11 Names If You Have The Need For Speed

With just over two months to go, it’s more crucial than ever to play the categorical standings. Sure, Anthony Santander just keeps homering, but he hasn’t hit for batting average and isn’t expected to, and doesn’t steal bases. So if you’re atop the home run standings, he ain’t doing you much good at the moment, outside of keeping you at the top. Instead, you might see four stolen base points in your sights, so perhaps shifting toward speed is now your optimal strategy. These are 12 lesser-owned names that could help gain you those stolen base category points.

It’s pretty shocking that the hitter ranked fifth in baseball in stolen bases is owed in just 34% of CBS leagues. But that’s exactly the situation the Nationals’ Jacob Young finds himself in. That means that if you need speed, there’s a good chance he’s available in your league. Of course, Young is that fantasy contributor you hate — the guy who contributes lots of steals…and nothing else. He has scored 49 runs for a 100+ pace over a full season, but, it’s hard to believe he could sustain that pace while batting ninth. He’s a pickup if you’re truly secure in both home runs at RBI, or if the gains you could potentially earn from his steals make up for a potential decline in those two category standings. Also note his wOBA stands at just .288, so he could lose playing time at any moment.

You want the absolutely prototypical speedster? His name is Dairon Blanco and of course, he’s a Royal. Blanco rarely earns a start, but often pinch runs, and in just 89 PAs this season, he’s already swiped 17 bases. A 600 PA pace puts him at about 115 steals! He has only scored 22 runs, but even that pace over a full season is fantastic. Of course, the caveat is you shouldn’t be extrapolating over a full season, because he’ll never become a regular. He might be a bit of a risk to be starting for more than two months as you’ll really take a hit in the other counting categories, though he’s unlikely to impact your batting average much since he rarely gets to the plate. However, over the final month of the season when the big number counting stat rankings are more settled, he’s a good play to make up a bunch of points in steals quickly.

Johan Rojas has been the Phillies strong side platoon centerfielder, but seems like no one has realized, as he’s owned in just 7% of CBS leagues. Or maybe it’s because while he has stolen 17 bases, he’s cost fantasy teams value in the remaining four fantasy categories. Rojas was last ranked as the team’s third best prospect, but it wasn’t because of his offense. He has shown little power, while hitting just .232 thanks to an inability to hit line drives this year. He has been strong defensively, at least according to Statcast, though, which has kept him in the lineup. Since he does play most days, there’s a chance for other counting stats, so he wouldn’t be a complete zero like Blanco.

Harrison Bader is having another one of those “do a little bit of everything” seasons, though his FB% has declined, cutting his home run total, as his HR/FB rate has jumped back into double digits. His stolen base potential has gotten a boost as he’s gotten his OBP back over .300, though barely. Unlike some of the other names above him, Bader isn’t just a steals guy, so you won’t have to make a big tradeoff in power if you start him. He’s a solid rest of the season pickup if you want additional speed without having to sacrifice too much power potential.

Remember when Dylan Moore had that random partial season back in 2020, all the while posting a .368 wOBA? Yeah, he hasn’t come anywhere close since. But he still plays here and there, and enough so that he’s swatted eight homers and stolen 17 bases already. That’s the benefit of playing on a weak offense where you’re able to fill in at multiple positions. Moore is unlikely to fall into regular playing time, but he’s been solid enough and should continue to make the occasional start. His value gets a nice boost in OBP leagues, thanks to his solid walk rate and penchant for getting hit by pitches.

Gosh, remember when Vidal Bruján was a big fantasy prospect for the Rays?! I was pretty excited about his potential for tons of steals, a decent batting average, and even a handful of home runs. Instead, he hasn’t gotten much of a chance, and in 469 MLB PAs, he’s posted just a .229 wOBA, with four home runs and 12 steals. What’s interesting here is that he swiped just three bases this year, but the projections are calling for eight more in a bit fewer PAs than he’s recorded so far. Clearly, they are still heavily weighting his minor league record and speed. It’s odd that he hasn’t attempting more steals, though obviously a .251 career OBP has been a limiting factor. Anyway, he has garnered the occasional start for the Marlins, but it’s hard to imagine he’ll earn a larger role given the way he has hit. Even with more playing time, you’d have to hope he starts running more, which is anyone’s guess.

It’s not enjoyable owning a Rays hitter, unless it’s one of the few who truly has an every day role. Taylor Walls recently returned from the IL and has become the team’s mostly every day shortstop. I have no idea why that’s the case as he sports just a .266 career wOBA, but for some reason, the team seems to love him. That said, he does steal bases, swiping 22 last year and four so far this season in just under 100 PAs. His batting average might not be pretty, though his double digit walk rate dramatically boosts his value in OBP leagues.

The Reds’ roster crunch continues to be partially resolved by injuries, allowing Will Benson to continue filling a strong side platoon role in the outfield. However, with an insane 40.3% strikeout rate, his playing time can’t possibly be secure. But despite just a .277 OBP, he’s swiped 11 bases, and like Bader and Moore above, he owns power too. In fact, Benson’s power is pretty good, as he sports a 42% HardHit%, a maxEV just over 110 MPH, and a strong 11.9% Barrel%. In fact, he kind of looks like a Jose Siri clone with a better walk rate. It’s the tantalizing power/speed combo that we hope results in more than what we see right now.

Xavier Edwards was the Marlins’ seventh best prospect and has become the team’s starting shortstop. He makes excellent contact, has no power to speak of, but does possess speed. He stole 37 bases last year between Triple-A and the Majors, and so far has eight this year. With his combination of contact and walk rate, he should post pretty good OBP marks, making him a classic leadoff guy, though he’s at the bottom of the order now. He might be the rare guy who can contribute in steals right now while not only not hurting your batting average, but very possibly boosting it.

If you followed the table above, you may have wondered what the last two Mariners are doing on this list, as the dropoff in projected steals goes from seven to two. Did I forget how to count?! No, instead, I wanted a couple of bonus names who might become strong steals contributors if they fell into more playing time. To get some names, I calculated PA/SB and sorted in ascending order. Jonatan Clase and Ryan Bliss are both bench guys for the Mariners right now, but are projected to steal at a high rate.

At the moment, it makes little sense to add these guys. Between the both of them, they haven’t made even one start in the last six games! I have no idea why they bothered to call up respectable prospects just to sit on the bench all this time. Anyway, I particularly like Clase. He stole 79 bases in 2023 and 26 bases already at Triple-A this year, to go along with another three in the Majors. He walks often, and doesn’t swing and miss too frequently, despite worse than average strikeout rates. Also, he has power! So there’s some truly exciting fantasy potential here if he ever found himself with regular playing time.

Bliss isn’t that different, but a bit less exciting. He stole 55 bases last year, which is fantastic, but not quite 79, and 33 so far this year between Triple-A and the Majors. He strikes out less, but has also shown power, despite weak maxEV numbers, making me wonder if the power is legit. I’d be interested here too if he got a chance, but with the Mariners fighting for a playoff spot, they clearly seem to enjoy continuing to play their mediocre (or worse) veterans.