Hitters
Joey Wendle (TB); FAAB Bid: 2% - Tampa Bay can be a frustrated team from a playing time perspective, but Wendle’s versatility generally works to his advantage in that department. Depending on the league, you could find the utility man eligible and second base, third base, and shortstop and that flexibility certainly comes in handy at this time of year; especially in daily leagues. Entering action on Wednesday he was seven of his last 22 with two home runs and seven RBI to bring his average for the season up to a solid .273 to go along with nine home runs, 49 RBI, 61 runs scored, and still stolen bases in 110 games (405 plate appearances). We aren’t going to find much from a Statcast or power perspective but with a 21.5%-line drive rate and limited fly balls (28.8%), Wendle makes it work.
Josh Harrison (OAK); FAAB Bid: 2% - Let’s continue with a theme here as Harrison has settled in with Oakland. Prior to being moved up to the lead-off spot a few games ago he was previously batting in the middle of the lineup so we don’t have worry about playing time or role and the dual eligibility (second base, third base) along with outfield in some leagues, helps with roster management as well. So far this month, Harrison was batting a solid .289 prior to Wednesday’s game with .409 average over the last seven days. We’ll get a little bit of everything from Harrison (eight home runs, 46 RBI, and 47 runs scored) but of particular note is the four stolen bases he has this month (nine overall).
Brandon Nimmo (NYM); FAAB Bid: 1-2% - To say that there has been some drama surrounding the Mets in recent days would be an understatement, but all we care about here is what happens on the field. In a lot of cases that hasn’t been much better but New York has won three games in a row and things begin with Nimmo at the top of the lineup. Over his last seven games though while hitting .350, Nimmo only has one run scored so we still have to remember that New York does have difficulty driving runners in. The good news is that they are the midst of a lengthy stretch of games against the Marlins and Nationals so they are in the position to take advantage of that. In 74 games this season Nimmo is batting .298 and thanks a 15.6% walk rate he is a true asset in OBP leagues (.417) but at that rate, he should have more than 39 runs scored. With that being said there is value to be had and that only increases if the Mets find their batting strokes.
Keibert Ruiz (WAS); FAAB Bid: 2-3% - Ruiz is one of the betting catching prospects in the game and he was a clear target of Washington as they look to kick start their rebuild. Since being promoted on Monday he has two hits in nine at bats but I wouldn’t hold that against him as Ruiz has more potential and talent than the majority of current options at the position. We might not see that on a daily basis over the next month but it’s hard to ignore what he has done in 72 games at Triple-A so far this season; 21 home runs and 59 RBI while hitting .308 with Washington (20 games) and .311 with Los Angeles (52 games). Ruiz is still just 22-years old and catchers are slow to develop and have more to worry about than most, but the talent and potential are there.
Austin Hays (BAL); FAAB Bid: 1-2% - A little further north in the Beltway, Hays is getting the chance to finish the season strong. The outfielder entered play on Wednesday with a .455 batting average, six runs scored, and six RBI over the last seven days prior to going one for four to extend his hitting streak to nine games. August was the best month of the season for Hays who hit .274 with four home runs, 13 RBI, and 14 runs scored and that is likely the high end of what we can expect from him to close out the season. The success shouldn’t come as a complete surprise as Hays’ batted ball metrics are the best we have seen from him to this point with a 9.2%-barrel rate, 13.5 degree launch angle, and 39.8% hard hit rate.
Starting Pitchers
Casey Mize (DET); FAAB Bid: 2% - It shouldn’t be surprising that Detroit is monitoring the innings of their prized right-hander as we close out the season, but for the most part we should get five or six innings out of Mize. Depending on what your situation is, quality is often better than quantity and Mize is coming off a quality start against Minnesota in which he allowed three runs and six baserunners through six innings while striking out four. With a 3.59 ERA the results have been for Mize but there is also some concern related to his seven strikeouts per nine innings and 5.08 xERA (4.41 xFIP). The 50% ground ball rate works well and with a 1.15 WHIP he has been able to limit the baserunners to this point. However, the most important piece of information here is that Mize’s next start comes against a Pirates team that is ripe to be targeted.
Jake Odorizzi (HOU); FAAB Bid: 1% - It has been an up and down season for Odorizzi but throughout his career he has been, at worst, a dependable starting pitcher. In his last three outings the right-hander has a 2.30 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 15.2 innings to go along with 20 strikeouts after throwing five innings of one run ball against the Mariners on Wednesday. That brough Odorizzi’s ERA for the season down to 4.32 and at this point, he has become a good bet for five solid innings. While that is about where the upside ends as Odorizzi is striking out 8.23 batters per nine innings he has a good chance at a victory every time he takes the ball; including his next start against that same Seattle team.
Joe Ryan (MIN); FAAB Bid: 1-2% - Given the rebuilding state of the Twins it makes sense to see what Ryan can do over the last month of the season and I would follow suit with your fantasy team; especially in keeper or dynasty leagues. Ryan made the first start of his career against the Cubs on Wednesday and allowed three runs in five innings while striking out five. All of the damage came on a three-run homer and Ryan was able to limit the damage to three hits and one walk while generating 14 swinging strikes. In 14 games, 13 starts, Ryan had a 3.41 ERA and 0.79 WHIP while striking out an impressive 92 batters in 66 innings. Ryan makes his next start against Cleveland and at the very least, that is worth a stream.
Relief Pitchers
Roman Wick (CHC); FAAB Bid: 2% - This is the time of year when we comb through box scores for any crumbs of a save to target with our remaining FAAB budget. Wick hasn’t received much in the way of attention this season and it is for good reason as he has been limited to just eight games due to injury the season. From a talent perspective he might be one of the more intriguing options in the Cubs’ bullpen and it will be interesting to see if he gets more save opportunities to close out the season after picking up his first of the season on Tuesday. In 7.2 innings, Wick has nine strikeouts and a 3.52 ERA, and if you happen to have an extra roster spot, he is worth a flier.
Andrew Chafin (OAK); FAAB Bid: 1% - While Chafin did pick up his second save of the season on Sunday, that’s not something I’m looking to read into. Instead, it just brings attention to what the left-hander has been doing all season as Oakland will continue to use him in high leverage situations. In 56 innings this season Chafin has a 1.77 ERA along with a microscopic 0.80 WHIP and 54 strikeouts and that can provide vital assistance to close out the season.