My fantasy baseball season came to an end yesterday and to my dismay, it came with a second place trophy. Still very good nonetheless, but not a title. That was for one league, that is. Just because one of my fantasy seasons is over, it doesn’t mean I’m going to stop giving you players to help you win your league! There’s still time left this season. If this is championship week, buckle your seatbelt because you’re in for a wild ride. It’s time to make the right moves to get you, not just a title, but bragging rights over your friends and leaguemates for months to come. Is there anything better than knowing you beat all your friends and asserted your dominance on the fantasy diamond? Hell no.

Rest in peace Jose Fernandez. You will truly be missed in the baseball world, fantasy baseball community and the entire nation. It would be remiss of me to not mention a baseball player who not only affected roto categories, but baseball as a whole.

Sergio Romo, RP SF— It’s been the nasty right-hander who has recorded the team’s last three saves, allowing just two hits and striking out four in the process. His slider is absolutely filthy. It moves laterally like a Frisbee that isn’t thrown properly. It’s not a surprise that opposing batters are only hitting .174 off this lethal pitch. Have you ever seen his slider? Take a look for yourself.

 

Romo's slider

 

He doesn’t face a huge split disadvantage, which bodes well for him moving forward. Even though manager Bruce Bochy will likely still play some matchup games in the ninth inning, in a neutral situation, it’s going to be Romo getting the baseball. The Giants need to continue to win games and Romo gives this team the best chance to close out close contests. If he’s still available in your league, go get him immediately. He’s currently owned in under 20 percent of fantasy formats, but his ownership percentage is rising.

Sean Manaea, SP OAK— Manaea’s overall stat line isn’t extremely good, but for a 24-year-old rookie, it’s decent. What intrigues me the most about him is his pitching of late. He’s allowed just six hits while posting a 12:3 K/BB ratio over 11 shutout innings in his two most recent starts. Even his last start in August when he left with a rhomboid strain, he was pitching pretty damn well. Take a look at what he did last night against the Angels. He held them to just one run on four hits while striking out three batters through seven innings. Sure, the strikeout total wasn’t what we all were hoping, but at the end of the day, it’s a quality start for the rookie. He should get one more start before the season is over and you’re going to want him as a final chance to improve your pitching numbers before the season concludes.

Cameron Maybin, OF DET— There might not be a hotter hitter in baseball at the moment than Detroit’s Cameron Maybin, especially if you’re talking over the last six games. During the aforementioned span, he’s 14-for-27 (.519) with four extra-base hits, four walks and five RBI. He hasn’t stolen a base, which is a bit of a shock, but he’s seeing the ball well enough at this moment that he doesn’t need to constantly be stealing bases to be in your lineup. His strikeouts are down, which are definitely a good thing, but please don’t think this guy has had some sort of career rebirth and this is the type of guy he will be for years to come. Maybin has been among the league’s luckiest players this season, in terms of batting average on balls in play (BABIP). His .393 mark leads all players with at least 350 plate appearances. If he had the proper number of at-bats to qualify in statistic leaders, he would be ahead of Colorado’s DJ LeMahieu by a whole five points. Maybin’s career BABIP and batting average are .323 and .260 respectively, so please don’t buy into him long-term. However, in the short term, while he’s white hot, add him and reap the rewards.