Today I continue with my recaps, this time reviewing my early January post touting six home run sleepers. I compiled the list by initially sorting the 2017 Brls/BBE leaderboard in descending order and identifying sleepery hitters. Let’s see how they performed.
Many September performances can be glossed over because of how many people are checked out on baseball or zeroed in on just their players as they chase down a title. Some just dismiss the month entirely because of the expanded rosters, though I find that quite ridiculous as plenty of players put up their numbers against quality arms in the midst of pennant chases. Here is a standout September from each AL team from a player who could be worth paying attention to in 2019 as well.
AL EAST
Renato Nunez, BAL | 5 HR, .313 AVG in 85 PA
Nunez was a noteworthy prospect in Oakland, but never really clicked and wound up getting waived. After a quick stint in Texas, he ended up in Baltimore where he put some things together in a 60-game run. He closed with a big September and now enters his age-25 season with a chance at a full time role.
Touring the league to highlight a player per team whose efforts could’ve slipped past your radar.
Johan Camargo, ATL | .272/.351/.456, 18 HR, 75 RBI
Put up quality offensive effort with dual eligibility at 3B and SS.
Adam Eaton, WAS | .298/.393/.410, 9 SB in 92 G
Posted his normal season production, but it might’ve been missed with just 92 games.
With the season coming to a close, now is a good time to look back to see which MLB teams provided fantasy owners with the most valuable offensive resources this season.
This chart looks at players currently ranked in the top twelve at each offensive position (and top fifty at outfield) in both CBS (points) and ESPN (roto) rankings, broken down by team. If you’re curious about which players where ranked where, a more detailed breakdown of the ranks are found here. If a player was eligible at more than one position, they were only included once, and if a player was ranked in the top twelve in one format, but not the other they were not included. If a player was traded, the team which they played the majority of their games with was given credit.
As your fantasy team marches into the playoffs, weekly matchups and playing time considerations become more important. Players fighting for playing time or battling nagging injuries can hurt you chances of taking home a title if they are giving you nothing or only playing three times per week. Especially leagues with weekly lineup locks.
While some players are easy to let go, the pedigree and past performance of others can make fantasy owners hesitant to cut or bench players of a certain caliber, but given the time of year, here are some top-150 players that you might consider cutting or benching to give you the best shot at winning in 2018.
This week’s edition represents a reiteration of two previous recommendations. It baffles me both are owned in less than 10% of CBS leagues.
Yesterday, I highlighted five lesser owned hitters who have running wild over the last two weeks. Today, I’ll discuss four hitters who have posted absurd HR/FB rates over the last 14 days. These players are all widely available and could knock another couple out, which may be the difference between a point or two in the homer category, and perhaps RBI.
At a stolen base attempt every 54.8 plate appearances, hitters are trying for a swipe at the lowest frequency this century. That means it’s more difficult than ever to find steals on free agency to gain points in the category. Luckily, there are a handful of hitters who have attempted a bunch of steals over the last two weeks and aren’t owned in the majority of CBS leagues. Let’s discuss them.
It’s been a banner year for rookie players in 2018. This season we’ve seen the graduation of the minor leagues best all-around prospect (after the obligatory service time manipulation), a two-way phenom contribute on the mound and in the batter’s box, a 19-year-old that began the year in A-ball, and the Yankees continue to profit from their embarrassment of riches.