The trade deadline has come and gone, leaving plenty of opportunities for fantasy owners to pounce. Whether we're talking about players switching leagues, top prospects being called up from the minors or deserving backups finally getting their chance in the sun, there's a little bit of everything going on right now. I hope you're enjoying the scramble.
I have touched on a few of these situations in the past couple of weeks, but one of the most significant beneficiaries is Astros outfielder
Jason Bourgeois, who will get regular playing time following the trades of
Hunter Pence and
Michael Bourn. I included him in my mixed-league recommendations last week, so I thought it was rather silly to do it again, but he makes for an obvious add in most formats due to his stolen base potential.
Jason Kipnis was included in my AL-only recommendations last week and has since hit home runs in four consecutive games. That's just great and he's worth a flier while he's hot, but I have a feeling his ownership level is about to get really out of whack. While he has the potential to be very good, he's not the no-brainer add
Dustin Ackley was at second base.
Let's move on to the good stuff.
MIXED LEAGUESOmar Infante 2B/3B/SS/OF, Marlins (Yahoo: 35 percent owned, ESPN: 30 percent)
I'm not recommending Infante solely because he hit two home runs on Tuesday night against the Mets. While it was certainly nice to see from a fantasy perspective, it was obviously a rare event. No, instead I'm looking at the bigger picture. The veteran infielder is batting .319 since July 1, raising his batting average from .257 to .274 in the process. Also promising is that new skipper Jack McKeon is using him exclusively out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Again, it's unlikely he'll give you much in the way of power or speed, but he can certainly provide value in mixed leagues due to his ever-handy multi-position eligibility.
Derek Holland SP, Rangers (Yahoo: 46 percent owned, ESPN: 37.6 percent)
Is it possible that Holland has finally arrived as a reliable option in mixed leagues? I wouldn't wait much longer for confirmation. The 24-year-old southpaw notched three shutouts last month, giving him four for the season and tying him with
Cliff Lee for the major-league lead. Holland has been prone to blowups at times this season, giving up five runs or more in 22 of his starts, but overall he has made encouraging strides with his command and ground ball rate. Snag him in hopes that we're witnessing a legitimate breakout in progress.
Koji Uehara RP, Rangers (Yahoo: 24 percent owned, ESPN: 6 percent)
While the Rangers' bullpen is now much stronger,
Neftali Feliz's leash isn't nearly as long. Uehara and
Mike Adams are widely regarded as two of the best set-up men in the game, while the former has closing experience. I'm not saying Uehara is going to take the job outright, but he has been the better pitcher this season and Rangers manager Ron Washington and team president Nolan Ryan recently questioned Feliz's competitive fire. Even if Uehara doesn't end up getting any saves, his strikeouts (12.1 K/9) and WHIP (0.69) should be welcome additions to any fantasy team.
Josh Willingham OF, Athletics (Yahoo: 21 percent owned, ESPN: 33.7 percent)
It isn't a huge shock that Willingham survived the trade deadline in an Athletics' uniform, as Billy Beane was asking a lot in return for a player who currently qualifies as a Type A free agent. Still, maybe we shouldn't be too disappointed from a fantasy perspective. While logic would dictate that "The Hammer" would benefit from leaving Oakland, you might be surprised to learn that he actually has nine homers and an .862 OPS at home this season and opposed to seven homers and .721 OPS on the road. Who knew? Willingham is batting .296 with six homers and 19 RBI since returning from a strained left Achilles tendon on July 7, so he's worth using in most formats until he slows down.
Jon Rauch RP, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 31 percent owned, ESPN: 42.7 percent)
I can't endorse Rauch with much enthusiasm, but here we are. After blowing back-to-back save chances, the big right-hander has secured three in a row. Meanwhile,
Frank Francisco hasn't had a save opportunity in exactly one month. What else do you need to know? This is like picking between brussels sprouts and broccoli for me (and hint, I don't like either of them), but Rauch is the one to own in mixed leagues as long as he's John Farrell's go-to guy.
Chris Narveson SP/RP, Brewers (Yahoo: 15 percent owned, ESPN: 10.1 percent)
It's no coincidence that I'm including Narveson this week because he is scheduled to face the Astros on Saturday night. He makes for an ideal streaming option against a lineup that is seriously lacking in the way of impact players. Still, Narveson should be on your fantasy radar, anyway. The 29-year-old southpaw has a 2.93 ERA and 21/9 K/BB ratio over his last five starts and an xFIP of 3.66 for the entire season. Pitchers with a higher xFIP than Narveson include
Chad Billingsley,
Jhoulys Chacin Alexi Ogando and
Jair Jurrjens, just to name a few.
