RADIO
The deals are done and now we see who is in it to win and who is playing for next season. Playing time shifts make for some nice values in certain spots you wouldn't expect. Likewise, some big name players who made their way onto contenders could be in line for a rough second half, much to the chagrin of their owners.
Scouting players who may be undervalued and re-assessing players who may be overvalued is a weekly exercise that you should pursue. Fortunately, I have you covered. Here are a few players who are good buy or sell candidates based on their current performance compared to ownership levels. This could mean scooping them off waivers if possible or actively seeking a trade to acquire or discard certain players in order to maximize value.
I will include one player at each key position group (Infield, Outfield, Pitcher). Ownership levels are taken from Yahoo! Fantasy Sports.
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Underrated Players - Week 19
Tim Beckham (1B/2B/SS, BAL) 21% owned
After an early season surge, it appeared Beckham just needed a regular dose of playing time to round into a valuable fantasy player. A couple of minor injuries and some inconsistency knocked him back off the map until he found his way to Baltimore last week. He sure seems to like it there. As the regular shortstop, he's gone 7-for-12 with three RBI and four runs scored in three games. He's making hard contact on 43% of his batted balls this season; despite a very low 67% contact rate and strikeout rate over 30%, he's making the most of it each time he actually strikes the ball, which explains away his high BABIP. We don't really know Beckham's ceiling yet, but he's in a good lineup that should provide more consistency than Tampa, where he was shuffled around quite a bit.
Melky Cabrera (OF, KC) 56% owned
Melky Cabrera wasn't one of the more prominent names to change zip codes recently, but he gives the Royals some stability at the top of the lineup. It was six years ago that Cabrera enjoyed one of his finest seasons in KC, setting career highs in every major counting stat, including his only season surpassing 100 runs scored. Cabrera's stats this year are as consistent as ever, but moving out of the south side of Chi-town can only help him score more frequently. A .292 average with modest contribution across the other categories makes him a nice third or fourth outfielder in mixed leagues.
Trevor Rosenthal (RP, STL) 62% owned
Saves are still a thing, right? If you happen to be in a league that doesn't count the stat or uses Sv+Hld instead, then Rosenthal isn't a top priority add. Pretty much everywhere else, he should be owned by now. He's registered three saves this past week alone, while Seung Hwan Oh has been relegated to lesser duties. Rosenthal has stayed healthy and is throwing harder than ever, up to 99.1 MPH on his fastball. He's got a 2.39 SIERA, a 14.54 K/9 and has claimed the closer job. What else could you want from a reliever?
Overrated Players - Week 19
Brian Dozier (2B, MIN) 95% owned
Expecting 40+ homers from Dozier again was never a good idea. Not only did his 18.4% HR/FB% drop as you might have anticipated, he's hitting fly balls at the lowest rate since his rookie year. While Dozier has delivered decent overall production, it still represents a huge drop across the board. Dozier will also snap his three-year streak of scoring over 100 runs, crossing the plate just 50 times so far. He's been outproduced by Scooter Gennett, Whit Merrifield, and Starlin Castro this year, while he doesn't even rank in the top 20 among second baseman over the past month. He shouldn't be dropped anywhere, but it's time to accept him for what he was before last year's outlier of a season.
Jose Bautista (OF, TOR) 78% owned
Two homers in the last month and a .143 average sure don't seem like a turnaround in the second half. Joey Bats is one of those players who entered this season with red flags for decline and he didn't do much to disprove those doubts. Bautista could finish with his worst home run total since 2009 and his .216 average would be the worst over a full season in his Major League career. With news he has been placed on revocable waivers, it's a sign that the Blue Jays are acknowledging his days as a star slugger are over. Fantasy owners need to accept the same.
Sonny Gray (SP, NYY) 88% owned
He was one of the biggest names of the week and he landed in a predictable spot with the Bronx Bombers. Whether you're a fan of Moneyball or not, if you're a Gray owner it's time to make like Billy Beane and sell, sell, sell. Gray has been effective since starting his season in May and has been razor sharp leading up to the trade deadline, conveniently enough. Gray posted a 1.37 ERA with a 36:9 K:BB in his last six starts with A's. He now moves to one of the worst ballparks in terms of HR factor, away from Oakland's below-average park.
Last season, Gray struggled mightily to a 5.69 ERA that also included a 1.38 HR/9. Injuries were partly to blame, but it wouldn't be hard to imagine his home run rate jump up again now that he's in the AL East with a tougher schedule and less favorable home park.
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