Pickups of the Day: Great Scott
Ginkel could develop as a source of saves
Connor Rogers discusses Kevin Ginkel's improvements on the mound and why he can be a source of saves in fantasy pending the Diamondbacks' decisions at the trade deadline.
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. Today’s edition features a potential source of saves in Miami and a young outfielder earning more playing time in Oakland.
Tanner Scott, RP, Marlins
Available in 78 percent of Yahoo leagues
A.J. Puk is currently the Marlins closer, but due to recent performances, there could be a change in role soon. After Puk blew his third save of July on Sunday, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker gave the dreaded vote of confidence in his young closer and said that Tanner Scott would stay in a high-leverage role. However, we all know how quickly things can change. If we look at the stats, Scott has been the better reliever by far. Since the beginning of June, Scott has had the seventh-best strikeout rate (39.1 percent) with the 21st-best walk rate (4.6 percent). For me, the walk rate is the more telling stat on how excellent Scott has been. For his entire professional career, the biggest ding on Scott’s resume was his lack of command. Since debuting in the majors in 2017, Scott has never had a walk rate of less than 11.6 percent, so this improvement was pretty unexpected. I’m not sure how sticky the gains in his walk rate are year over year, but that doesn’t matter. We are playing for a championship right now! With seemingly the lack of closers available on the waiver wire this season, it wouldn’t hurt to give Scott a chance. Even if Schumaker’s comments weren’t just coach-speak, Scott could help soften the blow your ratios take when a starter has a dreadful start.
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JJ Bleday, OF, Athletics
Available in 99 percent of Yahoo leagues
While there isn’t much going right in Oakland this season, Bleday has been showing some interesting metrics that could make him an excellent pickup for the next week or so. Since the beginning of July, the former first-round pick is hitting .238/.347/.444 with four homers and 12 RBI. While that stat line might not jump off the page, from a wRC+ standpoint, his 125 wRC+ is better than George Springer (111 wRC+), Julio Rodriguez (108 wRC+), and Jordan Walker (76 wRC+). So what changed? He is making better contact. Since July 1, Bleday has hit five barrels, and since he only has three before July, I’d say that is a pretty interesting development. When Bleday isn’t barreling up the ball, he is still making great contact on flyballs. He has a monthly high of 90.8 MPH on flyballs that were not barreled. Prior to June, he averaged 89 MPH. Playing time is also in his favor. At the beginning of the season, the 25-year-old outfielder was sitting against lefties, but he has now moved into an everyday role with Oakland. He has five games this week, which is less than ideal, but he will have a three-game slate with the Rockies in Colorado. So, if you are looking for a cheap boost of power for the week, pick up Bleday before the other fantasy managers in your leagues realize he has a Coors series coming up.
