10-team leagues
Hyun-Jin Ryu , LAD SP (72% ownership), FAAB Bid - $12-13 - Probably the most encouraging sign for Ryu this year is the fact that he’s beginning to pitch deep into games. That’s rare for a Dodgers pitcher outside of Clayton Kershaw as Dave Roberts has a very, very short leash. Ryu has been a strikeout machine over his last three contests posting at least eight in each. He now has a 30.7-percent K-rate on the year and a career best 52.9-percent ground ball rate. Ryu is a must own in all formats if he can stay healthy and if Dave Roberts continues to let him pitch deeper into contests.
Júnior Guerra , MIL SP (27% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10-12 - Injuries played a big factor in Guerra’s struggles last season but now healthy, he looks like the rookie of the year candidate he was back in 2016. In three starts this year, Guerra has allowed one earned run and has posted a 23.4-percent K-rate which would be the highest mark of his career. The .179 BAA is an elite number, as is his 2.80 FIP. The stats on the surface are there but the peripheral’s scream that he can keep this up as well. Guerra should be someone we own in all formats going forward.
Scott Schebler , CIN OF (13% ownership), FAAB Bid - $12 - It sucks Schebler suffered an injury to start his year because he was white hot during Spring Training this year slashing .414/.434/.717 while hitting three bombs and driving in 16 (!) runs. In the limited games he’s played this year, he’s started off well hitting two homers, scoring six runs and driving in four of his own in just eight games. Not to mention he currently has a cool .893 OPS and the Reds have already implemented him as their leadoff hitter this year, maximizing his at-bats.
12-team leagues
C.J. Cron , TB 1B (15% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10 - Cron has been a decent source of power since arriving in the Major Leagues five seasons ago, but this year he’s flashing a lot more of it now that he’s getting the chance to play every single day. Cron already has five home runs and a .506 SLG for a guy who’s never cracked .467 in any past Major League season. Cron is a reliable source of power right now and the 13 RBI isn’t too shabby either. He fits perfectly in leagues with a corner infield position.
Michael Taylor , WAS OF (36% ownership), FAAB Bid - $8 - Stolen bases are so hard to find these days that when they happen in bunches, it’s something that catches our eye. Taylor currently leads the MLB in stolen bases with nine. The catch is he’s only hitting .220, so getting on base to steal bases has clearly been the hard part. Taylor is someone who hit .271 last year and belted 19 home runs as well, so this near “Mendoza Line” batting average should begin to creep up and so should the power numbers. Taylor is worth the look in most all formats.
Nick Pivetta , PHI SP (46% ownership), FAAB Bid - $8-10 - Pivetta has gotten off to a great start this year, notching quality starts in two of his last three games and not allowing more than two earned runs in four straight. Not only that, but his 2.57 ERA is a very good number as is his 25.5-percent K-rate and 2.28 FIP. Something he’s been great at this year is his ability to limit the hard contact. Last year’s number was over 35-percent and in the ‘18 campaign it’s down to 22.4-percent. His swinging strike rate is also up from last year, going from 8.7 to 11.2, which is an elite number.
15-team leagues
JaCoby Jones , DET OF (5% ownership), FAAB Bid - $5-6 - Back in 2014, Jones was nearly a 20-20 player at Single-A while still in the Pirates farm system but it’s never quite worked out for him at the Major League level. That said, he’s starting to show signs of life, especially at the dish, which has been his bugaboo each and every time he’s been called up to the bigs. His main problem has been the strikeout, which he did 42-percent of the time in both 2016 and ‘17. That number is down to 19-percent this year and that could be a big time reason as to why he’s currently slashing .293/.362/.512. He’s also someone contributing in the stolen base department as he’s swiped three bags. Jones could soon be worth a look in ever smaller formats if he continues to hit.
Caleb Smith , MIA SP, RP (2% ownership), FAAB Bid - $3-4 - Outside of one really bad start against the Yankees, Smith has been pretty damn good. His lowest K/9 mark of the year was 11.57 and his 13.29 mark on the year would place him second in all of baseball if he were qualified..woah. He’s coming off a career-high 10 strikeout game, the only issue is he’s 0-3 and isn’t going to be in line for many wins this year. Not being able to win games and posting a 6.23 BB/9 will keep you limited to 15-team and NL-formatted leagues only. If he can get that number down however, he could make some sense in 12 teamers.
Mark Canha , OAK OF (4% ownership), FAAB Bid - $3 - Canha went deep on Tuesday evening in Texas giving him three homers on the year. He had a really solid rookie year back in 2015 in which he hit 16 homers, scored 61 runs and drove in 70 more, but hasn’t done much since. He had two 20 home run seasons in the Minor Leagues as well, so this start isn’t wildly crazy as some players just figure it out later in their careers. Canha is riding an eight-game hitting streak and is playing everyday for the A’s. He’s only a deep format pickup because of the volatility in playing time if and when he stops hitting, but pick him up and ride him while he’s this hot.
*Ownership Percentages courtesy of Yahoo!
** FAAB Bids based on $100 budge