Another Saturday, another Category Impact article. I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes I get wrapped up in the daily scene and sometimes my season long leagues take a backseat. However, the thought of winning a seasonal league is so satisfying and makes all the hours put in over the spring and summer months completely worth it. Don’t lose sight at what’s right under your nose and with all these prospects coming up, make sure you don’t become uber-infatuated with the allure of what “could be” with these young guns. Prospect Jameson Taillon is in this piece, but I have very few reservations about his immediate success at the big league level. He’s the real deal.

As always, catch me on Twitter if you have any questions or want to talk fantasy. Let’s get into it.

Logan Morrison, 1B TB— If you’re in a pinch at first base or just simply need a spark to your offense, Morrison can help you out. He’s hit safely in nine of his last 11 games, going 16-for-35 with all three of his home runs during this streaky run. Morrison is notoriously a streak hitter and it’s crazy to think that this recent surge has his batting average at a chilly .226. That’s a huge testament to just how bad his beginning of the season was. His ISO is down this season, once again due to that slow start. By no means is he a long-term replacement for your team, but right now during this surge, he can be a difference maker for the rest of this week and next. He’s a short-term spark plug for your team, but in some instances, that’s all your fantasy team needs sometimes. Even if you only own for him for the next four days, he could give you that extra push you need to steal, or maintain a win this scoring week.

Devon Travis, 2B TOR— He’s baaaaack! After missing all of April and most of May while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Travis is back in the Toronto lineup, albeit down in the eighth spot. He is hitting .250 (3-for-12) since his return, but it’s only a matter of time until manager John Gibbons vaults Travis to the top of the order. Once that happens, Travis is back into an extremely lucrative fantasy position. Hitting in front of Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion is going to be a huge boost to his runs totals. Travis can do it himself, too, just check his numbers from last year. In 62 games, he slashed .304/.361/.498, while smacking eight home runs, scoring 38 runs and driving in 35. It’s also worth noting he did swipe three bags, so he’s not a stranger to the occasional stolen base. Assuming he is completely healthy from the shoulder ailment, Travis is going to be a prime source of batting average and runs, while providing a little pop out of your second base slot.

Jameson Taillon, SP PIT— As loyal readers and playbook subscribers, I’m not going to lie to you when I say there is a lot of bias in mentioning Taillon in this edition. However, I believe it is completely justified. Yes, he isn’t in the majors yet, but so what, the talent is there and he can make an impact on your team this season. Isn’t that what this article is all about? Other pitching prospects haven’t experienced much success right away, most notably Minnesota’s Jose Berrios. Julio Urias’ debut wasn’t anything to rave about either. However, Taillon has got it going on at Triple-A and the makeup to be very good from day one is in that right arm of his. In 49.1 innings this season in the minors, he has a 1.82 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and a 51:5 K/BB ratio. His command is much better than the aforementioned prospects, and even his teammate Tyler Glasnow, who deserves plenty of praise himself. Taillon boasts a mid-90s fastball and a two-seamer that gets plenty of run, inducing ground balls at a great clip. His curveball grades out as a plus pitch and his changeup has improved, due to the team making him throw it more. Even if he does most of his work out of the bullpen at the big league level this season, he’s going to help your ratio immediately. In dynasty formats, he will be an effective starter for years to come, as will Glasnow.

Michael Feliz, RP HOU— I’ll be honest with you, this is a shot in the dark, but sometimes that is what it takes to win in a season long league. I’m going to preface this by saying the next bullet point is going to hurt your eyes. However, the second one is going to suck you back in.

  • April: 15.19 ERA, 7:4 K/BB ratio in 5.1 innings
  • May: 0.61 ERA, 26:0 K/BB ratio in 14.2 innings

As you can see, Feliz has been downright dominant this month. That strikeout-to-walk ratio in just 14.2 innings is absurd in the best way possible. Call me an optimist, but if the Houston bullpen situation continues the way it is, seeing Feliz get some save opportunities isn’t completely out of the question. Luke Gregerson is in a little funk, Ken Giles had been pitching well, but he allowed a run in a save opportunity a couple days ago. Feliz boasts a mid-90s fastball, which has accounted for 21 of his 33 strikeouts on the season. He also has a filthy slider that has been incredibly effective for him this season. He’s only allowed one hit off that slider, which came in the beginning of the April. He’s going to improve your ratios and if this success continues, he could start getting some save opportunities. Consider him a dark horse for the ninth inning role down in Houston.