10-Team Leagues

Miguel Sano , MIN 1B, 3B (52% ownership), FAAB Bid - $13 - I’m ready to hop on board and be a believer in what Sano did last year compared to how he started his 2018 campaign. Sano hit .309 in the Minors this year so he is giving us a glimpse of hope that he’s not only someone that hits for power. The power is why he’s so valuable, however, as he’s a 40 home run per season guy at his peak. The fact Eduardo Escobar is gone means Sano is going to play everyday and his multi-position eligibility is an added bonus as well.

Michael Conforto , NYM OF (43% ownership), FAAB Bid - $12-13 - It’s only been seven games since the All-Star break, but we’re beginning to see the Conforto of last year. He’s hitting .386 with three homers since the break and has driven in nine runs over that span as well. He’s going to continue hitting the heart of the Mets order and will have every opportunity to play each and every day with the Mets out of contention. Even though he’s been so bad this year, he’s still managed to hit 14 home runs which makes 25 by years end very attainable.

Marcus Stroman , TOR SP (57% ownership), FAAB Bid - $11-12 - People are still struggling to catch on to the fact that Stroman should be owned everywhere and that he’s all the way back. He’s won three of his last four starts and has been vintage Stroman being able to get deep into games throwing 6.2 innings or more in each games while allowing two runs or fewer. In those three wins, Stroman has had a 65-percent ground ball rate or better in each. That is his bread and butter and his key to success. He looks like that guy more and more each time out.

12-Team Leagues

Ryan Zimmerman , WAS 1B (32% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10-11 - We are just one year removed from a player that hit a career-high 36 homers and drove in a career-high 108 runs as well. Zimmerman started off this season horribly and than an injury completely set it off the tracks. Zimmerman is starting his fourth game since returning from his DL stint tonight and has hit in two of the other three he’s started. I refuse to believe that the Zimmerman we saw earlier this year is who we’re going to get going forward, much like I mentioned when talking about Miguel Sano .

Jhoulys Chacin , MIL SP (48% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10-11 - Chacin is someone who’s been inconsistent throughout his career but he’s seemingly turned a corner this year, especially lately. Four of his last six starts have been really good and in July alone he has notched a 3.04 ERA and his opponents are batting a measly .161 against him. We’ve seen an increased K-rate this month up to 22.1-percent and that could be a large part of it. It doesn’t hurt him that the team went out and acquired Mike Moustakas for the offense, which only means he’ll have a better shot at run support every time he takes the mound, which in turn translates to more opportunities at wins.

Wily Peralta , KCR RP, SP (18% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10 - Just over the past two weeks, Peralta has three saves which puts him in a tie for third amongst the entire league. He’s five-of-five in save opportunities thus far this season. Brandon Maurer hasn’t done well when given the chance in the ninth, so it’s seemingly Peralta’s job to lose as of now. Peralta is also eligible as a starting pitcher on Yahoo! so he can be slotted in to both pitching spots.

15-Team Leagues

Dan Straily , MIA SP (6% ownership), FAAB Bid - $7-8 - Very quietly, Dan Straily has strung together six consecutive starts in which he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer and has done that in eight of his last 10 outings. He pitches for the Marlins so unfortunately the wins won’t come in bunches, but as a back-end of a rotation guy in large formatted leagues, he’s well worth it. Straily has flashed some upside in the strikeout department as well, so he’s contributing in more than just quality starts category. He’s struck out at least six in four of his last six outings, which is a reasonable request each time he takes the mound.

Mallex Smith , TBR OF (18% ownership), FAAB Bid - $5-7 - If you’re looking for speed this late in the season, look no further than Smith who is up to 18 on the year. He’s actually looked good at the plate all season long hitting .283, but especially of late batting .379 over the previous two weeks. Smith has a chance to hit the 30 stolen base mark by years end as long as he continues seeing consistent playing time. He’d be even more valuable if he were ever to move up in the Rays lineup, however it’s doubtful to happen as long as Kevin Kiermaier stays healthy.

Amed Rosario , NYM SS (8% ownership), FAAB Bid - $5 - For the last six games, Rosario has led off for the Mets and that shouldn’t change anytime soon. He’s not worth owning in much more than the deeper formatted leagues right now, but he can provide some power (four homers) and some stolen bases as well (eight steals). He should also see an uptick in runs scored now that he’ll have more at-bats than ever and more run producers hitting behind him than ever before as well.

 

*Ownership percentages courtesy of Yahoo

** FAAB bids based on $100 budget