10-Team Leagues
Jesus Aguilar , MIL 1B (79% ownership), FAAB Bid - $17 - Some will say he’s the hottest hitter in baseball and it just may be true. He had homered in three straight games prior to Friday’s game and has hit seven bombs over his last 11 games. He also has seven multi-hit games over those same 11 games. His 19 home runs tie him for the National League lead and his 54 RBI put him right up near the top as well. Aguilar must be owned in every format like yesterday.
Zach Eflin , PHI SP (48% ownership), FAAB Bid - $15 - Eflin is the truth and there is nothing more than that. He’s won five straight decisions while allowing three earned runs or less in each game. Those wins came against the Yankees, Brewers x2, Cubs and the Nationals, making that all the more impressive. His K-rate continues to rise as it sits at 24.5-percent and his 2.85 FIP is quite impressive in itself. After a 7.3-percent swinging strike rate last season, he’s up to 10.5-percent in 2018. His fastball velocity is up from 93.7 to 95.1 which could be a big reason why. He’s a must own in all formats right now.
Mark Trumbo , BAL OF (32% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10-11 - Before Friday, Trumbo had an 11-game hitting streak that included five homers and 12 RBI. His SLG from May to June has risen from .449 to .476 while raising his flyball percentage from 22.7 to 46.8-percent. Trumbo is a great source of run production right now and should be treated as such. It helps hittings behind guys like Manny Machado and Adam Jones who always are on base for Trumbo to drive them in.
12-Team Leagues
Reyes Moronta , SFG RP (2% ownership), FAAB Bid - $7-8 - It’s not set in stone that Moronta will take over the closer's role in San Fran, but it’s trending in that direction. Sam Dyson has only converted three of six save opportunities this year and has allowed runs in three of his last five outings. The young Moronta has impressed all year long and has notched a 29.4-percent K-rate to date. It’s a speculative add and I’d say if you don’t need to risk anything on your roster you can save bypass him, but he really is a strong candidate to pick up some saves going forward.
Jorge Bonifacio , KCR OF (1% ownership), FAAB Bid - $6 - You can get him cheap as hell across the board right about now before people catch on that he’s no longer suspended. Bonifacio is going to take over as the everyday right-fielder the second he’s called up as well. He has destroyed Minor League pitching during the 13 games since returning slashing .392/.466/.529. Bonifacio hit 17 bombs in 2017 but it’s obviously something we have to keep an eye on -- the power -- knowing he could have been on the juice. Nevertheless, the Minor League numbers have to be encouraging.
Zack Wheeler , NYM SP (12% ownership), FAAB Bid - $6-8 - With the trade deadline nearing, Wheeler will definitely be garnering some love. That said, if he’s traded to a contender, he could pick up some extra fantasy value in the wins category. Wheeler’s been pitching deeper into games and showing more promise in the strikeout department. He’s gone at least six innings in seven of his last eight starts and has struck out at least seven in three consecutive games. He has SP3 upside which he’s flashed of late, but he’s been more of an SP4 for the entirety of the season.
15-Team Leagues
Steve Pearce , BOS 1B, OF (2% ownership), FAAB Bid - $4 - Pearce was traded by the Blue Jays to the Sox and in less than 24 hours was hitting fourth against the Yankees. He’s always been fantastic against lefties, this year has been no different hitting .306 but he’s been hitting both sides of the plate this season posting an .833 OPS versus RHP as well. Pearce is a really good bet to get regular at-bats here, basically taking over the Hanley Ramírez role. He’s worth an add in all AL-only formats and most of the 15-teamers as well.
Keon Broxton , MIL OF (3% ownership), FAAB Bid - $2 - With Lorenzo Cain hitting the disabled list, Broxton has been good in the few games since being called up, hitting two homers, driving in four and swiping a bag. Broxton hit 20 homers and stole 21 bases last season, but he was one of the most strikeout prone players in baseball, which will limit his upside if he can’t cut them down. His K-rate at Triple-A this year is 33.3-percent, so nothing new honestly. This stay will likely be temporary which is why I wouldn’t suggest adding him in any leagues with less than 15 teams.
Jesse Winker , CIN OF (9% ownership), FAAB Bid - $2-4 - The 15-teamers are full of outfield suggestions but for good reason. Winker has been really good over the past two weeks hitting .316 with three homers and 12 RBI. He’s raised his average back up to .270 and is seemingly in a groove at the dish he went a while without finding. He slugged .529 last season in his 47 games at the big-league level so we do have something to look forward to. The power is coming. Winker is a strong candidate to put together a nice second half of the year.
*Ownership percentages courtesy of Yahoo
** FAAB bids based on $100 budget