The biggest news of the week, undoubtedly, is Freddie Freeman’s fractured wrist. Freeman was arguably a top-five MVP candidate up until this point in the young season. He ranks in the top-10 in the NL in almost every major offensive category and is a crushing blow to anyone’s team. But that’s why we’re here. We’re going to help you bandage up that wound the best we can and give you some prime additions to help you through these dark times. And no. We will not be writing about James Loney beyond this point.
10-team leagues
Tommy Joseph, PHI 1B (22% ownership), FAAB Bid - $16 – After getting after an absolutely horrible start this year, Joseph has settled in nicely. He has really begun raking the ball over the past two weeks, posting a 45.8-percent line drive mark to go alongside his 1.33 OPS over that same time period. Joseph hit 21 homers in just 315 ABs in 2016 and we should see him best that benchmark here in 2017. With Freddie Freeman down for eight weeks or more, this is someone you strongly need to consider adding.
Trevor Rosenthal, STL RP (39% ownership), FAAB Bid - $15 – Just like the player we’ve written about next, we haven’t chomped at the bit with picking up Rosenthal because the Cardinals had a closer already. That being said Oh is struggling and Rosenthal looks like the guy that had 93 dominant saves between the 2014-15 seasons. He’s always been a flamethrower, averaging 96 MPH on his fastball every year of his career, but this year he’s taken the next step as his average FB velocity sits at 99.2 MPH. It isn’t a coincidence he’s posting a career-high 15.85 K/9 and an outstanding 1.14 FIP. Manager Mike Matheny is going to make the move sooner or later and you should too.
12-team leagues
Chris Taylor, LAD 2B, 3B, SS (25% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10 - We’ve held off on jumping on the Taylor bandwagon these past couple of weeks knowing once the Dodgers get back to full strength he’d likely be the guy left out of the equation. However, the Dodgers placed Justin Turner on the DL Friday, so Taylor will continue to play everyday for the time being. Just over the last seven days he’s slashing .474/.545/.895 and has posted a 1.44 OPS. He’s in the midst of an 18-game on-base streak as well. He’s also shown more power than we ever could have imagined belting five homers already, three more than he hit from 2014-2016. He needs to be owned because of his sudden ability to crush the baseball but also due to his three position eligibility.
Ryon Healy, OAK 1B, 3B (54% ownership), FAAB Bid - $7 – Although Healy hasn’t been able to hit away from home nor has he slashed well against RHP, we expect both to even out. He has really mashed LHP this year as we mentioned, posting a 1.13 OPS, .444 BABIP and is slugging .711. He hit .302 against RHP last season and had a 202 AB sample size, so his .214 AVG against them this year should rise. Healy is another guy you as an owner should consider adding while Freddie Freeman is on the shelf.
15-team leagues
Jesus Aguilar, MIL 1B (2% ownership), FAAB Bid - $3-5 – If there aren’t any first basemen in the tier above Aguilar you like, he’s someone worth taking a flier on. The Brewers want to move Eric Thames into the outfield some and work on his versatility, which opens the door for Aguilar at 1B. Over the last 14 days alone, he has eight extra-base hits, eight RBI while hitting .370 and sitting pretty with a 1.30 OPS. He’s also been the best part-time player in baseball in terms of hitting line drives vs. the opposing SP. He’s hit a liner 40-percent of the time against them, which is an impressive mark.
Tyson Ross, TEX SP (29% ownership), FAAB Bid - $2 – Ross at full strength is worth way more than just a $2 bid, but it’s the unknown that’s keeping us weary. We’ve seen how ineffective Matt Harvey has been since returning from thoracic outlet syndrome, so don’t go crazy with Ross right out of the gate. However, not every player returns from injuries the same way. From 2013-’15, Ross was an excellent arm for the Padres. He posted a FIP of 3.24 or lower in all three of those aforementioned campaigns. He also saw his K/9 mark at 9.0, 9.7 and 8.4 respectively. He should start pitching in real games sometime early next week, so we could see him back in the MLB in June. If you have the roster space, don’t wait to pick him up.
Yolmer Sanchez, CWS 2B (1% ownership), FAAB Bid - $1 – The chances that he improves on his .330 AVG are slim to none, so we’ve likely reached the peak you’ll see him play at. But that peak has been really good thus far, so he’s worth the add, especially if you have a MI spot in your league. He’s riding a 10-game hitting streak and has hit .444 over the last 14 days. He’s also a little bit of a SB threat, as he’s only swiped two bags successfully, but he’s tried six times so he’s been aggressive on the base paths.
*ownership percentages courtesy of Yahoo
** FAAB bids based on $100 budget