The fantasy baseball season is a long one, but it’s so much fun. If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right. The playoffs have either started for your team, or will be starting next week. Each of the guys mentioned below have the ability to positively impact your team down the stretch. Whether it’s by hitting home runs, stealing bases or striking guys out, they can fill a niche role on your team to help you get one step closer to the title. Yes, you may have some fantasy football preparation to do, but don’t lose track of what you have been working towards since February, or early March. Get yourself a title this baseball season.
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Hernan Perez, 3B/OF MIL— Not only is Perez seeing the ball well of late, but he’s been a fantasy machine since the Midsummer classic. Since that point, he’s slashing .303/.331/.546 with nine home runs, 28 RBI and 16 stolen bases. He’s only been nabbed trying to steal one time since the All-Star Game. In all of baseball, Perez is the only player with more than seven home runs and 15 stolen bases since the break. Don’t worry, it surprised me too. In a league with the Mike Trout’s and Bryce Harper’s of the world, Milwaukee’s Hernan Perez has been the guy to reach the aforementioned marks. For a guy to have been this good for almost two months now, it’s hard to believe he’s still available in over one-third of fantasy leagues. He has no glaring split disadvantages, so Milwaukee has no reason not to find a way to keep his bat in the lineup every day. He’s going to give you a home run here and there, but adding him will more consistently benefit your fantasy team’s batting average and stolen base totals.
Ivan Nova, SP PIT— At this point, almost any pitcher who goes to Pittsburgh should be added. Ray Searage is the epitome of a pitching guru and he’s surely worked with Nova since his arrival in Pittsburgh. In 97.1 innings with the Yankees this season, he posted a 4.90 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and a 3:1 K/BB ratio. Through five starts with Pittsburgh, he’s notched a complete game and has posted a 2.87 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and a 22:1 K:BB ratio. Sure, he did exit his last start with hamstring tightness, but he was able to pitch another inning through it, so if you ask me, he shouldn’t have to miss his next start. That start will come against the Milwaukee Brewers, the same team he beat two days ago. Among qualified starters in the month of August, he ranks 25th in WAR, while his K/BB ratio trails only New York’s Masahiro Tanaka. Nova is going to be a guy who improves your ratios the rest of the way, so if you need that boost, take a look at the Pittsburgh right-hander.
Joe Panik, 2B SF— It took some time for Panik to get back to normal following an injury, but he’s looked the part over the last week. He’s hitting .375 (6-for-16) with three home runs, five runs scored, eight RBI and an excellent 4:0 BB/K ratio over the past seven days. If he continues to produce, San Francisco will have no choice to push him closer to the top of the order. His BABIP during that span was just .214, signifying that he was unlucky despite hitting .375 with three long balls. Crazily enough, it will continue to get better for the Giants’ second baseman. His wRC+ of 259 ranks eighth in all of baseball over the past seven days, trailing guys like Gary Sanchez, Josh Donaldson, Kris Bryant and Nolan Arenado. Panik is going to give you a nice boost in batting average the rest of the way, and when the team moves him up in the order, he’ll give you runs as well. Oh yeah, don’t forget a home run or two every handful of games.
Julio Urias, SP LAD— Urias is yet another young phenom that struggled early on, but has picked it up of late. Over his last two starts, against a powerful Chicago lineup and a streak Reds offense, he’s 2-0 with a 14:2 K/BB ratio while allowing just one earned run in 12 innings of work. He’s owned in just one-quarter of fantasy leagues, so if you need help with strikeouts and K/9, Urias is going to be your guy. He’s always been touted for his strikeout potential and he’s starting to display it more frequently. His recent string of good starts has pushed his earned run average down to 3.71 on the season, and with his next start coming against the San Diego Padres, he should be able to drive it down some more. If you play in a dynasty format, he needs to be owned and he probably already is. However, for those of you re-drafters out there, Urias can be of plenty of value down the stretch.