Baseball is in full bloom and if you’re like me, you’re looking for a replacement player to fill the void left in your outfield after the Starling Marte news broke. Sure, I only had him in one league, but those are some big shoes to fill in any lineup. Given the premium on speed this season, Marte was a game breaker, and even for the casual fans of the game, Marte’s departure is a sad sight. Just to be transparent, I typed that whole thing with a frown on my face.

Each category is too important and if you aren’t trying to improve, you aren’t trying to win.

Stolen Bases

Adam Frazier, OF PIT – Starling Marte’s suspension opens the door for a full-time opportunity, or close to it, for Frazier for the next half of the season. Austin Meadows could cut into that time down the road, but that’s not until the Super 2 passes at the earliest. Sure, his track record in the minors doesn’t suggest anything that equates to fantasy stardom, but he could provide stolen bases in the low teens and hit for a healthy average. He’s hard to put away late in the count, as seen by his .303 batting average, .374 OBP and .789 OPS with two strikes since last year’s All-Star break. He sprays the baseball all around the field and he makes soft contact under 19 percent of the time. He’s the safest bet in terms of consistent playing time during Marte’s absence and he could be your guy in NL-only or deeper mixed formats.

Jose Iglesias, SS DET—I don’t want to bring the bad news, but Iglesias won’t give you any power. However, he can be valuable in terms of batting average and stolen bases. He doesn’t strike out much, despite chasing a fair amount. Since last year’s All-Star break, Iglesias has punched out just three times. He’s made hard contact just 23.1 percent of the time this year, but a 53.8 medium hit percentage and 26.3 line drive percentage will suffice. He’s riding a nice little hit streak and if he continues to get on base, he will be able to produce in the stolen base department. He needs to stay healthy, but he could be that under-the-radar addition that helps you for a few weeks, or even more.

Batting Average and Runs

Kevin Pillar, OF TOR – Pillar is as hot as anyone at the dish right now. He’s hit safely in eight straight games, notching two or more hits in half of those games. Pillar has swiped two bags during that time, and don’t fret about the low runs total, because they will rise rapidly in time. This Toronto offense can’t stay down forever. Over the past week, his .364 well-hit average places him seventh out of 199 full-time hitters. Yes, in a league with Mike Trout, George Springer and Manny Machado, it’s Kevin Pillar in the top-10 in terms of well-hit average. If Pillar would learn take a walk every now and again, he could be a valuable contributor in OBP leagues, but until then, you just have to ride him while he’s hot.

Just Batting Average

Manny Pina, C MIL – Not only is he aggressive behind the plate, but he’s poised and in control when at the plate. He’s still in a split with Jett Bandy, but his recent performances indicate that he could see even more time. He’s hitting .433 on the season, and yes, it is inflated by a sky-high .481 BABIP. In 33 games with the team last year, he hit .254 with a .296 BABIP, but he’s looked like a different guy this year. He’s never been touted as an exceptional hitter, but he’s looking the part right now. Moving forward, there’s only two things would keep him out of an expanded role. The first is Jett Bandy. Bandy is hitting .321 with two home runs in 30 plate appearances this season. The second thing blocking Pina is the inevitable monster known as regression. Let’s be honest, he’s not going to continue with this superb batting average that would make Ted Williams blush. However, fantasy baseball is all about getting categories on a weekly basis, and currently, Pina is a darn good option.

Quality Starts

Jason Vargas, SP KC – How is he doing it? Simple answer: I have no freakin’ clue. He’s been a pedestrian pitcher his entire career, only posting three winning seasons in seasons that he made more than 20 starts. In case you aren’t aware, Vargas is 3-0 with a 0.44 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 20.2 innings of work. If you can remember back to your tee ball days, your coach always said that it’s important to get the first out of an inning. Well, that rings true for Vargas. He’s retired the leadoff hitter in each of his last 15 innings and the first batter of the inning is hitting just .062 off Vargas since last year’s All-Star break. He won’t pitch like this all season, but while he is, you might want to roster him. If there’s ever been a sell-high candidate, it’s going to be Mr. Vargas.

Strikeouts and K/9

Chris Devenski, RP HOU – Hell yeah that 17.18 K/9 is awesome to look at that! Devenski is a reliever who isn’t going to get you any saves, but his contributions in the strikeout department are going to prove invaluable to your fantasy team. Opposing hitters are hitting .214 off his fastball, .053 against the changeup and hitless off his slider. Since the 2016 All-Star Break, right-handed hitters are hitting .071 with a .089 OBP off Devenski, both of which are the best marks among all qualified relief pitchers. Also, he’s punched out 43.6 percent of the righties he’s faced during that same span. But Colby, what about this year? Well, righties are hitting .091 and have 12 strikeouts to just two hits. Also, lefties haven’t fared much better. Of relievers who don’t get saves, Devenski is in the elite category.