This article is part of our The Z Files series.
Anything can happen in two-and-a-half weeks, right? However, to give it a chance, opportunity is needed. Today, I'm going to look at under-the-radar batters getting playing time down the stretch. If you play in an AL or NL-only league, chances are they're not available. They could be on the wire (or your reserve) in mixed formats, though. Along the way, I'll give a shout out to some hitters who have had regular playing time for a while but may be performing better than you realized.
As a bit of foreshadowing, the bulk of the players are on American League teams. There's a plausible explanation for that, as more AL teams are playing out the string with no playoff aspirations, hence more of them can afford to look at some of their future pieces while Senior Circuit clubs are still battling for a post-season berth. The names are presented alphabetically.
Willy Adames, SS, Tampa Bay Rays: Adames has been playing nearly every day since the All-Star break, but in his last 150 plate appearances he's been on on-base machine, getting on at a 39 percent clip with five homers, the same number of steals and a useful 26 runs. Runs is an overlooked category. If you need a boost, Adames recent pace prorates to over 100 of them in a full season.
Ehire Adrianza, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Minnesota Twins: Adrianza is the Twins super-utility guy, but between suspensions and injuries, he's played frequently for most of the second half.
Anything can happen in two-and-a-half weeks, right? However, to give it a chance, opportunity is needed. Today, I'm going to look at under-the-radar batters getting playing time down the stretch. If you play in an AL or NL-only league, chances are they're not available. They could be on the wire (or your reserve) in mixed formats, though. Along the way, I'll give a shout out to some hitters who have had regular playing time for a while but may be performing better than you realized.
As a bit of foreshadowing, the bulk of the players are on American League teams. There's a plausible explanation for that, as more AL teams are playing out the string with no playoff aspirations, hence more of them can afford to look at some of their future pieces while Senior Circuit clubs are still battling for a post-season berth. The names are presented alphabetically.
Willy Adames, SS, Tampa Bay Rays: Adames has been playing nearly every day since the All-Star break, but in his last 150 plate appearances he's been on on-base machine, getting on at a 39 percent clip with five homers, the same number of steals and a useful 26 runs. Runs is an overlooked category. If you need a boost, Adames recent pace prorates to over 100 of them in a full season.
Ehire Adrianza, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Minnesota Twins: Adrianza is the Twins super-utility guy, but between suspensions and injuries, he's played frequently for most of the second half. He doesn't offer much power or speed. What he does provide is lineup flexibility, as he's eligible everywhere but first base and behind the plate. As such, his utility is allowing you to make sure your best hitters are active while still getting something from Adrianza.
Johan Camargo, 3B/SS, Atlanta Braves: Hopefully, you know Camargo is having a solid season, but some out there may not realize the extent of it. It took until this week for Camargo to eclipse 50 percent ownership in ESPN leagues. Since July 1, he leads the Braves in RBI with 55, five more than Nick Markakis. His 14 blasts are second to Ronald Acuna Jr.'s 20 in that span. Hitting mostly in the bottom of the order, his 45 runs is the fourth most on the club in that time frame.
Jake Cave, OF, Minnesota Twins: Keep in mind this column is as much about opportunity as it is recent performance, Cave is playing every day for a Twins squad that is among a handful of teams that have played a game or two fewer than most of the league. His numbers pace to around 27 HR, 105 runs and 85 RBI over a full season.
Ji-Man Choi, 1B/DH, Tampa Bay Rays: Need some pop down the stretch? Choi has slashed .353/.439/.824 in September, including four homers, seven runs and 12 RBI.
Hunter Dozier, 1B/3B, Kansas City Royals: Note, Dozier was scratched from Wednesday's game with a bad back so check his status. If he's healthy, he's powered his way to a tidy .907 OPS the past 20 games, featuring four long balls, helping to drive home 14.
David Fletcher, 2B/3B/SS, Los Angeles Angels: After a sluggish start to his MLB career, Fletcher has been better since the break, posting a respectable .289 average. His forte is contact, fanning at a low 10.7 percent clip in that span. As mentioned, anything can happen in the next two-plus weeks. Along with opportunity, the ability to put the ball in play almost every time helps Fletcher's chances, and the lineup flexibility he offers provides an added boost to his value.
Adam Frazier, 2B/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates: Like Camargo, this is less about what have you done for me lately and more about many not realizing how long Frazier has been crushing it. To wit, since getting regular playing time following the break, Frazier has posted a .355/.404/.606 line with five long balls and 22 each of runs and RBI, and his spot is very secure with Gregory Polanco undergoing shoulder surgery. If for some reason Frazier's on your reserve, find a place to get his stick in your lineup. Before heading to the comments with a snide remark about his inclusion, please realize despite his scorching second half, Frazier is rostered in only 17 percent of ESPN leagues so he's still a relative unknown.
Brian Goodwin, OF, Kansas City Royals: In part because Brett Phillips has been sidelined over a week with a shoulder injury, Goodwin is seeing a lot of run in center field lately. After missing most of August, Goodwin could be available in some leagues. He's another pick based on playing time and not current performance as he's in a rut. Still, research has shown slumps aren't predictive and Goodwin has the skills to help across the board.
Ramon Laureano, OF, Oakland Athletics: Defense doesn't count in fantasy, or does it? Granted, Laureano's emergence is as much about Dustin Fowler's struggles and Boog Powell's injuries, but his leather – and cannon arm – certainly didn't hurt. Laureano's leading off, always a good thing when maximizing playing time. In what amounts to about a month of play, he has five homers and four steals.
