs, so there's still some potential here if given the chance.
Kenley Jansen RP, Dodgers (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 0.7 percent)
It's basically a requirement at this point to mention at least one member of the Dodgers' bullpen in each column, so here's Jansen's turn. The hard-throwing right-hander could be activated from the disabled list as soon as Friday. It's possible his return could be pushed back a day or two after his final scheduled rehab appearance was rained out Wednesday, but he should absolutely be on your radar considering the uncertainty in the Dodgers' bullpen. While he has an ugly 6.43 ERA in 20 appearances this season, he has struck out 35 batters in just 21 innings.