LOGIN

I remember the first time I beat Blades of Steel on my Nintendo. It was a labor of love and the sappy midi-tune during the credits nearly brought my 10-year-old eyes to tears. Frankly, not much has changed since then. I’m still chasing that feeling of “beating the game” by managing fantasy baseball teams throughout the long season. It’s the final push and all hands need to be on deck if you’re close to a ring. Any player that helps your team win this year is a treasure. You can trash the rest. Drew Storen (+64%) was this week’s most added player after Rafael Soriano coughed up the closer gig. Storen has run away with the opportunity. The 27-year-old right-hander has four saves in the past week while striking out six batters in those four appearances. Storen’s really been solid all year with a 1.26 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 50 innings of work. He’ll likely get more save opportunities down the stretch for a good Nationals team and he’s an obvious add if you need saves. Here are this week’s other big adds in fantasy baseball…

Xander Bogaerts – 77% owned (+36%)

Bogaerts is helping redraft owners in the month of September, but he’s also giving keeper league owners a lot to smile about. Those of you who rode out the tough summer with the rookie in keepers are getting a preview of what the Boston shortstop is capable of in the coming years. Still just 21 years old, Bogaerts is hitting .324/.363/.554 with four home runs and 11 runs batted in over the past 28 days. That’s after hitting under .230 with five homers in all of June, July, and August. Any team that has a shot at a ring should be grabbing hot hitters like Bogaerts at this point. He’s a great reminder of how patient we need to be with young players getting their first taste of the major leagues. TREASURE.

Jordy Mercer – 71% owned (+55%)

Two shortstops on the menu today with both Mercer and Bogaerts topping the most added lists. Like Bogaerts, Mercer has four homers in the past 28 days with 12 RBIs and a .271 batting average. So if you toiled without a hot-hitting shortstop for most of the season, you’re now getting two to choose from in the month of September. Mercer is hitting .316 against left-handed pitching this season compared to just .248 against right-handers. If you’re getting cute with your lineups this late in the season, Mercer’s especially good against lefties on the road. In 29 games against southpaws away Mercer has posted a robust 199 wRC+. Worth noting as we try to squeeze the most value out of our players in playoff matchups over the last two weeks. TREASURE.