It doesn’t get much better than this folks. While everyone else is looking forward to fantasy football around the corner, the real fantasy all-stars are trying to grind out a fantasy baseball championship. For better or worse, your entire season comes down to a few critical matchups. That’s right, playoff Manaea is in full swing!
I didn’t just use his name for a (not so) clever pun. Sean Manaea can help you bring home the hardware this year. Facing a tough test in the Yankees in his first start in nearly a year, Manaea impressed. He blanked one of the league’s best offenses through 5 innings, while striking out 5 and allowing just one hit. As expected, he did show signs of rust en route to walking 3. He threw strikes on just 54% of his 82 pitches. However, he is typically known for having pretty good control (6.5% BB rate) on the mound so we can expect him to improve moving forward. He pitches in an extremely pitcher friendly ballpark, and is backed by one of the game’s hottest teams. He won’t dazzle with high strikeout numbers, but he should be able to pick up some quality starts and be in line for wins to finish out the year. He is just 20% owned in ESPN leagues, and has an absolutely juicy matchup waiting for him Sunday as he hosts the Tigers.
With fantasy baseball and especially the playoffs, luck’s got a lot to do with it. And in this particular playoff stretch, (Gavin) Lux got a lot to do with it perhaps. The Dodgers called up their top prospect, and he finds himself with an opportunity to produce immediately. With Max Muncy going down with a small fracture in his wrist, Lux seems poised to absorb the bulk of the 2nd base duties for the foreseeable future. He gave a great first impression, going 2/5 with 3 runs scored in his MLB debut. He operated out of the 8 hole in his first game, but finds himself hitting leadoff Wednesday against the Rockies with Joc Pederson out of the lineup. If he continues to hit, he might find himself settling into the top part of the order more frequently. Considering the Dodgers are one of the league’s elite offenses, this could give an immense boost to his fantasy value. Though many take PCL numbers with a grain of salt, Lux’s .392/.478/.719 slash through 232 PA to go along with 13 HR indicates he could make quite an impact down the stretch.
Hot bats to consider:
Brian Goodwin, OF – Angels (5.8% owned)
Last 15: .333 (13/39) with 11 R, 4 HR, 9 RBI, and 2 SB
Hanser Alberto, SS/2B/3B – Orioles (20.2% owned)
Last 15: .353 (18/51) with 13 R, 4 HR, 10 RBI
Victor Reyes, OF/DH – Tigers (1.6% owned)
Last 15: .361 (22/61) with 7 R, 1 HR, 6 RBI, and 3 SB
Pitchers to consider:
Anthony DeSclafani – Reds (22.7% owned)
Last 4 starts: 2-1, 25 IP, 24 K:8 BB, 2.16 ERA, 3.82 FIP
Next start: Sunday 9/8 at home vs Arizona (.332 wOBA)
Homer Bailey – A’s (12.7% owned)
Last 4 starts: 3-0, 24.1 IP, 27 K:2 BB, 2.22 ERA, 3.38 FIP
Next start: Saturday 9/7 at home vs Detroit (.295 wOBA)
Brett Anderson – A’s (14.9% owned)
Last 6 starts: 2-3, 36 IP, 16 K: 10 BB, 4.00 ERA, 4.61 FIP
Next start: Friday 9/6 at home vs Detroit (.295 wOBA)