Welcome back, FA Nation! Get ready for this week’s edition of Category Impact! If you’re new to the site or just forget how this article works since last week, let me offer a quick refresher.
Category Impact will offer up anywhere from four to six players that can help you out in a certain category, whether it is stolen bases, home runs, or strikeouts. Some weeks, there will be an added focus on a specific categories, while others will be just players that you will want to pick up, but there will be in-depth analysis detailing exactly what category, or categories, a certain player will be of added benefit.
This week’s featured category is….WINS!
Lucas Giolito CWS SP – Giolito has it working and holding the Boston Red Sox to just one earned run on two hits last night was yet another convincing reason to add this guy to your roster. He’s owned in just 15 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues at the moment, and in case you have missed his performances lately, he is DEALING! The right-hander has rattled off four straight quality starts, all while striking out at least six batters per appearance. His ERA is steadily lowering, but still rests well above five on the season.
Giolito generated 14 swing strikes against the Red Sox and one of the many reasons why he is practically saving his season is because he is limiting fly balls. It’s surely not the only reason, but the reduced fly ball rate certainly helps, considering Giolito posted a 1.43 HR/9 mark heading into last night’s outing. Down the stretch run, it’s all about being hot and the promising young right-hander is getting hot at the right time. Add him now and hold him the rest of the way.
Jason Vargas , NYM SP – Vargas is by no means dominant, and his season stat line shows that. His 5-8 record is ugly, and his 6.56 ERA and 1.57 WHIP on the year are far from attractive. I mean, come on, it’s pretty ugly. However, let’s not undermine what he’s done lately. For the month of August, Vargas is sporting a quality 3.86 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 28 innings of work. If you break it down even further, Vargas is sporting a 0.79 ERA over his last two starts, and a 1.62 ERA over his last three starts. In his last 16.2 innings of work, Vargas is sporting a quality 17:2 K/BB ratio with a .213 batting average against.
Vargas has just five wins on the year, but three of those have come in his three most recent starts. To Vargas’ credit, by no means is he beating up on the soft offenses in the league. His last three starts, and wins, have come against the Cubs, Nationals and Phillies. The veteran lefty has been bad for most of the season, but he’s been really, really good lately.
CRUSH Your League All Season: Special $75 Offer for Draft Guide & Full Season
Austin Gomber , STL SP – All Gomber does is win, baby, win! He’s won four of his last six appearances and is showing no signs of slowing down. Despite tough matchups recently, notably at Colorado and against the Dodgers, Gomber has rattled off three straight quality starts. Over his last three starts, he’s allowed just three earned runs on 13 hits over the course of 17 innings, posting a 16:9 K/BB ratio in the process. The walks are a slight problem at the moment, considering he’s walked four batters in two of his last three outings. However, it’s not a huge concern, considering he posted a 2.775 BB/9 across 68.1 innings in the PCL before getting the call to the show.
During his time in the PCL, he punched out over a batter per inning, and is near a 9.0 K/9 through his nearly 50 innings of big league work this season. The Cardinals have been a surging team in the latter part of the season, and the 24-year-old southpaw should continue to rack up wins every time he toes the rubber. He’s 4-0 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.30 WHIP on the season and if you want even more incentive to pick this cat up, he has a good matchup on the ledger this weekend against the Cincinnati Reds.
Trevor May , MIN RP – May just might walk into a few save opportunities down the stretch run, especially if Trevor Hildenberger continues to endure some late season struggles. However, May continues to waltz out there, secure a few wins and look good in the process. In his last four appearances, spanning 4.1 innings, May has posted an 8:1 K/BB ratio, scattering just three hits and one walk. May is far from a big name and is owned in fewer than two percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues, making him a sneaky pickup for the stretch run. While I do envision him picking up a few wins down the stretch, he could be a proactive addition in all formats as a dark horse save candidate for the last month of the season.
Especially in roto formats, the last month of the season is all about scraping and clawing a few extra wins, saves, stolen bases, home runs, or whatever category it takes to gain an extra point or two in the final season standings. Again, May could help with a few wins and a few saves down the stretch, making him a valuable fantasy addition.
WIN in Daily Fantasy Football: Deep Analysis & Customized Tools for All Sites Just $75