Seager Lite… And The Top 100 Hitters, Week 18

It’s all about the value. In the preseason, it’s about the risk vs. the reward in finding value. You know, good ol’ ROI. For instance, this year if you wanted to take a gamble on a massively hyped rookie destined for great things, it may have cost you a fifth round selection. Which rookie? Corey Seager (and maybe even earlier in some drafts, especially those around the LA area). Seager exploded onto the scene late last summer after dominating the minors for the Dodgers. Has he failed to bring a net positive ROI from that fifth-round valuation? Of course not. Check out his line to date: .307/66/17/47/1. He’s topping his projections, universally owned and helping fantasy teams climb atop the leaderboard. But who am I kidding…it’s just a waste of space to talk more about Corey Seager. You’re not picking him up. And you’re overpaying to trade for him. So, instead, why not go for the guy that’s Corey Seager Lite (spelling intended…you’ll see…)? On pace for a .260/70/22/60/8 mark, this week’s Creeper of the Week is just waiting to boost your MI, SS in a bind, or OF due to injuries.

• Brad Miller, SS/OF (20.1% owned) – I’ve seriously almost highlighted him about five different times this season. Rather than overpay for the hype of a SS like Seager, I typically wait until the final few rounds to take a SS I think can provide similar value (especially in the OPS category). The past three years it’s been Brad Miller. And even this year, it’s led to me finding a new SS about three weeks in, haha. Miller was atrocious to start the year, hitting just .185 through April. Since then he’s posted consistently strong numbers the across every month would land him with a .270/85/25/70/10 tally. That line compared to his current mark seems to have a wide gap, but it’s not that far off the pace. Miller’s rebounded exceptionally well, yet is still overwhelmingly under-owned. He’s a perfect MI candidate that can move into your OF if needed. Missed on Seager? Me too, but I landed on my feet with Miller giving me 80% of his production at 20% of his cost. Now that math is a guess. Don’t quote me on it. The math you can quote me on: he’s hitting .326 coming out of the break. A .226 ISO is hard to find at SS. Miller’s a great option rest of the season and as a cheap target in next year’s draft. Miller is the Lite version of Seager.

Now, enough creepin’…Here are the Top 100 Hitters for Week 18!

Note: These rankings are considered ROS trade value.

RED = Falling
GREEN = Rising
BLUE = New to the 100

Dropped from Rankings: Logan Forsythe (78), Danny Espinosa (88), Kendrys Morales (93), Jurickson Profar (99), Yasiel Puig (100)

• The Bryce Harper drop returns for the second half. He’s hitting under .200 in his past 30 games, and it’s looking more and more like his Ruthian April will be a primary reason for his end-of-year numbers still looking stout. I traded him for Gregory Polanco and Chris Archer in a league. Loving that decision right now. Somehow. And it’s possible this ranking is still too high.
• The real-life trades don’t affect too much in the rankings. Well, unless your name is Melvin Upton Jr. Perhaps the best value of any player in 2016 has been the older Upton, but he’s reverted back to droppable status over the past six weeks. I worry about his playing time in a talented Jays lineup. He could actually receive a bump from being surrounded by MVP-caliber bats, but he’ll need to bring back the magic pre-AS Break quickly.
• Anthony Rendon may be back, ladies and gentlemen. Don’t look now, but he’s just under his breakout 2014 numbers that pegged him as a 2nd rounder coming into 2015. May be a great value heading into 2017.
• Be patient with Alex Bregman. I think the Astros will, unlike other prospects.
• David Dahl may hit himself into staying in the majors. If this power continues you should add him fast. That pop in Coors can carry you into the playoffs.

Good luck in Week 18! DROP THOSE COMMENTS, and check back next Monday for next week’s edition!