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High Fives: Schoop, Travis worthy fantasy baseball pickups

The Yahoo Fantasy Baseball '16 season is two months old. As we move steadily into the summer portion of the season, Brandon Funston, Scott Pianowski and Andy Behrens take a look at the late-May movers and shakers that should pique the interest of fantasy owners. Let's get to it ....

Top 5 hitters owned in 50 percent of leagues or less to target right now

1.Devon Travis, TorHe's been occupying a DL slot on every one of my fantasy squads - he's back, and he's likely to be back at the top of the Jays lineup soon

1.Leonys Martin, Sea -  You knew about the wheels already, and now he's launching a homer every other day. Note: Martin landed on the DL on Friday (hamstring).

1. Leonys Martin, OF, Sea - Speed has always been real; now, walks have spiked and he’s switched stance to go for power. Note: Martin landed on the DL on Friday (hamstring).

2. Leonys Martin, SeaOne of 4 players with 9+ HR and 7+ SB (Harper, Altuve, Betts) - change in plate approach (more fly balls) working wonders. Note: Martin landed on the DL on Friday (hamstring).

2.Devon Travis, TorLast call on a second baseman who hit .300-plus last season, with pop and speed. You have to like the lineup, too.

2. Jonathan Schoop, 2B, Bal - Average is acceptable and he’s probably going to hit 25-30 homers 

3. Yasmany Tomas, AriHas a healthy OPS (.833) - like Martin, another Cuban benefitting from more loft in his swing in '16

3.Jonathan Schoop, Bal - Here's another way-too-available second baseman from the A.L. East, with plenty of power. 

3. Devon Travis, 2B, Tor - Will probably be in the leadoff role soon; Toronto lineup likely to pick it up 


4.  Michael Saunders, TorHis OPS (.933) is top 20 in MLB among those with 150+ plate appearances

4.Rajai Davis, Cle - He's playing every day and running at every opportunity (11 SB). We know the speed is legit, too.

4. Eduardo Nunez, SS/3B, Min - Covers two positions that are tricky to fill, producing all over the stat sheet 

5. Jhonny Peralta, StL Top 10 roto SS each of past 2 seasons is on minor league rehab (thumb), should return by month's end

5. Michael Saunders, TorPlenty of power, and he's hitting for average, too. Again, lots of fantasy goodness in this lineup.

5. Chris Herrmann, C, Ari - Catchers are a mess this year; Arizona is looking for excuses to get Herrmann into the lineup more 

 

Top 5 pitchers owned in 50 percent of leagues or less to target right now

1. Sean Doolittle, OakHas been lights out lately, while closer Ryan Madson has stumbled - worth a spec play

1.Will Harris, HouWe've had this conversation before. Harris is striking out a batter per inning and hasn't allowed a run in forever.

1. Mike Leake, SP, Stl - Get your strikeouts elsewhere, but he’s rounding into form — outstanding last four turns 



2. Hector Neris, Phi10th-best K/9 rate (11.7), third-best WHIP (0.72) among all pitchers with at least 20+ IP

2.Nathan Eovaldi, NYYHe's on decent run lately, the WHIP is tiny, and he's got Tampa Bay up next.

2. Nathan Eovaldi, SP, NYY - When the ERA and WHIP don’t agree, trust the WHIP; he’s always had a major-league heater, as well



3. Kevin Gausman, Bal Love the pedigree and the heater, not to mention the 2.70 ERA, 1.12 WHIP over his first 36.2 IP of '16

3.Kevin Gausman, Bal -  Gausman hovering around 50 percent ownership still seems crazy, considering his stuff, his ratios and K-upside.

3. Matt Wisler, SP, Atl - Team is obviously terrible, but 3.08/1.03 ratios play for anyone 


4.  Darren O'Day, BalWho can't use 60-70 IP of ridiculous ratios and at least a K/IP?

4.Kelvin Herrera, KC -  Another high-K, low-ratio reliever to help you reach an innings-limit. Guys like this have serious value, even in non-closing roles.

4. Jameson Taillon, SP, Pit - If you’re investing in Pittsburgh’s Super 2, Taillon looks more ready for June call 


5. Erasmo Ramirez, TB He's 17-8 with a 3.50 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 154 K in 200.1 IP as a member of the Rays

5. Jameson Taillon, PitHe has 51 Ks and just 5 BBs in 49.1 IP, and the team is now saving his innings for the big leagues.

5. Will Harris, RP, Hou - Page me when he finally allows a run; he dominated last year (1.90/0.90) as well 

 

Top 5 hitters owned in 15 percent of leagues or less to target right now

1. Matt Adams, StL -  Has been toip 30 roto bat since April 29th, hitting .383 with 5 HRs in that 19-game span

1.Matt Adams, STL -  Yeah, I know, he's disappointed you before. But he's on a power binge lately, hitting timely bombs.

1. Jurickson Profar, 2B/SS, Tex - Gets a week to show his stuff (leading off Friday) while Odor sits out; had category juice at Round Rock 

2. Brandon Guyer, TBTaking advantage of regular playing time with an OPS in the .900s (including 5 HRs in May)

2.Adam Duvall, Cin - Another useful power source, Duvall is going to easily top 20 homers this season. He reached the 30-homer plateau twice in minors. 

