Pickups of the Day: Elehuris On The Rise
Ohtani's 2024 fantasy value as an exclusive hitter
D.J. Short, Scott Pianowksi ,and Eric Samulski dive into Shohei Ohtani as a first-round pick in their 2024 fantasy baseball mock draft. Does he still pay off that value when removing his pitching stats?
Rotoworld's Pickups of the Day column is designed to help fantasy managers uncover a handful of widely-available targets over the course of the season. It could be a breakout candidate, a prospect stash, an injury replacement, a pitcher with a favorable matchup or week, a player who is due some better luck, or any other number of scenarios. If there's value to be found on the waiver wire, we will find it and bring it your way. Today's edition features an emerging slugger in Colorado and a potential temporary saves source in Boston.
Elehuris Montero, 1B/3B, Rockies
Available in 95 percent of Yahoo leagues
After hovering around the Mendoza line the majority of the season, Montero has quietly emerged as one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last month, cobbling together an impressive 21-game on-base streak dating back to August 14. The 25-year-old burgeoning slugger, who is batting .382/.463/.632 with three homers and 12 RBI during his sizzling-hot stretch at the dish, has found a home in the heart of Colorado’s lineup and is rapidly transitioning from fringe roster fodder to a potential everyday mainstay moving forward. He should continue to benefit from Coors Field's high-octane offensive environment over the final few weeks of the 2023 campaign as the Rockies will play 11 of their final 17 games in Colorado. He's worthy of a speculative roster spot, especially in deeper mixed leagues, as a viable four-category contributor.
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Chris Martin, RP, Red Sox
Available in 85 percent of Yahoo leagues
With Kenley Jansen landing on the COVID-19 injured list earlier this week, which will sideline him for at least one week, Martin is the odds-on favorite to handle the closing duties for the Red Sox in his absence. The 37-year-old setup specialist has remained one of the premier relief pitchers in baseball this season, recording a microscopic 1.12 WHIP 1.03 WHIP and 43/8 K/BB ratio across 48 1/3 innings (52 appearances). He's unlikely to hang onto the role for long, but there's a chance Jansen isn't ready to return right away when first eligible, which makes him worthy of a roster spot in all fantasy formats as a potential saves source.
