As we are just about H2Heading into the All-Star Break, more than half of our fantasy season is in the books. By now you should have a pretty good feel for how your team matches up to the other teams in your league. If you have not yet, you should go ahead and check in to see how you rank in each of the H2H categories to assess where you can make improvements to your team. Oh, everywhere? Me too! Joking aside, you should constantly be checking the waiver wire to see if there are options that are outplaying some of your starters. Because at this point in the year if you are not a lock to make the playoffs, you need to start having shorter leashes on your guys. Here are 3 guys under 30% owned in ESPN leagues in descending order.
Oscar Mercado – OF, Indians (28.7% owned in ESPN)
While he has not swiped a bag since June 18th, Mercado remains one of the best sources of SB that is available in most free agent pools. Don’t worry, he’s not entirely one dimensional either. He has swung a pretty hot bat since his call up, to the tune of a .314/.360/.477 slash line through 167 PA. Mercado has 4 home runs and 6 stolen bases in 39 games of action, while driving in 17 runs and scoring 28. He quickly worked his way up to the #2 spot in the Indians lineup, right in between Francisco Lindor and Carlos Santana. Not a bad spot to be in to produce runs. Speaking of producing runs, he has an impressive 120 wRC+ so it appears he has done enough to cement his spot in the order going forward. The Indians lineup as a whole has been underwhelming, but Mercado has been a viable fantasy option regardless. He is 6-for-8 in stolen base attempts this year, and his 93rd percentile sprint speed should continue to be put to use. It also helps that the Indians have attempted the 3rd most stolen bases among MLB teams so far this year. If he can learn to walk a little more (4.2%), he should put himself in the position to swipe another 10-15 bags.
ZiPS ROS: .256/.315/.369 with 4 HR, 28 R, 20 RBI, and 12 SB in 57 games (237 PA)
Garrett Cooper – 1B/OF, Marlins (15.8% owned)
He plays for the Marlins so he may not get much media recognition or support from his lineup, but Garrett Cooper has quietly been a very solid hitter this season. Cooper has a .317/.383/.488 slash line through his 45 games played this season. He has added 7 home runs and 5 doubles, while scoring 31 runs and driving in 27. He isn’t the flashiest or most exciting player to watch, but Cooper has been getting in done in the batters box thus far as evidenced by a 133 wRC+ and .371 wOBA. His Statcast metrics back up his solid first half of 2019, as his .305 xBA is in the top 95% of MLB players and his .371 xWOBA is in the top 83%. While his average exit velocity of 89.4 MPH isn’t overly impressive, he has still managed to make hard contact on 41.5% (75th percentile) of batted balls. He bats 3rd, so while he may not be in the most potent lineup he should still be able to knock in runs when the opportunities present themselves. Lately the Marlins have been showing some life, as they have scored 5 0r more runs in 8 out of their last 10 games. He won’t offer SB and his counting stats will be capped, but Cooper holds some value and has a predictable floor.
ZiPS ROS: .264/.326/.409 with 5 HR, 23 R, 22 RBI, 0 SB in 48 games (184 PA)
Kevin Newman – SS/2B, Pirates (15.3% owned)
Second base continues to be one of the weakest positions in fantasy, and Kevin Newman can help solve that problem for you. Though traditionally a shortstop, he also holds 2B eligibility. He flashes the coveted speed/pop combo that we all love in H2H leagues. Newman has recorded 5 SB and HR a piece in his first 216 PA of 2019. He has scored 21 runs and knocked in 29 of them on a .327/.372/.482 slash line. His exit velocity certainly doesn’t pop out, but Newman has shown he has some power in his bat by adding 12 doubles and 2 triples to his 5 long balls in 2019. He has displayed great plate discipline so far, striking out in just 13% of his plate appearances. Newman has primarily been operating out of the leadoff spot for the Pirates and has certainly been making the most of it so far. Hitting in front of Josh Bell should ensure he gets the opportunity to jog around the base paths to score at least a dozen more times this year. On the year the Pirates offense hasn’t been a top one, but they have actually scored the most runs in the MLB over the past week. Over that span, Newman has belted 3 home runs and stolen one base on a .407 clip, while scoring 4 times and driving in 7 runs. Look for Newman to continue to be a viable fantasy option for those in need of a middle infielder.
ZiPS ROS: .327/.372/.482 with 3 HR, 26 R, 23 RBI, and 7 SB in 61 games (255 PA)
