Just a quick plug before we get into this week’s edition. Click over to the football side of the site and check out the podcast that I did this week with Matt Harmon from NFL Media. If you don’t know, he created a really cool wide receiver tool called Reception Perception a few years back and now it is pretty mainstream in the fantasy football community. He’s always a great listen (this is the second time we’ve had him) and there is plenty of stuff to talk about post-draft.
Now it’s time to talk about baseball. The injury bug is smashing through my home league. I’ve lost Jacob deGrom, Johnny Cueto, and Andrew Miller in the span of a week. I’m guessing that I’m not going to be holding onto first place for very much longer. Some of you have lost Corey Seager for the season and I am sad for you as well. Let’s see if we can help each other out by taking a gander at the player rater and looking at the hottest bats…
Outfield
Kevin Pillar – Kevin Pillar is one of the hottest bats in the game over the past week and he’s still available in 25% of leagues. There’s probably not a great chance he’s on your waiver wire but I guess that was worth mentioning just in case. He’s hitting in the middle of Toronto’s lineup which isn’t saying much, but hey, he’s hitting in the middle of a lineup that has won more games that it has lost. Even with Toronto being shut out on Wednesday, Pillar still went 2 for 3. My favorite part of Pillar’s season stat line through the first month, is his five steals. Don’t forget, he swiped 25 bags in 2015.
First Base/ Third Base/ Outfield
Joey Gallo – Joey Gallo is never going to have a good batting average. We accepted that a long time ago. But, over the last 15 games, he has a .389 OBP which is pretty damn good if you play in that format. In standard formats, Gallo is 43rd on the player rater at this point. He does have a home run in two straight days games, but the Gallo owner in your roto league may be lacking in batting average and be looking to move him. If you need power, I’m all for a fair trade on Rudy’s trade analyzer. After all, Gallo did pick up outfield eligibility today in ESPN leagues.
Second Base/Short Stop
Jose Peraza – The Reds aren’t scoring a lot of runs, but for what it’s worth, Peraza is hitting second in the order in front of Joey Votto. Votto is starting to look like himself again so it’s definitely something to consider. Peraza isn’t going to help you in the power department, but he does already have 5 steals after back-to-back 20 steal seasons. He’s 75% owned and comes in at 71 on the player rater. Acquiring a player who is eligible at more than one position is always very useful in daily lineup leagues.
Catcher
Francisco Cervelli – Francisco Cervelli is having a nice little hit steak and also has a pair of home runs in his last four starts. Catcher is always ugly so having one who is currently hitting over .300 for the season can certainly be helpful. Cervelli is still available in 36% of leagues, so check your shallow ones. I just put in a claim in a 10 team league and I’m setting an alarm on my phone to check right when waivers clear. Cervelli is currently 60th on the player rater.
Outfield
David Peralta – I loved Peralta coming into this season and he is paying dividends everywhere that I have him. He’s currently #62 on the player rater, which is about 150-200 spots before I grabbed him. Pretty wild for someone who scored 82 runs the previous season, when you think about it. Peralta’s walk rate has went up 4% this year compared to last putting his OBP at damn near .400 and he’s not hurting you in batting average leagues, either. There was a little bit of a HBP scare on Tuesday night but he was right back in the lineup the next night. Plus, he hits lead off in front of Ahmed, Goldschmidt, and Pollock, that can only mean good things.
