I don’t know about you, but now that we’re in the throes of summer, keeping as mentally focused as I should be to stay on top of several fantasy baseball leagues is getting more and more difficult, even for those teams that are doing well. Whether you’re on a frivolous vacation or working hard, whether you’re slogging through 100 degree heat or somewhere more temperate, it’s always more of a challenge to get one’s brain to focus properly in July and August. But focus we must if we’re in the hunt for a fantasy baseball title, and even if your team has slipped out of contention, the last two months of the season can be a crucial time to tune in. In addition to any trade deadline moves, it’s good to keep a close eye on call-ups, up-to-now disappointing players who suddenly turn it on late in the year, and team construction/playing time situations. Let’s get right to business and take a look at some players whose ownership has risen of late but is still low enough for them to qualify as deep leaguers for those of us playing in that part of the fantasy baseball world.
AL
Chase Silseth. Silseth has had quite the gain, from 2 to 11% in CBS leagues, as he’s the latest starter to at least temporarily plant himself in the Angels rotation (he’s also likely to have already planted himself on a roster in most very deep leagues). Silseth’s ownership surge comes after an impressive 10 strikeout, 1-run-in-5.2 innings win against the Yankees, so the interest is understandable. So is some trepidation as he adjusts to the big leagues, given that his WHIP on the season stands at 1.48 even after that gem. There’s definite reason for hope here though; his WHIP stands at exactly 1.00 in his minor league career (in which he has 161 Ks in 130.1 innings) and word on the street is that a revamped slider may end up being a game-changer for him. That’s still a big “maybe,” but I’m intrigued enough that I wish I’d paid a little more attention to him in AL-only and am now more interested in him in shallower leagues while we wait to see more.
Michael Massey. I am not the only one around here who was WAY too high on Massey coming into the season, only to be greeted with months of poor play/IL time from him. But as soon as I’d forgotten about him entirely, he’s suddenly back, theoretically healthy, and surprisingly productive. His CBS ownership has gone from 6 to 7% in the last week or so and may go up if he keeps playing and doing anything close to what he’s done in his first handful of games back with the Royals. He’s not playing every day, but over the last week or so he’s 8 for his last 23 with 3 home runs. That’s a pretty good week in any league, so we’ll see how he fares going forward.
Cade Marlowe. I scooped Marlowe (2% owned in CBS) up in an AL-only league last weekend and had to throw him right into my severely-depleted active lineup and have already been rewarded with a Slam & Legs, HR/SB game. This would be a spectacular time for Marlowe to step up for the Mariners, as they could really use an extra-productive outfielder after Jared Kelenic went down with a classic kicking-the-water-cooler-in-frustration broken toe. Marlowe was having a huge year at triple A that involved both lots of speed and some power; he’s 26 but could be one of the rookie types I’ve been mentioning lately whose development is hard to judge after missing out on that whole playing baseball thing in 2020. I don’t get the idea that no matter how good he looks he’d convince the Mariners not to grab another outfielder before the trade deadline (and even if he keeps hitting he’s almost certainly just the strong side of a platoon), but he could certainly make things interesting. I’m intrigued but not getting my hopes up too high as it definitely feels like he could start looking overmatched in a hurry, or to quote Grey from the other day, “looks like he might hit .190.”
Ryan Yarbrough. Like Chirinos below, Yarbrough is not exactly a strikeout guy, to put it mildly, and the thought of having him in an active lineup in even the deepest league is a nerve-wracking notion. I feel compelled to point out, though, that he’s allowed just one run in three of his last four starts for the Royals (he allowed three in the other) and has gone either 5.2 or 6 innings in all four. It should also be noted that those starts came against Cleveland (twice), Detroit, and Oakland, so this does feel a bit like a disaster waiting to happen, probably sooner rather than later. If you’re in solid shape with your ratios and are just looking for fliers to stream into your lineup while trying to sniff out a win here or there, perhaps it’s an idea worth considering.
NL
Yonny Chirinos. No one said these names would inspire a ton of optimism from a fantasy perspective, but given how weird starting pitching continues to be across the board this season, we’ll keep looking for production wherever we can find it. Chirinos’ horrific half-a-strikeout-an-inning K rate makes him unplayable in most leagues, but at least once the Rays somewhat surprisingly cut ties with him (he’s got a meh but acceptable 4.02 ERA/1.24 WHIP in his 15 appearances, 4 of which were starts) he landed in as good a spot as one could have hoped for, namely Atlanta. Sounds like he’ll be in the rotation or at least make occasional starts for the Braves, so that alone puts him on our NL-only radar.
Miles Mastrobuoni. Mastrobuoni makes the column this week really only due to the complete lack of productive hitters available in the NL that qualify as deep leaguers in terms of ownership. Like, there’s just NO ONE to bid on once you get past both old-and-new Dodger Enrique Hernandez, who’ll probably cost way more than I want to pay for in my NL-only league’s FAAB run this weekend. At any rate, Mastrobuoni has a tough road to playing time with the Cubs at the moment, but if even a little opens up due to trades or injuries he might be serviceable in the deepest leagues due to his speed alone: he’s got a sneaky-intriguing 9 steals in just 40 games/88 at bats.
Michael Toglia. The 3% owned Toglia hasn’t made even the tiniest splash on the fantasy radar yet, at least not until the last few days (he’s 4 for his last 11 with a homer). He’s been playing regularly with C.J. Cron hurt, and who knows what the Rockies will or won’t do in terms of moving veterans before the deadline, but I think it’s worth keeping an eye on Toglia for the rest of 2023 (and perhaps even beyond) just in case he’s finding a new gear at the MLB level.
Ji-Man Choi. Okay, we’ll throw in one more 2% owned player in Choi… not too much excitement to be had over a 32-year old, part-time player who’s been hurt and is hitting just .183 on the year, but here we are. The good news is that Choi hit his second homer of the week after getting the start (and batting cleanup) on Wednesday, so if you’re actively looking for a source of power in a deeper league, Choi may fit the bill.
