In the spirit of the playoffs, I’m going to run through one widely available player at each position who might be able to help you in your OPS stretch run. Let’s get started.
Catcher: Grey gave you J.P. Arencibia and Francisco Cervelli as buys yesterday. But, if those guys are taken and you are hurting at catcher, take a look at Florida’s J.T. Realmuto. Over the past two weeks, Realmuto has gone 13-for-34 with 3 home runs and a 1.084 OPS. He’s been one of the hottest hitting catchers going of late and he is owned in about 15% of ESPN leagues. I also considered Detroit’s James McCann for this one. Over the past week, McCann trails only Buster Posey, Kyle Schwarber, and Salvadaor Perez in OPS, posting a .853. But, playing time is a bit more of a concern with McCann, so Realmuto is the pick.
First Base: Country Breakfast Billy Butler has turned it on in September. He is batting .368/.419/.623 with 4 homers and 4BI through 15 games. That’s a lot of biscuits ‘n gravy from Butler. I’d absolutely own Butler in OPS formats right now. He is hitting quite a bit better than his old pal Eric Hosmer (who has been abysmal of late). Grab Butler, who is available in about 80% of leagues, and thank me (and Grey) later.
Second Base: I told you to grab Starlin Castro last week and he has come through, hitting two home runs with 6 RBI yesterday. He has put up a .930 OPS over the past two weeks and is still unowned in more than 50% of leagues, so go get him. He has likely worked his way back into Joe Maddon’s good graces with last night’s fireworks, so I expect the playing time to continue to increase.
Castro is making a case for more playing time in Chicago. Will he make it to your fantasy roster?
Shortstop: Castro also has SS eligibility, so what I said about him in the previous paragraph applies here. If Castro is owned, and Grey’s other buys are taken, look at Kelby Tomlinson, who conveniently also has second base elibility. Kelby is filling in quite admirably for Joe Panik in San Francisco. He won’t hit for a lot of power but his minor league track record says he’ll steal a bunch of bags. His .704 OPS over the past two weeks isn’t terrific, but he should still be an effective plugin. Plus, he’s available in over 90% of leagues.
Third Base: I wanted to write about Mike Moustakas who is one home run shy of making good on my 20-homer prediction. But, Moose is owned in nearly 80% of leagues. Instead, take a look at Oakland’s Brett Lawrie. Lawrie is available in 70% of leagues and has been hitting very well this September, posting a .929 OPS with 3 homers and 6 RBI. Lawrie has had a bit of an up and down season but he is getting my attention for next year’s drafts with this strong finish. Lawrie offers a little bit of both power and speed, and I’d own him if I needed help at third in deeper leagues.
Outfielders: Outfield has lots of interesting options. A few guys to take a look in very deep leagues include Nolan Reimold, Aaron Hicks, and Mikie Mahtook. All of these guys are available in about 90% of leagues. Reimold has always had a decent bat but has had difficulty staying healthy. Well, he’s healthy now and has a 1.053 OPS over the past two weeks for Baltimore. He should be a decent source for power numbers. Hicks provides a more well-rounded attack, offering some pop and steals. I compared Hicks to AJ Pollock earlier this year, and while that feels a bit outlandish now, given Pollock’s outrageously good season, I still think there’s considerable upside with Hicks. Hicks missed some time recently but is back now and has stolen 3 bags and hit 3 dingers over the past two weeks. Finally, Mahtook is a super deep league option who looks to be a ripening schmotato in Tampa’s outfield. Mahtook went 4-for-4 last night and had stolen bases in three consecutive games. He is batting second in Tampa’s lineup and could be a sneaky source of runs down the stretch.