Dexter Fowler OF, Rockies (Yahoo: 23 percent owned, ESPN: 37.2 percent)
I know, I know. How many more chances can one guy possibly get? Well, Fowler has made the most of his opportunity since being called up from the minors following the All-Star break, batting .343 (24-for-70) with five doubles, five triples, eight RBI, five stolen bases and 12 walks. Primarily batting either first or second in Jim Tracy's batting order, the speedy center fielder has scored 19 runs in the span of 19 games. There's likely some luck involved with his ridiculous batting average on balls in play, but he should be owned in most leagues while he's hot.
Jed Lowrie 2B/3B/SS, Red Sox (Yahoo: 18 percent owned, ESPN: 11.9 percent)
It wasn't too long ago that Lowrie was the flavor of the week in fantasy leagues, but his production took a major hit after he injured his left shoulder in a collision with teammate
Carl Crawford on May 29. He batted just .128 (5-for-39) and was hitless over his last 15 at-bats before going on the disabled list in mid-June. It's been a lengthy layoff for the 27-year-old, but he finally began a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket this week. If all goes well, it's possible he could return this weekend against the Yankees. Lowrie is the superior option to
Marco Scutaro if healthy, so now is the appropriate time to stash him.
Shopping at the five-and-dime:(Players owned in less than 10 percent of Y! and ESPN.com leagues)
Paul Goldschmidt 1B, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 7 percent)
When the Diamondbacks included
Brandon Allen in the trade for
Brad Ziegler on Sunday, it opened the door for Goldschmidt to take over the starting first base job with the big club. The 23-year-old has always shown a ton of power in the minor leagues, slamming 83 homers over 1,178 plate appearances, but perhaps the most encouraging part of his success with Double-A Mobile this season was that he was able to cut down on his strikeouts while more than doubling his walk rate from 2010. I doubt he'll hit more than .250 or so, but that's just fine as long as he continues to hit bombs like he did against
Tim Lincecum on Tuesday night. The Delaware native makes for a fine target for those in deeper leagues looking to fill a CI (corner infielder) spot.
Jesus Montero C, Yankees (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 0.2 percent)
Well, it looks like we're about to see what all the fuss is about. We have heard multiple reports this week that Montero may get promoted to the majors in the coming days. While the 21-year-old has regressed in his second year at the Triple-A level, he is batting .296 with five home runs and 24 RBI since the start of July. It's unlikely he'll see much time behind the plate, but I could still see him providing value in deeper mixed leagues even if he shares at-bats at designated hitter with
Jorge Posada. He is worth stashing if you're hurting at catcher.
The trade deadline has come and gone, leaving plenty of opportunities for fantasy owners to pounce. Whether we're talking about players switching leagues, top prospects being called up from the minors or deserving backups finally getting their chance in the sun, there's a little bit of everything going on right now. I hope you're enjoying the scramble.
I have touched on a few of these situations in the past couple of weeks, but one of the most significant beneficiaries is Astros outfielder
Jason Bourgeois, who will get regular playing time following the trades of
Hunter Pence and
Michael Bourn. I included him in my mixed-league recommendations last week, so I thought it was rather silly to do it again, but he makes for an obvious add in most formats due to his stolen base potential.
Jason Kipnis was included in my AL-only recommendations last week and has since hit home runs in four consecutive games. That's just great and he's worth a flier while he's hot, but I have a feeling his ownership level is about to get really out of whack. While he has the potential to be very good, he's not the no-brainer add
Dustin Ackley was at second base.
Let's move on to the good stuff.
MIXED LEAGUESOmar Infante 2B/3B/SS/OF, Marlins (Yahoo: 35 percent owned, ESPN: 30 percent)
I'm not recommending Infante solely because he hit two home runs on Tuesday night against the Mets. While it was certainly nice to see from a fantasy perspective, it was obviously a rare event. No, instead I'm looking at the bigger picture. The veteran infielder is batting .319 since July 1, raising his batting average from .257 to .274 in the process. Also promising is that new skipper Jack McKeon is using him exclusively out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Again, it's unlikely he'll give you much in the way of power or speed, but he can certainly provide value in mixed leagues due to his ever-handy multi-position eligibility.
Derek Holland SP, Rangers (Yahoo: 46 percent owned, ESPN: 37.6 percent)
Is it possible that Holland has finally arrived as a reliable option in mixed leagues? I wouldn't wait much longer for confirmation. The 24-year-old southpaw notched three shutouts last month, giving him four for the season and tying him with
Cliff Lee for the major-league lead. Holland has been prone to blowups at times this season, giving up five runs or more in 22 of his starts, but overall he has made encouraging strides with his command and ground ball rate. Snag him in hopes that we're witnessing a legitimate breakout in progress.
