Ottoneu Most Wanted: June 16, 2017

I am back again with another look at the most added players in ottoneu, and this time I will also show the most dropped players as well. Whether you are a contender desperate for MLB production to cover for injuries, or a rebuilding team looking for the next hidden gem of a keeper, it’s always a good idea to stay active with waiver claims and 48 hour auctions.

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

No player has been added in ottoneu more than Sean Newcomb, as he represents the intersection of a healthy arm and a young prospect that teams crave. The Braves young hurler struggles with his control (5.15 BB/9 in AA), but generates plenty of strikeouts and has kept the ball in the park. His first start went well, and is on the mound again tonight against the Marlins. Newcomb is probably no better than a fringe ottoneu performer in the short term, but there is still quite a bit of long term potential here.

Pat Neshek is the new closer for the Phillies, except maybe he isn’t? It was announced on June 7th that Neshek would be replacing Hector Neris at closer after Neshek recorded his first (and only) save of the season on June 6th, but then the Phillies went ahead and lost eight games in a row. They broke that losing streak last night, but Neris got the save after Neshek pitched in the eighth. If I had to speculate on a reliever in the Phillies bullpen, Neris is the guy I want to own.

Jacob Faria follows the Newcomb mold as a big stuff prospect pitcher that now finds himself in a major league rotation. Faria has been excellent in his first two starts for the Rays (1.42 ERA/ 1.79 FIP/ 2.90 xFIP), and I am a bigger believer in him than I am Newcomb for now and the future.

I wrote about Smoak in the last edition of this article, and yet again he finds himself among the most added. Smoak is now owned in 80+% of ottoneu leagues, and has entered must own territory given his torrid start to the season (.293/.353/.586 and a .391 wOBA). He’s limited by being a 1B-only hitter, and he probably won’t hit this well the rest of the way, but it’s hard to believe he’s still available in 20% of leagues.

You may or may not have noticed by now, but this most added list is dominated by starting pitchers, many of them younger ones. Besides Newcomb and Faria we also have Jeff Hoffman, Buck Farmer, and Jimmy Nelson among the most added players. Much has been written about Nelson’s performance, but Hoffman and Farmer also offer some sneaky upside for teams desperate to fill IP.

Ryan Schimpf is the middle infield version of Joey Gallo but has the misfortune of hitting in a pitcher’s park that is not well suited to his ultra extreme fly ball tendencies. Schimpf has been offering plenty of pop before his recent demotion to AAA, but a 35.5% strikeout rate and a .145 BABIP (with a ridiculous .189 xBABIP per Andrew Perpetua’s xStats) are massive anchors on his value.

Matt Harvey has not pitched well in his return from offseason Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery, and is now on the shelf again with a scapula injury. I think we’re going to see him cut in a ton of leagues over the next week or two, but there are enough believers in his ability to regain his former ace status that he’s likely to be re auctioned at a lower salary by rebuilding squads.