High Fives: Houston's Lowrie buzzing on the Week 4 wire
As we head into Week 4 of the fantasy baseball season, Brandon Funston, Scott Pianowski and Dalton Del Don offer their top-5 takes on those players bucking for employment in fantasy leagues. Each week, we'll take a trip around the diamond to uncover the best help that your FAAB dollars can buy. Let's get to it ...
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Top 5 corner infield pickups among the under 50% owned crowd | ||
1. Adam Lind - He's been a mainstay on this list all season - hasn't had back-to-back hitless games yet | 1. Adam Lind - Team is taking on water, but he isn't the problem; another homer Sunday | 1. Adam Lind - The counting stats havent been there, but he has a .901 OPS and bats cleanup |
2. David Freese - He's been a top 10 corner, thus far, in terms of HR and combined R/RBI | 2. Yonder Alonso- I talk myself into this guy once a year, not far from buzzy prospect days; even K-BB rate | 2. Jimmy Paredes - Who knows how long this ride will last, but he's definitely worth owning to find out |
3. Yasmani Tomas - With Lamb on the DL, should be plenty of ABs in the near term | 3. Jimmy Paredes - This year's Steve Pearce? This has Wiggy written all over it | 3. Yonder Alonso - Despite playing in Petco, looks like he can be a help in BA |
4. Joe Mauer - Like I said last week, no power, but you know that the BA contribution should be solid | 4. Andrew Suusc - We don't have a catcher area so I'll sneak him in here; cheap, useful DFS option when he starts | 4. Steve Pearce - I'm still a believer despite the slump to start the year |
5. Yonder Alonso - He's drawing BBs at career-best rate, and there's counting stat upside in this potent SDG lineup | 5. David Freese - The guys in front of him will be on base constantly | 5. David Freese - Already up to four homers and is batting 4th/5th in the lineup |
Top 5 middle infield pickups among the under 50% owned crowd | ||
1. Jed Lowrie - He looks like he's dialed in, and we've seen some hot streaks carry him pretty far in the past | 1. Chris Owings - He'll swing at anything but getting confident on the bases | 1. Jed Lowrie - Has a .934 OPS and is hitting 3rd/4th in an improving lineup |
2. Roughned Odor - Like rest of TEX, off to a tough start, but I tryust his immense skills will show through before long | 2. Brock Holt - Best super-utility player in the majors, has starts at five different posts | 2. Roughned Odor - Off to a slow start but has 15/15 potential |
3. Adeiny Hechavarria - He's playing over his head, but you can't ignore what he's done - top 4 MI in Y! game, thus far | 3. Jed Lowrie - Whenever healthy, a fantasy-relevant commodity; 2013 can happen again | 3. DJ LeMahieu - In Coors Field I trust |
4. Brad Miller - On a nice roll in past 8 games (10-for-23) | 4. Wilmer Flores - Pop is legit, lineup promotion could be coming | 4. Chris Owings - Plays in a good hitter's park and has four steals over the past seven games |
5. Brock Holt - Little power, but can hit for average and run a bit, plus his versatility is the ultimate fantasy roster Band-Aid | 5. Tim Bechkam - Maybe there's a post-hype case here, not much blocking him | 5. Odubel Herrera - Stolen bases are really hard to come by |
Top 5 outfield pickups among the under 50% owned crowd | ||
1. Denard Span - Likely the last call for Span - he's off the DL now, and hit .302 with 31 SBs and 94 runs in '14 | 1. Rajai Davis - Short side of platoon, but I'm not sold long-term on Anthony Gose (1 BB, 19 K) | 1. Rusney Castillo - If you have roster space to stash him, he'll be worth the wait |
2. Angel Pagan - Another of my High Five mainstays - a healhy Pagan will run and hit for average | 2. Dexter Fowler - Is this the year his steal total (four already) matches his raw ability? | 2. Coco Crisp - If you have a DL spot to stash him, he'll be worth the wait |
