Author: Paul Shapiro, Staff Writer
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playoffs, or making a last-ditch effort to pick up a prized keeper to salvage what looks to be a lost season.
I was thankfully in the driver’s seat in one of my longest running head-to-head leagues and was able to pull off a couple of trades leading up to the trade deadline. I was in desperate need of pitching, having recently lost Masahiro Tanaka, Stephen Strasburg and Johnny Cueto to a myriad of injuries, so I swapped some potential keepers – Yonder Alonso and Amed Rosario – for Carlos Martinez and Lance McCullers (please, come back soon).
Manuel Margot’s power-speed potential could be a difference maker down the stretch.Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
I saw what my team was lacking, and had no choice but to take something with future value and swap that for a current need. Just like I did, you should find any deficiencies your team has, and do what you can to plug those holes for the stretch run and, hopefully, the playoffs.
If your need is speed, then look no further than your league’s waiver wire as there are undervalued leadoff types with power and speed potential waiting to be your next late-season pick up.
Power-Speed Combo Makes Margot A Must-Add
Manuel Margot is a player who would be on pace for a 20-20 season if he had been with the Padres all year. Since his call up, Margot is batting .271 with 12 homers, 11 steals and 66 runs and RBIs over the course of 84 games. That comes from a player known for his speed, having stolen 162 bags over parts of five seasons in the Minors.
While the speedy outfielder hasn’t stolen a base since July 29, he did go 4-for-4 on steals in July. Margot also took home NL Player of the Week late last month, proving his upside while batting .500 (14-for-28) with two doubles, a triple and three home runs from July 24-30. More recently, he’s hit safely in seven of his last 10 games, along with three multi-hit contests.
The power-speed potential from a 22-year-old being used primarily in the leadoff spot is just too great to ignore at this point in the season, making Margot a must-add in mixed and NL-only leagues.
Beckham Boasts Top 10 Stats Since Arriving in Baltimore
Tim Beckham is so hot right now.
A change of scenery has brought out the best in the former No. 1 pick, who is batting .500 with four homers, 16 runs scored and 10 RBIs in 14 games since being acquired by the Orioles.
He’s been so good that O’s Manager Buck Showalter has catapulted his new shortstop to the top of the Baltimore lineup. And all he’s done in five games in the one hole is rack up four multi-hit games, score eight runs and smack a leadoff homer last night.
Beckham’s upside has never been the question, and while there’s no way he keeps up this pace with a .397 BABIP, the toolsy infielder is well worth an add. Strike while the infielder’s hot, as Beckham should provide solid stats across the board through the remainder of the Fantasy season.
Speed Still Key for Phillies’ Hernandez
Cesar Hernandez is a player known for his wheels. Since becoming a full-time player in 2015, the second baseman’s speed has clearly been his greatest Fantasy asset.
After stealing 36 bases over the past two years combined, Hernandez is on pace to top his previous career high of 19, sitting at 12 through 84 games played. If he hadn’t hit the DL, the Phillies leadoff man would have likely surpassed that mark, and he’s already set a new high in homers despite missing a little over a month due to a strained oblique.
Hernandez has now hit safely in nine of his last 10 games with three multi-hit efforts and seven runs scored. His solid batting average (.294 this season; .283 in his career) makes him Fantasy relevant in three standard categories, meaning he should be owned in NL-only and deep mixed leagues moving forward.
It May Be Time to Add Maybin
How is a player just three steals off the American League lead, batting first for team in the Wild Card race, owned in less than 40 percent of CBSSports leagues and 20 percent of Yahoo! leagues? Well, that’s the curious case of Cameron Maybin.
Maybe it’s his .234 batting average. Maybe it’s that he spent three weeks on the DL with a knee injury. Maybe it’s that his injury replacement outperformed expectations while he was on the shelf. Or maybe it’s because he plays for a team on the West Coast.
There are lots of maybes here, but Maybin is back in the leadoff spot for the Angels, making him an under-the-radar speed add in all formats. If he hadn’t missed nearly 20 games, Maybin would be the AL steals leader, and that says enough for me to say he should be owned universally in AL-only leagues.
Give Davis A Look in Deep Leagues
Rajai Davis just keeps on stealing bases. A perennial part-time player, Davis has stolen upwards of 34 bases in seven of the last eight seasons. He’s already at 25 this season through 94 games, including six steals over his last 10 games.
Every time his name is penciled into the A’s lineup, he finds a way to contribute. And whenever he is penciled in, he bats atop the Oakland batting order. Despite only playing three to four times a week, Davis compiles enough positive stats that he’s worth a look in AL-only leagues and deep mixed leagues — especially those with daily lineup changes. Long story short is that any time the A’s face a lefty, the veteran outfielder needs to be in your lineup.
The upside is apparent for each of these players, enough so that they deserve to be on your radar, and even your roster, for the final few weeks of the Fantasy season.