Ottoneu Most Wanted: July 25, 2017

Another month gone by in the ottoneu season, another edition of this article highlighting how desperate teams are for pitching. Seven out of the ten most added players in the last week are pitchers, though things are more even when looking at the most added players over the past month.

Let’s start by looking at the most added players over the past seven days:

The beneficiary of the White Sox dealing both David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees is Anthony Swarzak, and he’s the most added player over the past week. Swarzak isn’t just a product of circumstance, as he’s been pitching well in his own right this season with a 2.23 ERA and 2.34 FIP (though he’s outperformed his mediocre 3.68 xFIP). The role change boosts his value more than enough to offset the regression monster that might be looming.

Alex Claudio has been getting good results in the Rangers bullpen (2.42 ERA/3.51 FIP/ 3.23 xFIP), but his low strikeouts (5.71 K/9) really limit his usefulness in the ottoneu FanGraphs points format, and I expect his save chances to go away in favor of Keone Kela and Jose Leclerc.

Paul DeJong has taken advantage of the opportunity the Cardinals afforded him when they demoted the struggling Aledmys Diaz, with a fantastic .282 ISO and .358 wOBA, but there is a lot to be concerned about going forward. First, DeJong has a terrible plate discipline profile (2.2% walk rate, 31.8% strikeout rate) that foreshadows rough times ahead. In addition, DeJong’s current .358 BABIP is probably unsustainable (.312 xBABIP according to Andrew Perpetua’s xstats.org). That being said, it’s hard to find adequate shortstops on the waiver wire, so he’s worth speculating on if you have a need at the position (Correa owner, perhaps?).

Up next we have a trio of starting pitchers in Mike Clevinger, Michael Fiers, and Alex Meyer. Clevinger is probably the most interesting name here, as he’s younger than both Fiers and Meyer, and is currently healthy (unlike Alex Meyer’s shoulder). The young Indians hurler may not be as good as his results have shown (2.73 ERA/ 3.90 FIP/ 4.17 xFIP), but even a 4.17 ERA/FIP is worth owning in this pitching starved market. Fiers has been lit over his last ten starts (2.36 ERA/ 2.80 FIP/ 3.60 xFIP), but he’s a veteran pitcher who is probably what we expect him to be at this point, though like Clevinger that still equates to a rosterable player.

Chad Green is a very interesting player to watch right now. He may be no better than fifth or sixth in the Yankee bullpen pecking order, but he’s been brilliant in 40.1 innings spread over 21 relief appearances and one start (1.56 ERA/ 2.40 FIP/ 3.12 xFIP). He’s unlikely to offer much in the way of holds or saves, which dings his value in ottoneu points and 5×5 leagues, but there’s a chance he sees time in the rotation again depending on how the Yankees approach the trade deadline. Even if he remains in the bullpen, there’s value in having a quality multi inning reliever in ottoneu leagues given the 1,500 IP cap.

It’s only been 80 plate appearances, but so far so good for the Phillies young outfielder Nick Williams (.394 wOBA). While I don’t think he will keep hitting for this much power (.301 ISO), he wouldn’t be the first rookie to come up over the past two seasons and see an increased ISO in MLB compared to AA/AAA. There’s something to dream on for the future here with Williams, but I would temper enthusiasm in the short term.