Bellinger primed for payday after bounceback year

What could Cody Bellinger's free-agent contract look like this offseason after his bounceback season with the Chicago Cubs? D.J. Short, Eric Samulski and Paul Sporer theorize.

Rotoworld's brand-new 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.

In today’s column, we’re going to look at a a hot-hitting catcher who is seeing increased action and another stellar streaming option for Wednesday’s slate of MLB action.

PICKUPS OF THE DAY

Mitch Garver, C, TEX

Available in 74 percent of Yahoo leagues

Even in leagues that utilize just one player at the position, the catcher spot can be one of the most frustrating positions to try to fill in fantasy baseball leagues. Fortunately, there’s an option out there who is currently rostered in only 26% of all leagues that has been mashing the baseball.

Over his last 29 games dating back to July 24, Mitch Garver is slashing an outstanding .320/.419/.640 with nine homers, 19 RBI and 17 runs scored across 118 plate appearances. Not only is he sharing time behind the plate with a struggling Jonah Heim, but he’s now finding himself in the lineup on a near-nightly basis at the designated hitter spot when he isn’t donning the tools of intelligence.

So not only are you getting per-game production that was destroying most of the field at the catcher position over the past month-plus, but the volume of at-bats that he is seeing is lapping most of the field as well – making it astonishing to see that he’s still available in nearly 75% of all Yahoo fantasy leagues.

If he’s available in your league, now is the time to run out and scoop him up – then reap the benefits over the final month of the regular season.

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Brandon Pfaadt, SP, Diamondbacks

Available in 86 percent of Yahoo leagues

Brandon Pfaadt burst onto the scene in early May, and to say that the early results were troublesome would be a massive understatement. The 24-year-old rookie right-hander registered a cringe-inducing 9.82 ERA, 1.87 WHIP and a 21/10 K/BB ratio across 25 2/3 innings of work in his first six starts.

That resulted in a demotion back to Triple-A Reno where he appears to have righted the ship. Since rejoining the rotation on July 22, Pfaadt has been a different pitcher. In seven starts since his triumphant return, he has posted a 3.48 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a 39/10 K/BB ratio over 41 1/3 innings. He has surrendered three runs or fewer in six of those seven starts (and only four runs in the other), while punching out five batters or more in every start but one.

He does draw a difficult matchup on Wednesday – having to take on the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Still, he should offer a decent shot at a quality start (and a victory), with a handful of strikeouts and a very low probability of a disastrous outing. At this stage of the season, you can do a whole lot worse as a streaming option.

Keep in mind, his remaining schedule after Wednesday’s outing looks much more favorable. He’ll take on the Rockies at home, the Cubs in Chicago, the Cubs at home, the Yankees in New York and the White Sox in Chicago. Even if you don’t trust streaming him on Wednesday, he makes for a solid pickup for the final month of the season.