AL OF Short Term Help

With an average of 20 games remaining for most American League teams, finding the right player (that is still available) to help you in Head-to-Head playoffs or the final weeks of the Roto season is a difficult — if not nearly impossible — find. Luckily for you, dear reader, doing the nearly impossible is what RotoGraphs thrives at. That, and being basement dwelling nerds. Take your pick.

The following is a list of scarcely owned outfield eligible players that should recieve enough playing time and accumulate enough counting numbers to be worth owning.

Jonny Gomes – Gomes is now up to 16 homeruns in less than 300 plate appearances on the year. He has 42 runs and RBI’s and if you play in an OPS league, he is now up to .866 on the season. His strikeout rate is pretty severe at over 30%, but he is hitting for enough power to make it livable. Gomes is owned in just 2% of Yahoo! leagues and all of 0.4% of ESNP leagues. He has been averaging two or three games per week throughout the season and has produced very well despite the partial playing time.

Matt Joyce – I don’t know how much longer I can chant Joyce’s name. My soapbox is weathered and my voice is getting hoarse. Sure, he has platoon issues to consider, but given how well he hits right-handed pitching, he is absolutely deserving of being owned. His ESPN ownership rate is 44% and his Yahoo! rate is a mere 39%. His RoS predicts two more home runs and enough runs and RBI’s to make him worthy of a pickup.

David Murphy – His three hit day yesterday is rather convienent, given that I wanted to highlight him today. Murphy has a .357 batting average over the past two weeks, spanning 12 games. He hit two home runs, two triples and a double over that time frame as well. What is the opposite of a “Catch-22?” Murphy’s playing time is being boosted by his batting and his chances at batting is being bouyed by his ability to play multiple outfield positions. He is owned in 33% of Yahoo! leagues and 52% of ESPN formats.

Denard Span – Having just come back from the 15-day disabled list, Span sounded his return with a 3-for-5 day that included a triple and a pair of runs. Span has the on-base ability (.359 career OBP) and the speed to impact single week matchups. His ZiPS RoS calls for just two more steals, but I think Span will want to run more than that. If he is given the green light enough, he can have himself a three steal week, easily. Span is freely available in 88% of Yahoo! leagues and 18% of ESPN leagues.

Brandon Moss – Over the past two weeks Moss had four homeruns and and average of .359. Like Gomes, Moss is striking out more than 30% of the time, but also similar to Gomes, Moss’ sheer power and overcomes the iffy contact rate. With Oakland in the absolute thick of the playoff hunt, Moss (and Gomes to a lesser extent) will be helping paint the MLB playoffs and your fantasy playoffs. Moss is owned in less than 10% of Yahoo! leagues and just 12% of ESPN leagues.