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Kev Mahserejian looks at MLB players at each position who are underowned in fantasy baseball leagues. These players may be worth adding or targeting on waivers.
With roughly 60 percent of the MLB season left to play, fantasy owners are understandably at their wits-end with some of their underperforming draft picks and "bigger" names that they are far too hesitant to drop.
Do not let the fallacy of sunk-costs play you into holding onto a player that is dragging your team through the mud. Instead, opt for someone who might not be as popular but that could provide reliable season-long stats to your team.
Unless your league consists of over 14 teams, there are always players on the waiver wire ready to help you out. This piece by Kev Mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon on Twitter) takes a look at under-rostered players at each position (as laid out in the title).
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Catcher
Austin Nola, Seattle Mariners
22% rostered
Austin Nola (not to be confused with brother Aaron Nola) is coming on quite strong in his sophomore season. Despite playing on a lower-end Seattle Mariners offense, he is consistently batting 5th and producing well by catcher-eligible standards. With two home runs, six runs, nine RBI and a .283 batting average supported by a .319 BABIP these is legitimate fantasy viability here and in a short-season, it would make sense to part ways with that struggling Yasmani Grandal or Mitch Garver to upgrade immediately.
Nola, a perennial Quadruple-A player up until last season, is not your typical "breakout", especially since he's 30 years old but when the numbers are sustainable you have to give credit where it is due. His Statcast data backs up his performance thus far with a .351 xwOBA not far off from his current .356.
First Base
Jesus Aguilar, Miami Marlins
29% rostered
Jesus Aguilar is back. He only really arrived in 2018 and left for 2019 but nonetheless, he is back. Aguilar's hitting second consistently atop a decent Miami Marlins lineup and producing modestly enough to be fantasy relevant once again. Despite not scoring many runs on the season (7), Aguilar has 15 RBI and four home runs in 16 games which is a nice reminder of the 35 jacks he hit in 2018 on the Brewers.
Aguilar has cut his strikeout rate down in each of the past four seasons from 30.2% to 25.3% to 22% to 16.2% in 2020. That rate is currently in the top-sixth percentile of eligible MLB players. The power was always there but now with improved contact skills, he is once again a fantasy-viable bat. Certainly, a worth-while add over struggling first-basemen like Carlos Santana or Edwin Encarnacion.
Second Base
Tommy La Stella, Los Angeles Angels
15% rostered
Tommy La Stella has been one of the most underrated hitters in the MLB for two seasons in a row. If he had not fractured his leg in 2019 and cut his la stellar year short, there would be much more hype surrounding him. In 81 plate appearances, his walk rate (12.3%) is nearly double his strikeout rate (6.2%)...this is blatantly absurd. He is batting second every-day in a potent Angels offense and producing well. With a .290 average, two HR, nine runs and 10 RBI, La Stella is doing much better than that of over-rostered 2B like Danny Santana and Lourdes Gurriel.
Third Base
Yoshi Tsutsugo, Tampa Bay Rays
11% rostered
Tsutsugo is a hard sell not only due to his mediocre batting average but also because he typically sits vs LHP (but will occasionally come in halfway through games when an RHP comes in). He is a talented, rookie hitter who is underperforming a tad. While his BABIP may be attributed to his low, 30-grade speed AND 20-degree launch angle, Tsutsugo is hitting well by exit velocity and hard-hit rate standards (both 85th percentile). He hits the ball hard, and he does it consistently; you can only ask so much more out of your guys nowadays.
Don't expect a high batting average anytime soon but power will be there from a cheap bat in a good lineup. Hitting towards the bottom of the order is not ideal but he does have 11 runs and 14 RBI thus far to pair with three home runs.
Outfielder
Stephen Piscotty, Oakland A's
10% rostered
Stephen Piscotty is only 29 but it feels like he has been in the league forever. He's had a few solid years (2016 and 2018) but recency bias clouded the consensus opinion. While it was fair to be out in the preseason, Piscotty is heating up and worth a look, especially given how widely available he is. With nine runs, 17 RBI, and four homers thus far, Piscotty is a solid add to your team.
He, like Tsutsugo, bats towards the end of the order around the seven-hole but given that the A's lineup is strong (sixth in wRC+), he will be batting around talented hitters regardless. He is currently underperforming his xwOBA by .024 points which is fairly significant a disparity to assume regression will come to a certain degree.
Starting Pitcher
Elieser Hernandez, Miami Marlins
16% rostered
Hernandez came into this season as a fringe starter. There were spring training reports of him being a bullpen piece but with COVID-19 hitting the Marlins, and particularly, their pitching staff, Hernandez was thrust into the middle of the rotation and has solidified his role across now three outings. Through 14.2 IP, Hernandez has accumulated 19 strikeouts along with a 1.84 ERA and 0.75 WHIP. While he does not have any wins or quality starts, those are not as important to worry about when considering waiver wire additions.
Hernandez is sporting a 3.78 xFIP along with a 3.01 SIERA, both indicating potential season-long success if he keeps pitching the way he has though it is doubtful that a 33.3% strikeout rate along with a 3.5% walk rate are fully sustained. Expect regression to hit Hernandez eventually but even so, he must be owned in all 12-team leagues and potentially even deeper 10-teamers.
Relief Pitcher
Daniel Bard, Colorado Rockies
4% rostered
While the Rockies did come out and state that they are "no longer employing a designated closer" that is only because the options thus far have failed to meet expectations. While it remains possible that Jairo Diaz regains the role he earned earlier in the season, the chances of him displaying similar success look slim given his recent outings and lack of comfort pitching the ninth-inning and beyond.
Enter Daniel Bard, the hard-throwing former Red Sox pitcher who was out of the league from 2014-to-2019. Bard averages 97mph on his fastball, 87mph on his slider and is perfect for Coors where slow breaking balls go to die. While it may be a tall task to expect a guy with 12 major league innings pitched over the last seven years to come in and consistently close, there remains a possibility that he is "the guy" in Colorado. His strikeout rate is currently around 30% and his walk rate is right around 2% with just one all season. The Rockies have exhausted the other viable closing options and might be forced to rely on Bard. For fantasy owners, why not take a stab at the guy available for free almost universally?
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