Big Kid Adds (Week 12)

While the NFBC Main Event garners most of the attention, there are a handful of leagues with even a larger entry fee ($2.5K to $15K). They were originally named “High Stakes Leagues” and there are ten of them. With so much money on the line, these fantasy managers try to gain any advantage. Most of the time, these managers will be a week or two ahead of everyone else on their adds. Here are the players and some information on the ones added in five or more leagues.

Batters

Tyler Soderstrom (10): On the season, Soderstrom is hitting .239/.343/.443 (33% K%) with 5 HR and 0 SB. He’s been better in June hitting .295/.380/.568 with four of the five homers.

He has started in 11 straight games while batting fourth or fifth in the last seven. One note on his playing time, he has not started against lefty. In seven games, he was benched for pinch hitter (last time on June 10th). For his short career, he has a .487 OPS against lefties and a .630 OPS versus righties so the platoon is reasonable.

Freddy Fermin (8) and Jacob Stallings (7): With several catchers hurt (e.g. JTR), Fermin and Stallings are just the next guys up in the catcher pecking order.

On the season, Fermin is hitting .289/.341/.391 with 2 home runs. Over the last ten games, he has started at catcher in seven times.

As for Stallings, he gets a major boost with seven games in Colorado this week. The 34-year-old is hitting .305/.378/.486 with 4 HR. Stallings is playing a decent amount with six starts in the last 10 games.

Michael Toglia (7): With the seven games in Coors Field, the weekly projections loved Toglia. He’s started in 12 straight games and moved up to hitting fifth. So far this season, he’s hitting .178/.227/.378 (36 K%) with 5 HR. In June, he has performed better by hitting .256/.313/.395 with just a 31% K%. A decent power source if he can make contact.

Lenyn Sosa (6): The dual-eligible player (2B, 3B) has started in 16 out of 17 games putting him on the radar for these deep league managers. He’s not on fire at the plate (.242/.280/.358, 2 HR, 2 SB) but not a drag. An acceptable bench option as an injury replacement.

Hunter Goodman (6): Two items are driving Goodman’s love. Like Toglia, he has seven games at home. Also, Goodman has played four games at catcher as the team’s second guy. When not catching, he plays in the outfield. If he keeps up playing twice a week, he could be catcher qualified by the All-Star Game.

Speaking of catchers, Goodman hits like one with a .198 AVG but 5 HR in 86 PA. It’s a power-only profile.

Miguel Rojas (5): With Betts on the IL, the hope was for Rojas to be the Dodgers full-time shortstop. So far, he has started in two out of three contests, hitting .288/.333/.449 with 3 HR and 3 SB on the season.

Starters

DJ Herz (8): Herz was available to be added last week and just two teams answered the call. After his 13 K performance on Saturday, he was added everywhere in the hopes of a repeat. Or at least something close.

Strikeouts have never been an issue with Herz, instead, it’s walks. Here are his recent strikeout and walk rates.

The 3.1 BB/9 from the majors this season is a revelation compared to previous seasons. To see if Herz had improved his control, his 38% Ball% is equivalent to a 3.6 BB/9. Not great but in line with his actual walk rate.

As for generating strikeouts, he is doing it with his four-seamer (15% SwStr%), change (13% SwStr%), and slider (24% SwStr%). Also, he has a cutter that doesn’t do anything (8% SwStr%, 40% GB%).

A must-add, but he might be a must-drop in a week or two.

Yariel Rodríguez (8): Similar profile to DJ Herz, lots of strikeouts and walks.

Level: K/9, BB/9
AAA: 14.6 K/9, 5.8 BB/9
MLB: 9.4 BB/9, 4.7 BB/9

One issue is that he is not making it far into games. In his last two AAA starts, he only faced 15 batters per game.

As for his arsenal, he has a nice slider (18% SwStr%) and that’s it. His fastball is middling (6% SwStr%, 47% GB%) and his curve, sinker, and splitter grade below average.

The plan seems for him to start at some point this weekend against Cleveland. In the long run, I see him as a reliever so he can focus on his fastball and slider.

Carson Spiers (8): After struggling (6.92 ERA, 1.92 WHIP) in 13 IP in 2023, he returned this season as a reliever (2.33 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 7.0 K/9) for six appearances. He was just moved to the rotation and started earlier this week with 4 ER, 5 K, and 1 BB in 6 IP. The start could have been worse, could have been better.

In the start, the 26-year-old’s fastball lost an expected 1 mph.

Also during it, he threw five pitches between 13% and 29%, so he is trying to keep hitters off guard.

Historically, his four-seamer has been near an elite swing-and-miss pitch (14% SwStr%) but the STUPH models grade it below average.

He should dump the sinker (2% SwStr%, 44% GB%) and use his other four pitches.

Drew Thorpe (6): I’m completely dismissive of Thorpe cause right now. While he has elite command and an elite changeup, the rest of his arsenal grades out as below average. While Jamie Moyer is the most successful pitcher with these traits, the best outcome will be in the Marco Estrada and Zach Davies talent range.

Has any starting pitcher succeeded with just elite command and an elite changeup, but the rest of his pitches are all graded out as well below average?

— Jeff Zimmerman (@jeffwzimmerman) June 19, 2024

This profile is rarely successful so Thorpe is fighting an uphill battle to be relevant.

The hope is that his slider and/or cutter can at least be league-average. With him throwing just a 91-mph fastball, he could try to keep everything (change has a 67% GB%) on the ground and move to a sinker.

Keaton Winn (5): Winn struggled in his first start off the IL (wrist) going 4.1 IP with 7 ER. In his next start, he only allowed 2 ER over 6 IP. While his 6.66 ERA and 1.33 WHIP might be hard to hard to stomach, I have him valued as a 4.23 ERA arm with the average of ZiPS, Steamer, and THE BAT being 4.27.

Streamable option with the Cardinals this week and the Cubs next week.

Relievers

Chad Green (6): With Jordan Romano and Yimi García on the IL, the closer duties seem to have fallen on Green. The results have been great for Green (1.72 ERA, 0.89 WHIP) but some underlying traits to him being elite (3.89 xFIP, 7.5 K/9).

Ryne Stanek (6): While Stanek is barely a league-average reliever (9.6 K/9, 3.95 ERA, 4.12 xFIP, 1.32 WHIP), he got five Saves in a row until Andrés Muñoz got a Save on Tuesday.