David Peralta (+25.8%) was the most added player in fantasy baseball this past week. Crotalus atrox (aka the Western diamondback rattlesnake) is widely considered to be the most dangerous snake in North America, but since the MLB All-Star break, another Diamondback has given that species a run for it’s money as far as that distinction goes. In 27 second half games (101 PA), Peralta has been on an absolute tear, producing a .409/.446/.677 triple slash line (1.123 OPS – tied for 4th best in MLB) with 12 runs, 4 homers, 25 RBI, and 1 steal. Sure, Peralta’s .500 BABIP over that span might come down a hair (or three) over the long haul, but he’s been an RBI machine (64) while hitting cleanup behind one of the best hitters in baseball (Paul Goldschmidt, in case you’re having a brain fart), and has managed to put up solid power numbers (12 HR, .222 ISO) and a plus batting average (.306) over the course of the season. While Chase Field has been one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks over the past few seasons, Peralta has been almost as good on the road (.874 OPS) as he has been at home (.926 OPS) this season as well. He still sits against tough left-handed pitchers and had some split issues last season, but he’s at least held his own against southpaws this year (.286/.375/.411 in 64 PA). Grab him if he’s still available, but make sure to bring some anti-venom just in case. Those diamondbacks pack a wallop!
Here are a couple of other significant adds and drops in fantasy baseball over the past week:
Drew Smyly – 32.1% owned (+15.8%)
Smyly finally returned to action last weekend after missing more than three months due to a torn labrum (and opting for rehab over surgery) in his pitching shoulder, and the results weren’t terribly encouraging (4 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 K). Since it’s reasonable to expect some rust and arm strength issues following such a long layoff, should significant improvement be expected moving forward? While Smyly has never been an especially hard thrower, his average fastball velocity of 90.1 mph places him 119th out of 156 starting pitchers over the past week. His 2.61 HR/9 and 44.4 Hard% this season (20 2/3 IP – small sample size alert) would represent the worst marks among all MLB starting pitchers if he qualified. Smyly didn’t look especially good in his minor league rehab stint prior to being activated either (4 GS, 14 IP, 22 H, 15 ER, 6 BB, 17 K, 9.64 ERA). If healthy, Smyly could be a solid option in 2016, but it might be wise to exercise caution with him during the remainder of this season. TRASH.
Chase Headley – 26.0% owned (-9.6%)
Do you remember Headley’s ridiculous 2012 second half (56/23/73/7/.308)? Just to put that run into context, he has 22 homers and 7 steals in 999 plate appearances since the beginning of the 2014 season. It’s hard to believe that he was even capable of producing those incredible numbers in such a short period of time, especially considering the fact that he played half of his games in Petco Park. Perhaps he’s capable of going on another tear like his 2012 one this over the last month and a half of this season. Alright, you can stop laughing now. It did feel silly to even write that. Headley does look like a player who might be able to give your fake team a boost down the stretch though. His 2nd half OPS was significantly better than his first half OPS in each of the last two seasons (+.123 in 2014; +.140 in 2013), and that trend seems to be continuing into this season (.682 1st half OPS; .810 2nd half). Headley has only hit 9 homers this season and has yet to steal a base, but his .314 batting average over the last month makes up for that somewhat, and his ability to hit both LHP and RHP as well as at home and on the road means that he’s fairly matchup-proof as a batty call/injury replacement. Don’t expect a repeat of 2012, but Headley could be a useful option moving forward. TREASURE.
