As we enter the final stretch of the season, fantasy owners should be shifting their focus toward prioritizing team needs above all else. At this point, names don’t matter. It’s all about which players can give you the boost you need to shore up weaknesses and gain ground in the standings. Whatever you’re in the market for, here are a trio of widely available targets who can help.
For even more options to improve your roster, be sure to check out RotoBaller’s waiver wire pickups list.
Batting Average: Gerardo Parra, Mikie Mahtook, Jose Pirela
All three of these players are hitting over .320 during the last month, and sit at .300 or above overall (in Parra’s case, well above at .343). You won’t get much pop or speed and the run production is modest, but singles will help your team batting average just as much as hits for extra bases.
Home Runs: Manuel Margot, Eddie Rosario, Matt Chapman
Margot hits leadoff for the Padres, but he’s looked more like a middle of the order bat lately, with seven homers in his last 15 games. That gives the rookie 12 on the season to go with 11 steals and a solid .271 batting average. Rosario has been even hotter in recent days, with five homers in his last seven. His .292/.333/.501 line and 16 bombs deserve better than his current 10 and 14 percent ownership rates on ESPN and Yahoo, respectively. Even more widely available is Chapman, the A’s rookie third baseman. He’s a batting average anchor, but he’s also hit at a 30 homer pace since being promoted to the majors.
Runs: Shin Soo Choo, Kolten Wong, Brian Goodwin
A healthy total in this category has as much as to do with the quality of the bats behind a player in the lineup as it does with his actual performance. Goodwin has been hitting leadoff for the Nationals for the last month, which has helped him score 20 runs. Choo also hits atop his team’s order, and gets on base often enough that he’s not far from a 100-run pace. Wong hits in the bottom half of a worse lineup, but he’s crossed the plate 10 times in his last eight games.
RBI: Nick Williams, Josh Bell, Nicholas Castellanos
Another stat where context matters quite a bit. Williams has seen a lot of time in the middle of the Phillies’ lineup during their recent stretch of resembling an MLB-quality offense. Bell and Castellanos are also current heart of the order mainstays. They all have at least 20 RBI over the last month.
Stolen Bases: Rajai Davis, Cesar Hernandez, Orlando Arcia
Any fantasy owner knows how tough it is in the current environment to find players who can steal a base without killing you in other categories. All three of these guys have hit .290 or better, hit three homers, and swiped at least six bags in the last 30 days. Davis doesn’t play every day, but is still tied with Billy Hamilton for the most steals in that span (10).
Kyle Bishop is a lead MLB columnist at RotoBaller.com. His articles are your secret weapon for winning fantasy leagues.
