Sometimes all it takes for something to click in the game of baseball, in all of sports really, is opportunity. There are a number of guys who are simply making the best of their opportunity and have turned into excellent season-long options. We’ve headlined a bunch of them and even threw in some guys we’ve seen produce in the past that will help us going forward as well!
10-team leagues
Matt Adams, ATL 1B, OF (47% ownership), FAAB Bid - $20 – We previously suggested Adams when he was originally traded to Atlanta but he’s still owned in LESS than 50-percent of standard Yahoo leagues so we can’t stress picking him up enough. In just 28 games with Atlanta, Adams has walloped 10 homeruns, good for a .653 SLG, which would rank him third in all of baseball amongst qualified players. Even though each passing day means we’re closer to Freddie Freeman’s return, the Braves will have to find a spot for him as long as he continues to rake the way he is.
Mike Montgomery, CHC RP, SP (27% ownership), FAAB Bid - $18 – This is easily our favorite pitching add of the week as Montgomery’s transition to the Cubs’ rotation could not be going better. He’s allowed just four runs in his 15 innings since joining the rotation and has struck out 12 batters over that span. We saw his ability to strike people out last year as he posted an 8.3 K/9 mark, so his low 6.8 mark this season should begin to creep up as the season moves forward. The only pause with Montgomery we have is the fact he still hasn’t officially been awarded the rotation spot going forward, but it’s really hard to move him back to the bullpen with the way he’s pitched as a starter.
Wilson Ramos, TB C (23% ownership), FAAB Bid - $16 – We were considering holding Ramos back to 12 and 15-team leagues, but let it rip in all formats. Ramos was arguably the best offensive catcher in baseball last year before his injury and before the legend of Gary Sanchez came to fruition. We shouldn’t expect the 29-year old backstop to slash .307/.354/.496 like he did in 2016, but seeing how horrible the catchers position is, this an immediate upgrade over almost everyone at the position. You should, however, continue to roster a second catcher because expecting him to catch everyday when he first returns is plain old silly.
12-team leagues
Brandon McCarthy, LAD SP (63% ownership), FAAB Bid - $14-15 – Although it’s tough to tell when the injury will come, it’s likely coming. That being said, the healthy version of Brandon McCarthy is awesome. On the year, opponents are hitting just .221 against him while making hard contact 25-percent of the time. A percentage that also happens to be the amount of soft contact he churns out as well. His strikeouts have really taken a hit as he’s punching out just 15.8-percent of the batters he’s faced in June, but his BABIP is just .242 so he’s simply letting his fielders make all the plays. The only reason he’s not suggested in 10-team league formats is because of how putrid he’s become at missing bats.
Yangervis Solarte, SD 2B, 3B (30% ownership), FAAB Bid - $12 –Solarte has had an up and down 2017 campaign, but June has been his coming out party, especially in the power department. After three combined home runs over the first two months of the year, the Padres utility infielder has belted seven bombs in 17 June campaigns. His multi-position eligibility is an added bonus and he’s especially valuable in leagues with MI and CI spots as well. Of course after we do this write up he lands on the DL. We still suggest picking him up, because he should be back soon after is stint on the DL is up.
German Marquez, COL SP (16% ownership), FAAB Bid - $9 – Anytime Coors is on a slate in DFS, everyone’s attention is front and center on who are the pitchers and how can they be exploited. When said pitchers shut down a potent offense over six scoreless well, they have our full attention. Marquez has actually been extremely steady of late, pitching well in eight of his last 10 outings. A big positive in Marquez’s recent success stems from his strikeout rate, which has gone up from 19.4 in May to 22.9 in June. He’s always stymied his opponents to a .707 OPS during June as well. If he can post a showing like that in Coors, we’re confident he can do it anywhere.
15-team leagues
Tom Murphy, COL C (13% ownership), FAAB Bid - $4 – Murphy’s OPS north of 1.00 at Triple-A in 2016 caught everyone’s eye, but an injury derailed any chance at starting 2017 with the big league club. He’s really raked at each one of his minor league stops as he’s posted a career .889 OPS in six MiLB campaigns. Murphy’s been sparingly used since being called up, but his time is coming. Like we mentioned up top with Ramos; catcher is a dumpster fire and when a player with this type of pop is available, he’s worth the addition.
Mike Pelfrey, CWS SP (3% ownership), FAAB Bid - $0 – This, this is something we figured we’d never write, but he’s justifying his case. Now we wouldn’t suggest him in anything more than AL-only formats, but he could be a solid SP5, maybe an SP4 if you’re desperate. Over his last six games pitched – five starts – Pelfrey owns a 2.08 ERA over 24 innings. In those 24 innings, he’s allowed just one homer and has struck out 22 batters he’s faced, good for an 8.3 K/9 mark. To put it simply, the numbers speak for themselves. Will they continue to be this good? History says no, but like we said immediately, this pickup is for someone that is desperate.
*ownership percentages courtesy of Yahoo
** FAAB bids based on $100 budget