Koji Uehara RP, Rangers (Yahoo: 24 percent owned, ESPN: 6 percent)
While the Rangers' bullpen is now much stronger,
Neftali Feliz's leash isn't nearly as long. Uehara and
Mike Adams are widely regarded as two of the best set-up men in the game, while the former has closing experience. I'm not saying Uehara is going to take the job outright, but he has been the better pitcher this season and Rangers manager Ron Washington and team president Nolan Ryan recently questioned Feliz's competitive fire. Even if Uehara doesn't end up getting any saves, his strikeouts (12.1 K/9) and WHIP (0.69) should be welcome additions to any fantasy team.
Josh Willingham OF, Athletics (Yahoo: 21 percent owned, ESPN: 33.7 percent)
It isn't a huge shock that Willingham survived the trade deadline in an Athletics' uniform, as Billy Beane was asking a lot in return for a player who currently qualifies as a Type A free agent. Still, maybe we shouldn't be too disappointed from a fantasy perspective. While logic would dictate that "The Hammer" would benefit from leaving Oakland, you might be surprised to learn that he actually has nine homers and an .862 OPS at home this season and opposed to seven homers and .721 OPS on the road. Who knew? Willingham is batting .296 with six homers and 19 RBI since returning from a strained left Achilles tendon on July 7, so he's worth using in most formats until he slows down.
Jon Rauch RP, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 31 percent owned, ESPN: 42.7 percent)
I can't endorse Rauch with much enthusiasm, but here we are. After blowing back-to-back save chances, the big right-hander has secured three in a row. Meanwhile,
Frank Francisco hasn't had a save opportunity in exactly one month. What else do you need to know? This is like picking between brussels sprouts and broccoli for me (and hint, I don't like either of them), but Rauch is the one to own in mixed leagues as long as he's John Farrell's go-to guy.
Chris Narveson SP/RP, Brewers (Yahoo: 15 percent owned, ESPN: 10.1 percent)
It's no coincidence that I'm including Narveson this week because he is scheduled to face the Astros on Saturday night. He makes for an ideal streaming option against a lineup that is seriously lacking in the way of impact players. Still, Narveson should be on your fantasy radar, anyway. The 29-year-old southpaw has a 2.93 ERA and 21/9 K/BB ratio over his last five starts and an xFIP of 3.66 for the entire season. Pitchers with a higher xFIP than Narveson include
Chad Billingsley,
Jhoulys Chacin Alexi Ogando and
Jair Jurrjens, just to name a few.
Dexter Fowler OF, Rockies (Yahoo: 23 percent owned, ESPN: 37.2 percent)
I know, I know. How many more chances can one guy possibly get? Well, Fowler has made the most of his opportunity since being called up from the minors following the All-Star break, batting .343 (24-for-70) with five doubles, five triples, eight RBI, five stolen bases and 12 walks. Primarily batting either first or second in Jim Tracy's batting order, the speedy center fielder has scored 19 runs in the span of 19 games. There's likely some luck involved with his ridiculous batting average on balls in play, but he should be owned in most leagues while he's hot.
Jed Lowrie 2B/3B/SS, Red Sox (Yahoo: 18 percent owned, ESPN: 11.9 percent)
It wasn't too long ago that Lowrie was the flavor of the week in fantasy leagues, but his production took a major hit after he injured his left shoulder in a collision with teammate
Carl Crawford on May 29. He batted just .128 (5-for-39) and was hitless over his last 15 at-bats before going on the disabled list in mid-June. It's been a lengthy layoff for the 27-year-old, but he finally began a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket this week. If all goes well, it's possible he could return this weekend against the Yankees. Lowrie is the superior option to
Marco Scutaro if healthy, so now is the appropriate time to stash him.
Shopping at the five-and-dime:(Players owned in less than 10 percent of Y! and ESPN.com leagues)
Paul Goldschmidt 1B, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 7 percent)
When the Diamondbacks included
Brandon Allen in the trade for
Brad Ziegler on Sunday, it opened the door for Goldschmidt to take over the starting first base job with the big club. The 23-year-old has always shown a ton of power in the minor leagues, slamming 83 homers over 1,178 plate appearances, but perhaps the most encouraging part of his success with Double-A Mobile this season was that he was able to cut down on his strikeouts while more than doubling his walk rate from 2010. I doubt he'll hit more than .250 or so, but that's just fine as long as he continues to hit bombs like he did against
Tim Lincecum on Tuesday night. The Delaware native makes for a fine target for those in deeper leagues looking to fill a CI (corner infielder) spot.
Jesus Montero C, Yankees (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 0.2 percent)
Well, it looks like we're about to see what all the fuss is about. We have heard multiple reports this week that Montero may get promoted to the majors in the coming days. While the 21-year-old has regressed in his second year at the Triple-A level, he is batting .296 with five home runs and 24 RBI since the start of July. It's unlikely he'll see much time behind the plate, but I could still see him providing value in deeper mixed leagues even if he shares at-bats at designated hitter with
Jorge Posada. He is worth stashing if you're hurting at catcher.
