Fellow Razzballer and DraftKings extraordinaire BTXJ brought Daniel Santana to our collective attention last week in the comments. Santana returned from a hamstring issue this past weekend and could be a cheap source of steals going forward. His ability to play both middle infield and outfield, as well as switch-hit, make him an interesting play in deeper leagues and leagues with daily roster moves. He’ll most likely hit from the bottom of the lineup, but he could certainly play his way up at some point. The 23-year-old is 8-for-21 in the majors this year and stole 30 bags in Double-A last season. He had stolen four bases prior to his call up from Triple-A this year. Why does an inexperienced hitter coming off an injury get the lede? He’s got the best possible match-ups this week. It’s only five games, but the Twins draw the Padres and Giants. Those teams are 1-2 for the most stolen bases allowed in the majors this year with 42 and 38 steals allowed, respectively. Even without a ton of playing time, Santana could work in a steal or two against these teams. Here are some other steals plays for this week in fantasy baseball…
Chris Owings – STL, NYM
I recently picked up Owings in the Razzball Writer’s League and he thanked me with a pair of steals over the weekend. The shortstop put together two 3-hit efforts after going hitless in the previous four games. The match-ups this week are tough and he’ll go through some rough patches as a rookie, but the power/speed combo he offers off of the wire is too good to pass up if you’re hurting for a middle infielder.
Kolten Wong – ARI, @CIN
Wong returned from the minors on Friday and already has two multi-hit games and two stolen bases. He’s appeared in this column before and 15-20 steals the rest of the way are still a possibility as long as he can continue to hit. If you stuck with him, kudos. If he’s on your wire, he’s definitely worth an add if you are currently have a rotation of schmucks at middle infield.
A.J. Pollock – STL, NYM
Like Owings, Pollock is white hot. He’s hitting over.400 with two homers and six stolen bases over the past two weeks. He’ll also get the tough draw against St. Louis and the Mets, but there aren’t many hitters that are as available and as productive as Pollock right now. Apart from runs scored, his stats are very similar to Christian Yelich, who’s owned in about 75% more ESPN leagues.
Eric Young – LAD, ARI
EY2 continues to get starts and lead off. I’m not sure how long this will last considering he only has two hits and no stolen bases in his last six games. That said, I’m also not going to try to figure out Terry Collins, so I’ll continue to trot EY2 out there when I can. The match-ups against LA and Arizona are neutral from a steals perspective. Young’s 15 steals lead all MLB outfielders, including a certain Mountain Dew swigging Red Leg. Could Eric Young Jr. finish the year with more steals than Billy Hamilton? That would be a proud moment for SAGNOFers everywhere considering where we saw Hamilton getting drafted.
Denard Span – CIN, @PIT
Finally we have a little green light action with these match-ups. Span isn’t the most exciting leadoff hitter in the neighborhood, but he’s got five stolen bases on the year and a four-game set against the Pirates to finish the week. The Buccos have allowed the third-most steals in baseball (37). Span is widely available and worth a shot at a steal or two in Pittsburgh. His 20-steal season last year was kind of yawnstipating, but it was still 20 steals.
Mike’s on Twitter @643ball
