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RotoBaller's Dan Sausville breaks down 5 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups. These potential fantasy sleepers can be useful in AL-Only and deep leagues for week 18.
This article is subtitled the "Yahoo! Sleeper Edition," not because these players are sleepers in Yahoo! formats, but because Yahoo! fantasy owners are entirely sleeping on them unjustly. The first player in this article is one of my hidden gems whom I think can really make an impact the rest of the season, followed by three guys who are just flat-out not owned enough in Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues. Everyone on this list could possibly be useful in mixed formats, but they are all potential difference-makers in AL only leagues, as well as deep leagues as we come down the stretch in Fantasy Baseball 2014.
Enrique Hernandez - 2B/OF, Marlins
1% Yahoo!, 5% CBS, 1% Fleaflicker
Enrique Hernandez is a 22-year-old who looks awfully sure of himself at the plate at the big-league level, something that always intrigues me. He was signed as a 17-year-old by the Astros, after they selected the Puerto Rican product in the sixth round of the 2009 Amateur Draft, and acquired by the Marlins at the trade deadline yesterday. Hernandez also has multi-position roster eligibility, with shortstop being added to the list after this past weekend, so this 5'11'' 200-pounder is someone you might want to consider picking up.
In his first 24 games, he has 23 hits, 10 runs, 8 walks, 8 RBI, 2 3B and a HR. Also over those 24 games, he has displayed a very compact swing, but what I like the most about him is his ability to keep his body under control. He controls his front side very well, and does not move forward at all during his swing, showing confidence and trust in his swing to do the work for him. I advise him as a must add in AL Only Leagues, and a must add in 16-team leagues or deeper, provided you can set your roster daily. Mixed leaguers should pay attention: if the at-bats are still there in a week or two, he might be worth an add as a super-sub. Take a peek at Enrique Hernandez's first home run in the big leagues below:
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Conor Gillaspie - 1B/3B, White Sox
19% Yahoo!, 46% CBS, 14% Fleaflicker
.323, 4 HR, 38 RBI. I will take those numbers from anyone on my AL-Only team right now, and probably in a deep mixed league, as well. Gillaspie is someone I have touted a few times throughout the year, and CBS owners have finally come around, but he is a shocking 19% owned in Yahoo! Leagues.
Over the last month, Gillaspie has hit all four of his 2014 home runs, showing some signs of life in the power department. He's hitting sixth on most nights, and perhaps seeing more fastballs and adjusting his approach. I will not go into any more detail, as you can find my analysis of him here. Below is a home run Gillaspie hit against the Red Sox, showcasing his ability to "drop the head on it," something he did not do a whole lot of in the first half of the season.
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Kevin Gausman - SP, Orioles
16% Yahoo!, 53% CBS, 10% Fleaflicker
My initial report on Gausman is here, but a little update on him is that in his last 10 starts, he allowed one ruin or fewer in six of them. The ERA is sitting at 3.70, and he has struck out 40 in 56 IP.
Gausman's fly ball rate is still up and he pitches in a dangerous ballpark for that, but as long as they continue to stay in the yard, he should be a solid SP5 in mixed leagues. As I stated previously, a must-roster in AL Only and Deep Leagues.
Showcasing a high-90s sinking fastball, and a 12-to-6 slider in the 87-mph range, Gausman dominated the Red Sox a little over a week ago and showed he can get strikeouts when he needs them. See below.
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Shane Greene - SP, Yankees
10% Yahoo!, 35% CBS, 5% Fleaflicker
Shane Greene is an intriguing pitcher with an impressive mix of mid 90s heat that has two-plane sink, to go along with a hard-biting high-80s slider that is developing with each start. He has also shown a nice 12-to-6 low-80s curveball at times. Greene mainly sticks with the sinker/slider combo so many big leaguers use today; he doesn't give up a lot of hits (21 in 24.2 IP) and has a 1.18 WHIP to go along with a 3.28 ERA.
Walks haven't been much of an issue either, and Greene has shown he can strike guys out when he's on (see below for highlights from his nine-strikeout performance against the Orioles on July 12). He's not going to be a high-volume strikeout pitcher, but he will certainly help your team if you are having trouble with your rate stats. In AL Only leagues I would certainly add him, but I need to see another week before I would consider him mixed-league worthy.
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