3. Rajai Davis - Don't love that he's not a regular, but if speed is a need, you know he's going to push 40 steals | 3. Jake Marisnick - Option for cheap steals, and No. 9 slot not as penal in AL | 3. Justin Maxwell - There's potential for a real breakout here |
4. Michael Saunders- Off the DL - Has nice pop/speed combo, and TOR top offense in MLB | 4. Coco Crisp - Rehab progressing well, and he'll slot leadoff upon return | 4. Carlos Beltran - Maybe he's done, but I'd give him a few more weeks before declaring so |
5. Alex Guerrero - 12 RBI in 19 ABs is an insane line - is forcing LAD to find lineup room for his hot bat | 5. Rusney Castillo - A slow-developing story, but Victorino is probably out of way | 5. Alex Guerrero - There are few better ways to use an open bench spot |
Top 5 pitcher pickups among the under 50% owned crowd | ||
1. Carlos Rodon - Get him while you still can - once he hits his stride, it'll be sweet ride | 1. Clay Buchholz - Come for the strikeouts, stay for the changeup and ground balls | 1. Jimmy Nelson - Has a 19.1 K-BB% and a 12.2 SwStr%, so there's a ton of potential |
2. Yimi Garcia- He was attractive enough for me to pick him up as a set-up man, but saves now look like part of the short-term mix | 2. Jimmy Nelson - Why is he so far under 50 percent? All breakout arrows line up | 2. Drew Pomeranz - Has a 17:2 K:BB ratio over 17.0 innings with a 1.06 WHIP |
3. Jimmy Nelson - As Salfino shows here, inducing a nice number of Ks and grounders | 3. Chris Heston - Numbers jump out if you (reasonably) take Coors turn out of mix | 3. Yimi Garcia - He looks like the current favorite to close in L.A. until Kenley Jansen returns |
4. Taijuan Walker - His last outing was solid - has all the tools to be a star | 4. Brandon Morrow - I want a stake in every one of his Petco starts | 4.Carlos Rodon - Patient owners will be rewarded in the second half of the season |
5. Drew Pomeranz - ERA is up above 4.00, but the K:BB rate is stellar, as is the pitching environment of his home park | 5. Yimi Garcia - Has set-up hero written all over him, might become preferred closer while Jansen isn't available | 5. Ken Giles - When Jonathan Papelbon is traded, owners will be sprinting to add him |
Top 5 song choices for when you came to bat if you were an MLB player | ||
1. Volbeat: "A Warrior's Call" - "Breaking your record and breaking your bones, Born a warrior with a code, A champion feeding your face with a fist, | 1. Led Zeppelin: "The Immigrant Song - Announce your presence with a nod to the Hammer of the Gods | 1. Metallica: "No Leaf Clover" - Love the opening with the symphony |
2. Alice in Chains: "Man in the Box" - Gotta represent my Seattle roots, and this has a chill-inducing intro | 2. Anything by the White Stripes - Well, except for the overplayed Seven Nation Army. Black Math would work well | 2. TV on the Radio: "DLZ" - Because they are good at making music |
3. Aerosmith: Lightning Strikes "It's dog eat dog when you're meetin' your rival, In the combat zone it's a means of survival, Gonna get last licks on a suicide blitz, On a cloak and dagger night ,When the lightning strikes" | 3. Anything from Who's Next - Okay, maybe not My Wife; Pete Townshend's happy accident is a perfect rock record | 3. Radiohead: "The National Anthem" - I spent far too much time trying to pick which song of theirs to use here |
4. Black Sabbath: "Iron Man" - The creepy intro definitely provides a nice intimidation factor | 4. Guitar-driven Radiohead - The trippy Kid-A stuff wouldn't work, but most of The Bends, OKC and In Rainbows would | 4. Broken Bells: "The Ghost Inside" - Has a catchy intro |
5. ACDC: "Thunderstruck" - Really, there's plenty of ACDC songs that would fit the bill | 5. Herb Albert: "Spanish Flea" - Swanky and silly, puts you in a good place | 5. It doesn't matter because Josh Reddick already won this game |