Fantasy 5 Up 5 Down: Get set for September selections
September is just around the corner, and with that you have September call-ups. Rosters expand to accommodate 40 players, and there is guaranteed to be several decent prospects making their ways on to big league teams.
On some teams, these players might be nothing more than back-ups playing once or twice a week, but on teams out of contention, prospects might be getting regular at-bats for a month, and could be worth picking up in your leagues. On the other hand, some hot-shot rookies are beginning to near their innings limits, and so might be nearing their final starts of the year. Which guys should you be looking to grab, and which players should be feeling the drop?
1. Donnie Murphy
With a career triple-slash of .216/.280/.413, you could have been forgiven for having never heard of Donnie Murphy before this week. Suddenly, however, Murphy finds himself the hottest man in baseball. He’s hit eight home runs in his first 16 games with the Cubs, including four in his past four games as he’s gone 7-for-18 and driven in six. It’s hard to expect Murphy to continue his success, given his long track record of being awful. He may be worth hanging on to until he stops hitting home runs, but I certainly wouldn’t be blowing my budget to ensure I can acquire his services – he’s no Yasiel Puig.
2. Khris Davis
As with Murphy, this was a player on very few fantasy radars entering this season, but Ryan Braun’s suspension opened up the path to increased playing time in the Brewers outfield, and Davis has done nothing but impress so far. He has hit safely in his last nine games and has decent plate discipline allowing him to sustain a pretty high average. He doesn’t have a lot of power or speed, but he’s been getting hot recently and could help you in both categories. I like Davis’ chances of helping you long term more than Murphy, but there’s a reason Davis was yet to find every day playing time, so you can expect some regression.
3. Jayson Werth
Never mind Yasiel Puig, the hottest player in baseball since the all-star break has undoubtedly been Nationals’ slugger Jayson Werth. He has hit .384 in the second half, with nine homers and a .661 slugging percentage, as he has proven last year was a fluke, rather than a decline. Werth owners have to be happy with his production so far, and aside from the BABIP-fuelled average, there is reason to believe he can sustain his power/speed success that he has flashed this season.
4. Sonny Gray
The young right hander was putting up a spectacular season at AAA before his call-up in July, and he has continued that success so far in the Major League rotation. The 1.44 ERA and 0.76 WHIP will regress, especially considering he has had an easy schedule so far, but the strikeouts are legit and he should be in with a shot at some wins as Oakland chase a play-off spot. He’ll get a tough match-up tomorrow against the Orioles, but if he can get through that unscathed he deserves to be owned in all leagues.
5. Danny Farquhar
Since being instated as the Mariners closer, Farquhar has done nothing but impress with a 2.16 ERA and nine saves in ten opportunities. Aside from a hiccup against the Rays last week he has been perfect, relying on his curve ball to get a ton of strikeouts. It’s hard to say how long he can keep this up for, but whilst he’s in this dominant stretch, keep rolling him out.
1. Starlin Castro
It has been a nightmare season for Castro, who has struggled on both sides of the ball. The two-time all-star is hitting just .237 with seven home runs and eight steals, providing nothing close to draft-day value. His tenure with the Cubs may be nearing a close, given the criticism he has received from Sveum, but this will be no solace for fantasy owners, who will find it hard to trust him next season after this stinker.
2. Jimmy Rollins
On the subject of disappointing shortstops, Rollins has had an awful season in Philadelphia. He’s hit just five homers, with horrible runs and RBI totals. The 16 steals are nice, but fantasy owners must have expected more from the 34 year old veteran. It’s possible he can turn this around in the final month, but the signs aren’t great.
3. Jay Bruce
After a slow start, Bruce turned things around with a hot spell around the all-star break. Recently he’s cooled down again though, hitting just .192 in August with four extra base hits. He’s a streaky hitter, so he could turn this around at any point and is worth hanging on to for when he gets hot. He could be a decent late trade candidate if the trade deadline hasn’t yet passed in your league.
4. Jeff Locke
The left-hander was having a fairy-tale season up until a few weeks ago, when regression began to hit him hard. He allowed eight runs in just 2.2 innings against Arizona last week and lasted just four innings against San Francisco this week. He seems to be suffering from fatigue, and is probably no better than a streaming option from this point forward.
5. Casey Jannsen
The right-hander continues to be effective when brought into games with a 3.07 ERA and 0.98 WHIP this season. However, his save opportunities are continually few and far between, with just four saves in August and one save since 10/8. Janssen owners have to hope the Jays will give him more opportunities in September, because the 9th inning man is too effective to drop.
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