First off, I just want to say a quick thank you to all of the readers who welcomed me this year. Your comments and questions were always appreciated and they are what make Razzball the best site around for fantasy baseball. As Grey mentioned in the BUY post last Friday, the best strategy at this point is to unload anybody who isn’t helping you win right now, so with that in mind we’ll look at three options who are possibly available to help your team gain some ground in steals over these last few games. Just as a general strategy for those in weekly leagues, since steals are a counting stat it would be a good idea to look at guys who have 7 games as opposed to 6 left on the schedule to try to squeeze every last statistical drop out of them. As far as daily leagues go, playing the matchups like we have all year is a good idea. Teams like the Red Sox, Tigers, Angels, Rays, Phillies, Padres, Cubs, White Sox, Astros, Nationals, and Giants have given up the most stolen bases this year and they are all teams to target when deciding who to start against for steals.
Billy Hamilton – NYM, PIT (6 games, 37% owned)
Playing time doesn’t seem to be a concern for the blazing fast Billy Hamilton. Not only did he steal four bases in a game last week, but he got two starts, including one yesterday. Grey even made him the lede in last week’s BUY. He was a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen bases heading into Sunday’s games, and that was in just 10 plate appearances! He’s amazing and if he’s still available you should grab him. Don’t overthink his playing time like I did.
Jarrod Dyson – @SEA, @CWS (7 games, 30% owned)
I’ve been lauding Dyson for a while now, and even though last week was a little thin with only one steal, I still think he’s one of the best options out there if you’re looking for SAGNOF. He’s stolen bases this year at a clip of one steal for every 7 plate appearances. That’s the best in baseball (after Billy Hamilton) and it’s one of the reasons I like him so much. The Royals like to run and he has a nice match-up against the White Sox this week. He’s also one of the more successful base stealers in the league with an 84% success rate. Plus, he has a seven-game schedule this week.
Dee Gordon – @SF, COL (6 games, 2% owned)
Mentioned by Guru in yesterday’s post, Gordon should see an increase in playing time now that the Dodgers have clinched the division and a banged up Hanley Ramirez gets some time off to rest. While he’s not a great bat, Gordon still has value as a base stealer especially in a short term situation like this week. There’s a friendly match-up against the Giants for starters, and I would recommend giving him a look at least for that series.
Teams highlighted in green are in the top ten for most stolen bases allowed.
Teams highlighted in red are in the top ten for least stolen bases allowed.
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