They’re Not Flashy, But These Guys Just Might Help You Win

Things become a little more simplified at this point in the season. It’s no longer about how much promise a player has as it is about what he can deliver right now. With that in mind, here are some interesting players who could be free for the taking (owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues).

Billy Burns (OF) – 47 percent owned: Burns is leading the league in infield fly rate, but he’s fifth among outfielders in steals and those steals are coming with a nice average. The average is a bit risky because, while his speed helps, it might be tough to maintain a .344 BABIP with all of those infield flies. Jarrod Dyson (5 percent) is another name to consider for your speed needs. ZiPS projects 10 steals each for the two for the rest of the season, tied for fifth most in baseball.

Logan Forsythe (1B/2B) – 45 percent: Forsythe’s name is all over the second base leaderboards. He’s third in wRC+, second in ISO and third in RBI. I’m not seeing a ton to support buying in long-term. He’s more than doubled last season’s home run total without making much more hard contact or seeing a big increase in his average fly ball and home run distance. Even so, he’s certainly an attractive add at the moment.

Mitch Moreland (1B) – 43 percent: We can argue the merits of looking at the 162-game pace for a player like Moreland. On one side, he’s never healthy. On the other side, I still think it helps to show what kind of player he’s been while on the field. Eighty-eight games in, Moreland’s at 16 home runs and 57 RBI. Prorated to 162 games, that’s 29 home runs and 105 RBI. Along with a solid .287 average, those numbers play well even at a position as deep as first base. Moreland is someone who should produce similar numbers to Brandon Belt (80 percent) the rest of the way.

Marlon Byrd (OF) – 42 percent: I’ll take Byrd’s power over Brandon Moss (55 percent) and he should put up similar numbers to Jay Bruce (88 percent).

David Peralta (OF) – 41 percent: Peralta’s .413 average over the past 30 days is the best in baseball. Yes, it’s largely due to his .536, but it’s definitely a streak to ride. Peralta will chip in some power, some speed and plenty of RBI thanks to his lineup position behind on-base machine Paul Goldschmidt. His jump in walk rate is backed by a big improvement in O-Swing% over last season. Peralta brings a unique skillset that should keep those RBI coming. He’s one of six players with an ISO above .200 also hitting .300 or better. He is dealing with a quad injury, so things may change if it turns out to be more serious than expected. I’d easily take Peralta over Mark Trumbo (59 percent).

Trevor Plouffe (1B/3B) – 38 percent: ZiPS has Plouffe projected for 23 more RBI this season, tied for seventh at the position. And that’s with six home runs and a non-terrible .252 average. ZiPS projects almost the exact same line for Maikel Franco (45 percent) and Chase Headley (44 percent). I’d rather have all three over Ryan Zimmerman (77 percent) and Pablo Sandoval (71 percent).

Kevin Pillar (OF) – 35 percent: I took a look at Pillar here, and not much has changed, though he’s become slightly less appealing as an immediate add after a slow August. He’s a name to keep him mind as the season winds down if you’re looking for speed with the potential for more power than a player like Burns can offer.

Chris Colabello (1B/OF) – 30 percent: Last season started as well as possible for Colabello. His 27 RBI through April trailed only Jose Abreu and Giancarlo Stanton. Things went south quickly from there. He’s been reborn this season with a 145 wRC+. As it does for many hitters, the move to Toronto helped his power. He’s also getting fairly regular playing time among first base, DH and in the outfield. That combined with the fact he’s getting on base at a regular clip have combined to give him impressive run and RBI totals. Now there are some issues. First, his playing time won’t be as consistent once Edwin Encarnacion returns from his finger injury. Second, his success has been mostly driven by high BABIPs. Red flags aside, he’s a hot hitter often batting in great RBI spots for the best lineup in baseball. You shouldn’t be too picky in August.

Francisco Lindor (SS) – 19 percent: Over the past 30 days, Lindor is among the top five at shortstop in runs, RBI and average. Since struggling in June he’s been fantastic and he hasn’t even tapped into his solid speed yet.