Well, a glance at the calendar tells us we are just about to the halfway point of the season, a time that seems to get here faster every year. Whether you’re naturally a glass half full person or not, it’s a great time to lock in and remember just how much baseball we have left. I’m spending the week doing some re-grouping and trying to figure out which of my re-draft teams still have a legitimate chance to finish in the money at the end of the year, and what I can do now to try to guarantee that that will happen. In addition to trying to pay more attention to some of the players on the deep league fantasy radar that I’m less familiar with, I’m also making a concerted effort to watch more baseball where I don’t have a fantasy stake in the game. As I mentioned last week, sometimes I forget how entertaining just watching a couple innings of a great baseball game can be, even if I don’t have a fantasy win or save on the line.
This week, we’ll continue with our usual work of sifting through what remains a weak pool of players that might be out there and available in deeper leagues, looking for hidden gems or at least mildly useful fill-ins. We’ll keep it under 15% owned in Fantrax leagues, as the search for available reinforcements continues for those of us in NL only, AL only, and other particularly deep leagues.
NL
Tyler Callihan (14% owned). Callihan doesn’t have a particularly impressive pedigree, but I recently added him to a couple teams, and he’s been a good pick-up so far. He’s a lefty who has been playing pretty regularly as the strong side of an outfield platoon for the Pirates. He spent 2025 with the Reds and had a grand total of 6 MLB at bats last year. So, the 26-year old is really getting his first opportunity at even semi-regular playing time, and we’ll see how long he can continue to take advantage. He’s hitting .273 (just 44 total ABs so far, but he’s in the lineup again Thursday as I write this), with a .377 OBP, 2 homers, 8 runs scored, 9 RBI, and a steal.
Edmundo Sosa (9% owned). Hot hitter who’s under 10% owned alert! Looking at the last couple of weeks, Sosa is ranked surprisingly high on the player rater. He has just 27 at bats for the Phillies over that time, but he’s been making the most of them by hitting .370 and hitting two homers. He’s already played a double-digit number of games at four different positions this year — second, third, short, and left field, and that doesn’t even count a game at DH — delivering both real-life and some deep league fantasy value.
Alex Call (5% owned). Call checks in as this week’s highest ranked NL hitter, who’s less than 5% rostered in Fantrax leagues, which checks out since I recently dropped him in at least one of my deepest leagues, sigh. He’s hitting .318 with a homer and a steal over the last two weeks, which isn’t a lot, but deep leaguers don’t always get a lot whether we ask for it or not. As the Dodgers start managing playing time for their regulars as we head into the second half of the season, Call could see an uptick in playing time and should at least be better than nothing at the end of a very deep league roster.
Miguel Rojas (5% owned). What’s old is new again, as, yes, it’s two Los Angeles Dodgers in a row. Rojas has been productive — well, ultra deep league productive, anyway — in limited time lately. He has just 15 at bats over the last two weeks, but he’s hitting .400 with a homer. Obviously, this is a ‘scrambling for any counting stat we can find’ type play, but his second base/shortstop/third base eligibility in most leagues is another little perk that might move the needle in the deepest leagues.
AL
Ryan Kreidler (9% owned). While Sosa is the NL’s best hitter over the last two weeks owned in less than 10% of leagues, Kriedler holds that designation for the AL. It’s mostly been driven by an otherworldly .417 average, and there’s not much to see here in the way of counting stats (four homers and nary a steal on the year so far). Kreidler qualifies at both short and outfield in most leagues, though, and could be worth a look if you need to plug a live body in at one of those roster spots. In addition to those two positions, he’s also appeared in a handful at third for the Tigers, so he’s been operating as a true utility guy, and the at bats have been relatively plentiful of late.
Ryan Zeferjahn (8% owned). Zeferjahn was looking good in the Angels’ bullpen earlier in the year… until he wasn’t. That’s become a familiar story in bullpens around the league this season, and the Angels’ pen has been as messy as they come. Just looking at recent reliever numbers, Zerferjahn is ranked pretty highly, and it turns out he hasn’t allowed an earned run since June 3rd. In the nine innings he’s pitched since then, he’s walking too many (nine) but also has 17 Ks. I’m gonna keep an eye on him for a minute at least.
Let’s also give a shout-out to Kirby Yates, who’s 19% owned and unlikely available in the deepest leagues, before we officially move on from the Angels bullpen. In what is probably another reliever mistake/desperation play on my part, I’ve picked him up in a couple slightly shallower leagues where I’m struggling for saves. Yates has been pitching much better of late himself, not allowing a run in his last six appearances, and registering nine strikeouts versus just two walks during that stretch.
Nate Eaton. Not only is Eaton the AL’s best hitter under 5% owned over the last two weeks, last I checked, he was leading off for the Red Sox. Boston will take any offensive spark it can get these days, and Eaton has delivered on that front with a .308 average plus a homer and two steals during that time. Eaton is now rocking a .444 OBP since being recalled from the minors earlier this month, so jump in now if you need outfield help, in case this little deep league hot schmotato run continues.