2. Jose Ramirez, Utility, Cle - Four positions of coverage, tied to a plus lineup 


3. Adam Duvall, Cin -  Lots of Ks, but the 30+ HR pace to go with a .250 BA is more than acceptable

3. Mallex Smith, AtlGet on board, people. He's hit well over the past month, and his speed is near the top of the charts. Swiped 57 bags in the minors last year. 

3. Adam Duvall, OF, Cin - Power is legitimate, park is friendly, lineup spot secure



4.  Trayce Thompson, LAD Has been flashing his power skills and very encouraging that his K% in 225 ABs at MLB level much better than his minors rate

4. Brandon Guyer, TB Leading off for Tampa Bay recently, plus he's been a multi-hit robot. Not a disaster in any fantasy category.

4. Brandon Guyer, OF, TB - Having fun as a short-term rental in Tampa, settling into leadoff spot 

5. Johnny Giavotella, LAA He's hitting .355 in May - long ago an intriguing prospect, worth a flyer to see if he's late blooming

5. Alex Bregman, Hou -  He's slashing .320/.424/.680 at Double-A, transitioning from short to third, clearly a path to the bigs.

5. Trayce Thompson, OF, LA - Outfield will be crowded like a SoCal freeway soon, but all he’s done thus far is hit


 

Top 5 pitchers owned in 15 percent of leagues or less to target right now

1. Danny Duffy, KC96 mph average fastball, FIP-supported 2.13 ERA, 10.3 K/9 - yeah, he has my attention

1. Michael Fulmer, Det -  He's had a few rough starts, sure, but he was brilliant in his last turn, striking out 11 batters over 7.0 frames.

1. Danny Duffy, SP/RP, KC - Post-hype case deserves a long look in rotation; heater up to 96 this year 
 


2. Seung-Hwan Oh, StlThe 15% owned or under crowd still offers some nice shutdown middleman options, with Oh at the top of my list

2. Nate Jones, CWSFilthy stuff, high K-rate, and he's the understudy to Robertson.

2. Blake Snell, SP, TB - Looked fine in his first close-up, should be back soon 


3. Junior Guerra, Mil - Has a nice fastball (94 mph) and a punchout splitter - has been a top 40 SP in the past month

3. Ryan Buchter, SDHe's a high-K reliever with great ratios (0.93 WHIP), working behind Fernando Rodney. Seems promising, no?

3. Junior Guerra, SP, Mil - You strike out 11 Cubs, you get my attention; fanning a batter per inning

4.  Ryan Buchter, SD - His ridiculous numbers make him hard to ignore in the 15% crowd

4. Nick Tropeano, LAA Not a hard-thrower, but a high swinging-strike rate nonetheless. He gets a K-friendly Astros lineup in his next start.

4. Ryan Buchter, RP, SD - Lefties have no chance and righties not doing much better; stealth ratio protection (0.79/0.93) in San Diego 


5. Michael Fulmer, Det - Tigers top SP prospect has 17 K in past 11.1 IP  - worth Watch Listing if not owning

5. Lucas Giolito, Was - Walks have been an issue, but his stuff is of the highest quality. We may yet see him join the Nats this year.

5. CC Sabathia, SP, NYY - I thought he was cooked, but a 2.83/1.23 start deserves re-evaluation 

 

MLB players from your fantasy past that evoke the most positive memories

1. Ichiro -  He was a three-category monster for the first eight years of his career, always one that I was anxiously reaching for in drafts

1. Raul Mondesi - You could basically never, ever outbid me for Mondesi, a 20/20 machine. I like to imagine that my fantasy teams have retired No. 43.

1. Tony Phillips - Runs scored and wide-ranging positions, my two favorite things. Had sneaky pop, too. 

2. Roger ClemensGot him for $1 in his monster '86 breakout season - it was one of the best joy rides of my fantasy career

2. IchiroIf you wanted to name your team "Honey Nut Ichiros," then you pretty much had to own him. He's within 20 hits of becoming the new international Hit King, by the way.

2. Chipper Jones - Glamour player on a glamour team; constant exposure was a nifty perk in the pre-package days   

3. Vladimir Guerrero Always loved him, always sweated out whether I would be able to get him in my draft - his lowest batting average in any season was .290

3. Marquis Grissom - He had a 20/20 phase to his career, plus he was a 70-steal guy in the early days. 

3. The 1995 Indians - Still the best offense I've ever seen; look at this insane collection of average, speed and power 

4.  Ivan RodriguezI owned Pudge a lot over the years (mostly the really good pre-35 years) - his '99 MVP season was ethereal

4. Pedro Martinez -  Those numbers, in that era, were insane. Seriously insane. Six seasons with a sub-1.00 WHIP, when all the batters were chemically enhanced.  

4. Raul Ibanez - The patron saint of the boring but produtive vet, he's always an All-Star to me

5. Chris Sabo, CinI bought into Spudsmania from the get-go - he was a fun own those first few years before the Reds' "Nerd at Third" started to fade quickly

5. Dmitri Young - He brought me such joy. It was a fantasy weakness.

5. Ty Wigginton - The patron saint of production found off the wire; he's always there when you need him. The Wiggiest of Wiggys.