Eric Young is set to return from the disabled list prior to today’s game. While hamstring injuries are never fun to mess around with, Young did have 17 stolen bases before the injury. He had been relegated to a fourth outfielder role with the Mets, but now that Juan Lagares is hurt, Young should see a decent amount of playing time in the near future. He’ll draw the Cardinals and the Marlins this week. The match-up with St. Louis is obviously tough (only 18 steals allowed) but then there’s a four game set with Miami. That series should be a good opportunity for Young to show off his wheels as the Marlins are currently ranked fourth in baseball with 52 steals allowed. Here are some other steals picks for this week in 2014 fantasy baseball…
Drew Stubbs – @LAD, MIL
Stubbs has benefitted from the injuries to the Rockies’ outfield, and now has seven steals on the year. He has only swiped one bag in the last two weeks, but he is also able to contribute a little more in the other categories than your typical SAGNOF recommendation. He’ll face the Dodgers and Brewers this week, who coincidentally have each allowed 34 steals this season. Not the best match-ups this week if you’re looking for a short-term answer specifically for stolen bases, but you could do worse in most formats.
Craig Gentry – TEX, BOS
Gentry is one of my favorite SAGNOF options off the wire this year. He’s getting lots of looks in the lineup and has made the most of them with 12 steals on the season in just 134 plate appearances. He’s owned in less than 1% of leagues, so fantasy owners can use him as needed without sweating a permanent roster spot. The Rangers match-up isn’t favorable for steals, but the Red Sox series could be interesting as the Sox have allowed 41 steals on the year (13th in MLB).
Jonathan Villar – @WAS, @TB
I’ve been sticking with Villar almost to a fault, but it paid off this weekend. He swiped a much needed pair of bases for me against a stingy Tampa Bay squad on Sunday afternoon. The shortstop is now owned in only a third of ESPN leagues. For this week, he has two tough matchups against the Nationals and the Rays. I may go down with the ship with both Villar and Everth Cabrera, but their stolen base potential still holds value in most fantasy formats, and while they aren’t sluggers like Billy Hamilton, neither will lay a goose egg in the home run category.
Tony Campana – MIL, SF
For deep league players hurting for steals, Campana is available. He was recalled from Triple-A this past week to give the Diamondbacks’ outfield some depth. Campana stole 40 bases in 131 games between Triple-A and the majors last season. Daily leaguers might use him for a spot-start on a short schedule if they need a steal. The Brewers series isn’t ideal, but the Giants are tied with the Marlins for the fourth most stolen bases allowed (52).
