Well, Twitter nation, you spoke again, and many of your fantasy teams are dealing with low batting averages. Let’s work on that, shall we? The five guys listed below are seeing the ball well and have the ability to hit for a good average the rest of the way. Additionally, many of these guys are available in well over 80-85 percent of fantasy leagues. Don’t miss out, ladies and gentlemen, because these guys could impact your team as soon as this weekend. Follow me on Twitter (@colbyrconway) and cast your vote in next week’s poll. Happy Friday and happy reading!
Batting Average
Danny Valencia, 3B SEA – Valencia is a streaky hitter who is currently amidst one of his patented white-hot runs. He’s always hit southpaws better for his career, but he has no major split disadvantages thus far in 2017. Actually, he’s hitting right-handers a little better than he ever has before. Over the last week, he’s hitting .571 with 12 RBI, 10 runs scored and perhaps even more importantly, zero strikeouts. His strikeout percentage on the year will be up near 20 percent for most of the season, so you know Valencia is seeing a beach ball at the plate when he hasn’t punched out over the course of a calendar week.
Howie Kendrick, 2B PHI – Like many on this list, Kendrick is swinging a hot bat at the moment, and his ownership is absurdly low. Kendrick has recorded a hit in six of his last eight games and while his route to consistent playing time is blocked at the moment, Michael Saunders’ struggles against southpaws ensures that Kendrick is locked into some playing time. Kendrick can drive the ball to all parts of the field, and the fact that he goes the other way over half the time with two strikes is a testament to his ability to use the whole field. Over the last seven days, his well-hit average of .333 places him in the top-10 of full-time hitters in that span. He’s well in play while he’s swinging a nice bat, but an injury to Michael Saunders, which isn’t unfathomable given his past, would increase Kendrick’s fantasy value even more.
Elias Diaz, C PIT – With Francisco Cervelli heading to the disabled list, backstop duties are shifted to Diaz. Jacob Stallings will come up with the big club, but with Diaz viewed as the long-term option behind the plate, he will be given a longer leash to showcase his talents. During his brief stint thus far, he looks quite good, especially at the dish. Sure, he’s left the yard once and swiped a bag, but three multi-hit efforts jump out to me. Big league pitchers will adjust with time, and that will be the true test for Diaz, but right now, he’s not phased and looks comfortable at the
dish. When all is said and done, hit batting average will likely be in the mid-.270s, but right now, while he’s swinging a hot bat, a near, or above, .300 bat behind the dish isn’t exactly commonplace in today’s game. He’s young, he’s talented and he’s owned in a whopping 0.2 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues. Yes, that’s less than one percent!
Yunel Escobar, 3B LAA – He’s not a sexy addition by any means, but he gets the job done, in one category. Batting average. He’s the poster boy for this week’s installment of Category Impact. Escobar hasn’t notched double-digit home runs since 2011 and hasn’t seen 60 RBI in a season since 2008. He’s never recorded a double-digit stolen base season and he’s never hit 30 doubles in a season. However, he delivers when it comes to hitting the ball for average. Since 2011, he’s hit .290 above in three of those seasons. Through 43 games this year, the veteran corner infielder is hitting a crisp .282 with a .332 OBP. He’s destroying lefties on the year, well above the league average. His .420 batting average against southpaws is nearly 200 points above the league average.
Eric Sogard, 2B MIL — While he may look like an adult version of Squints from Sandlot, this guy is more of a hit right now than the day Squints went mouth-to-mouth with Wendy Peffercorn. Well, maybe not. Over the last week, he has three RBI, four walks and five runs scored. Nothing exciting, right? Not really, but hey, that .400 batting average in 20 at-bats plays in deeper mixed leagues. Throw in the fact that you can count his ownership on one hand and you got yourself a sneaky free agency addition. He provides little to nothing in other categories, but while he’s hot, and facing right-handers, Sogard is worthy of a roster spot, especially for those in deeper NL-only formats. The lefty has owned starters over the last month, to the tune of an astounding 1.528 OPS against starting pitchers over the last 30 days. Like a good donut at Krispy Kreme, get ‘em while its hot!
Player News
Willi Castro (oblique) could return to the Twins’ lineup this weekend.
Castro has been sidelined with an oblique injury since April 16th and was finally placed on the IL late last week. He has been swinging the bat right-handed and plans to swing left-handed on Tuesday. If his body responds well to that, the Twins could bring him back for this weekend’s series against Boston, which could cut into the playing time for Brooks Lee or Edouard Julien.
Royce Lewis (hamstring) will play 10 innings in a doubleheader on Tuesday and could return to Minnesota on May 6th.
Lewis will play 10 innings as the team’s designated hitter during a doubleheader for Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday and then play a full game at third base on Wednesday, assuming Tuesday goes well. Even though that could mean Lewis returns this weekend, The Athletic’s Dan Hayes suggests “it’s likelier Lewis will play several more games over the weekend and return when the Twins open a homestand on May 6.”
Matt Wallner (hamstring) just started jogging on the treadmill on Monday.
Wallner has been out with a Grade 3 hamstring strain since April 15th. He has yet to swing a bat and will be re-evaluated by the Twins when they return home next week. We won’t have a firm timeline for Wallner’s return until he starts swinging, but it sounds like there’s a chance we don’t see him back until late May or early June.
Twins trainer Nick Paparesta said Luke Keaschall (forearm) will rest and won’t be re-evaluated “for at least a month.”
Keaschall suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right forearm, which halted his impressive MLB debut. The injury won’t require surgery, but the Twins will take time to allow it to heal on its own. “It’s probably going to be a couple of months before he’s back into playing games,” Paparesta said. When he does come back, there’s no guarantee he slots right back into the Minnesota lineup, so we may not see Keaschall back in the big leagues until the end of the summer.
Shane Bieber (elbow) is set to throw simulated games in the Arizona Complex League.
Bieber has said that he’s feeling healthy but is being deliberate in his rehab to ensure that he doesn’t come back too soon. The veteran’s target date had always been sometime around the All-Star break, so this would keep him on schedule. After Bieber throws simulated games, he would likely make a few rehab starts before returning to Cleveland. If all goes well, he could be back by the end of June.
Tony Gonsolin (back) will return from the injured list and start for the Dodgers on Wednesday against the Marlins.
Gonsolin missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and was then sidelined by a back injury in spring after just three innings. The 30-year-old had a great season in 2022 and has been a solid starter for the Dodgers over his career. His lack of strikeouts limits his fantasy value a bit, but his velocity has been up in his rehab outings, so he could be worth a stash in deeper formats while he remains in the Dodgers’ rotation.