Brandon Lowe, 2B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays: You've heard the expression, "You only get one chance to make a first impression." Well, after beginning his MLB career with an inauspicious 0-for-19 stretch, Lowe has settled in with an impressive .317/.424/.583 line, four homers and a couple of bags. The human mind tends to focus on first impressions, so it's quite possible Lowe's turnaround has gone unnoticed.
Dawel Lugo, 2B, Detroit Tigers: Playing time is currency, which is a kind way of saying Lugo doesn't offer a ton by way of power or speed, but he's playing so he can chip in with runs and RBI.
Billy McKinney, OF, Toronto Blue Jays: The Jays are giving McKinney a good look to close the 2018 campaign, mostly to get a feel of whether he can be an everyday player or more of a reserve. It appears McKinney likes the idea of regular playing time, as he had a modest nine-game hitting streak snapped by the Red Sox on Wednesday night. Even with that 0-for-4, McKinney is slashing a robust .329/.398/.575, mostly at the top of the Jays lineup. That said, note the Jays have a difficult final two weeks. After facing the decrepit Orioles rotation, they're scheduled for a home-and-home series with the tough Rays staff sandwiching dates with the Astros.
Jeff McNeil, 2B, New York Mets: McNeil wasn't considered a top prospect, so his late-season emergence is still pretty quiet as evidenced by a too-low 16 percent ownership mark in ESPN leagues. All he's done is stroke .331/.392/.477 with four steals. He's not a burner, but McNeil has the wheels to add another couple pilfers. In some instances, this is meaningless but in others, it could mean a point or two. It could also help prevent from losing points in the category, which could be just as integral as gaining them.
Adalberto Mondesi, 2B/SS, Kansas City Royals: Mondesi is lumped with Camargo and Frazier as guys playing regularly for a decent stretch but doing so at a level higher than many are aware. Not to harp on ESPN data, but Mondesi is only on a roster in 19 percent of ESPN leagues. That will likely go up after Wednesday's 4-for-5 with a steal, but still, it's way too low. To date. Mondesi has 211 plate appearances, roughly one-third of a full-time season, maybe even less than that. He's batting .284 with seven homers and 22 steals. Prorate that to a full season and we're looking at 21 homers and 66 bags. Hmm, .284-21-66 looks an awful lot like what many expected from Trea Turner, a consensus first-round pick. Prorating in this fashion isn't the soundest practice, but it does demonstrate that for a third of the season, Mondesi has produced at a first-round level.
Yairo Munoz, 2B/3B/SS/OF, St. Louis Cardinals: His playing time has waned a bit lately, but Munoz is still finding his way into the Cardinals lineup several times a week. Like Adrianza, much of Munoz's utility stems from his positional flexibility. However, unlike Adrianza, Munoz's batting average isn't as vacuous with eight dingers and five steals, albeit with six caught stealing.
Ryan O'Hearn, 1B, Kansas City Royals: O'Hearn is another batter capable of running into a handful of homers as the season winds down. He's swatted 10 in just 122 plate appearances and gets to face the suspect Twins, Tigers and Reds staffs along with an Indians rotation likely to be setting up for the playoffs in the last series of the season.
Rafael Ortega, OF, Miami Marlins: When he first came up, Ortega hit the ground running – literally – with four steals his first week. However, since then, he's only attempted two, both unsuccessful. That said, stolen bases are often about opportunity and opposition. In their last five series, the Marlins play the Mets (second most steals allowed in MLB), the Phillies (fourth), the Reds (13th) and the Nationals (17th) twice, so Ortega could be afforded more chances to use his wheels.
Hunter Renfroe, OF, San Diego Padres: Renfroe has been playing most of the season, so it's not like he's an unknown. He's included because he's capable of hitting homers in bunches, as demonstrated by seven in the last three weeks. He's the kind of player that often gets lost in the shuffle, buried on a reserve list. If that's the case, grab a shovel.
Franmil Reyes, OF, San Diego Padres: Like his teammate Renfroe, Reyes has been on a power binge which could be lost since he plays most of his games late in the evening, in pitcher-friendly parks. With six big flies the past three weeks, Reyes is another source of power, likely available in shallower formats.
Austin Slater, OF, San Francisco Giants: Slater is another latent play for help in steals. He hasn't run lately, but again it could be a matter of opportunity. He's perfect in five tries with the Giants after going 8-for-10 earlier with the Triple-A Sacramento Bees. The Giants play Colorado, who have allowed the ninth-most steals, along with two more sets against the Padres. For the season, the Friars are 12th in steals allowed, but they may play Francisco Mejia more behind the plate down the stretch, offering a better opportunity for Slater to take advantage.
Christin Stewart, OF, Detroit Tigers: Stewart's name has come up a few times in this space, primarily because he was expected to be promoted sooner. He's up now, which is what matters most. The Tigers have said they're going to give Stewart the run of left field over the final two-plus weeks. While labeling his power as 'prolific' is hyperbole, it's certainly of the plus variety. The Tigers have two series left with the Twins, whose staff has surrendered the seventh-most homers in MLB, along with one with the Royals, authors of the sixth most. This yields Stewart an inviting platform to flex his muscles.
Luke Voit, 1B, New York Yankees: Baseball is a funny game. Who would have imagined Voit would be patrolling fist base for the Yankees as they chase down a playoff spot? Such is the case, fueled by a .328/.406/.689 line the past 18 games, including seven homers with 12 runs and 13 RBI.
Joey Wendle, 2B/3B/SS/OF: Wendle is the final example of a guy playing regularly since the break, at a level surpassing what many realize. Not to mention, he's also eligible all over the diamond. Over the second half, he's posted a tidy .309/.352/.473 line with six steals.