AL ONLYBrandon Allen 1B/OF, Athletics (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)
My immediate response when Allen was traded to the Athletics on Sunday? "Oh, that makes sense." With power and on-base ability, the 25-year-old looks like an ideal Billy Beane target. That being said, Allen isn't without his flaws. While he has posted impressive numbers in the minor leagues, he has a .213/.325/.404 batting line over 178 major-league at-bats and has struck out in 73 of them. Of course, these at-bats are limited samples over a three-year stretch, so it would be unfair to definitively say that he just can't hack it at the major league level. Fortunately it looks like he's eventually going to get a fair shake in Oakland.
Chris Davis 1B/3B, Orioles (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 0.4 percent)
Yeah, yeah. Davis has been given chances in the past and fallen flat on his face. I get it. The main difference now is that the free-swinger has moved from a team who is expected to win now to one who has every reason to exhibit some patience. With
Derrek Lee in Pittsburgh, it looks like he's going to get the chance to be the regular first baseman moving forward. I honestly wouldn't bank on anything more than a .230-240 batting average, but would you really be surprised if he hit 10 home runs the rest of the way? Not me.
Charlie Furbush SP/RP, Mariners (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.3 percent)
Furbush was very impressive Wednesday in his first start since being acquired from the Tigers, allowing one run on two hits over five innings while striking out three and walking none in a win over the Athletics. The 25-year-old southpaw didn't his first baserunner until a one-out double by
Conor Jackson in the fifth inning. The Tigers primarily used Furbush in relief this season, but he has averaged 9.5 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 as a starter over parts of four seasons in the minor leagues. It might be a good idea to keep him in reserve for his next start against Texas, but he's worth snagging in case he becomes the latest left-hander to find success pitching at Safeco Field.
Leonys Martin OF, Rangers (Yahoo: N/A, ESPN: 0.0 percent)
I'm not going to lie, I have never seen
Leonys Martin play. However,
Endy Chavez has inevitably come crashing back down to Earth recently, batting just .182 over his last nine games. His struggles have caused Rangers manager Ron Washington to use
Josh Hamilton in center field again. That's obviously far from ideal. Meanwhile, Martin is batting .316/.392/.464 with four homers and an .857 OPS over his first 52 professional games, including a .280 batting average and .344 on-base percentage over his first 19 games with Triple-A Round Rock. He still looks like a pretty solid candidate for a September call-up.
NL ONLYJuan Nicasio SP, Rockies (Yahoo: 4 percent owned, ESPN: 3.2 percent)
I'm shocked to see that Nicasio isn't owned in more fantasy leagues. And coming off a 10-strikeout performance, no less. Sure, it was against the Padres, but the 24-year-old right-hander has allowed one run or less in four out of his last six outings. He has been nearly untouchable at home this season, posting a 1.58 ERA and 27/7 K/BB ratio over six starts, so I wouldn't hesitate using him against the last-place Nationals this weekend.
J.D. Martinez
OF, Astros (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)
The Astros made some dramatic changes to their lineup over the weekend, which puts Martinez in a position to play every day in left field. The 23-year-old has put up some gaudy numbers in the minors, including a .338/.414/.546 batting line and 13 homers over 88 games with Double-A Corpus Christi this season. While Martinez isn't going to help you in the stolen base department, he possesses decent pop and should be able to maintain a palatable batting average while getting on base at a solid clip.
Dee Gordon SS, Dodgers (Yahoo: 4 percent owned, ESPN: 2.5 percent)
Gordon will get the chance to show he's the Dodgers' "shortstop of the future" now that
Rafael Furcal has been traded to the Cardinals. The 23-year-old has already impressed with his plus-speed, swiping 10 bases in 13 attempts, but he has also drawn just two walks over his first 99 major league at-bats. Doesn't exactly scream leadoff hitter, now does it? Gordon may very well turn out to be a valuable mixed-league option at shortstop in the long run, but those in NL-only leagues should be buying him strictly for speed purposes right now.
Nate Eovaldi
SP, Dodgers (Yahoo: N/A, ESPN: 0 percent)
Rubby De La Rosa is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery next week, which leaves a void in the Dodgers' starting rotation. Nothing official has been announced yet, but early speculation is that Eovaldi will take his place Saturday against the first-place Diamondbacks. Eovaldi, 21, has a 2.62 ERA and 99/46 K/BB ratio over 103 innings with Double-A Chattanooga this season. I wouldn't blame you if you kept the young right-hander in reserve this weekend, but he should absolutely be on your radar in NL-only and dynasty formats.