What is up party people? Baseball lost one of its greats this week and it may just be that he was the greatest ever. I never got to watch Willie Mays in person but I would give almost anything to be in the stands for his over the shoulder catch or to play stickball with him in the streets and I don’t think I am alone in that dream. There are no words I can write that could even come close to encapsulating the impact he had on the game. After all, are there any more complementary words I could pay him than those of the great Ted Williams? “They invented the All-Star game for Willie Mays” It doesn’t get much better than that and he would be 1.1 in fantasy drafts. To the man, the myth, the legend, THE Giant, you will be forever missed but 24 lives on.
Royce Lewis – When he sees the field he has been one of the best hitters in the majors. The man has 7 home runs in only 41 at bats. Yes, you read that correctly and yes, I had to read it twice. Then I had to sit down for a few minutes but that’s neither here nor there. What is relevant is his mind-blowing season numbers. If you have a team that can cover for his inevitable absences and an IR slot he brings week winning potential to the table. I’m not sure what his trade market could be given that everyone should be aware of the risks associated but it wouldn’t hurt to explore your options.
Joc Pederson – Look, he’s not a world-beater but he has actually been a pretty solid contributor all season. The platoon role isn’t ideal but in daily leagues, you can work with it. In weekly leagues, he’s worth a shot if the D-Backs are slated to face a slew of righties.
David Hamilton – Hamilton is experiencing side discomfort so the value of what I’m about to say will be tied to his injury status. Monitor that closely in the coming days. As for the player himself, Hamilton has not wasted his shot and has been a far better points league hitter than I expected he would be. Speed has been his calling card in the minors and it has been on display in the Show. That’s all well and good, we all love some doubles. Just kidding, his doubles have been nice but nothing crazy even when you account for his relative lack of at bats. He steals bases, like a lot of them, and has sprinted his way up to fifth in the league despite at least 100 fewer at bats than his competition. Icing on the cake for us. What we really like is that he has found a way to bring his batting average above his minor league numbers. Keep a very close eye on his health.
Wyatt Langford – Back in the preseason, the hype for him was off the charts. And it was for good reason. He was coming off a great spring, batting over .360 with 6 home runs. Prior to that, he had destroyed minor league pitching to the tune of a .360 average and 10 bombs in only 44 games. Very easy to see why he was the favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year. Fast forward a few months and it turns out major league pitchers are really good. A season line of batting .236 with only a pair of home runs is evidence of that. That’s the risk of investing in rookie hitters. Look, I believed in his talents, he was my pick for rookie of the year and I think that upside is still there. He hasn’t forgotten how to hit, but it might take him a little bit longer than we (and Wyatt himself I presume) wanted it to but the upside is still there for the rest of the season. Just remember that until he shows it to us we’re only looking at potential. I am so torn on him because I want him to be incredible but you can’t be surprised if it takes him a bit to get going.
Steven Kwan – There’s no chance to grab him but it’s important to recognize his incredible season. A trip to the injured list has prevented him from being among qualified hitters, but if he were he would be at the top by a long shot. I want him to bat .400 because he has always been one of my favorite points league hitters for a while now. I’m not expecting that to happen because it seems unreasonable but he is on track to be the points player of the year and maybe a whole lot more.
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