Rocket Fantasy Baseball July 25, 2015

Rocket Sports’ Fantasy 500

• Our weekly look at some movers, shakers and difference-makers in the world of fantasy baseball.

Note: all stats current as of close of play on July 24, 2015.

The MLB trade deadline is fast approaching, and already Scott Kazmir, Aramis Ramirez and former Marlins’ closer Steve Cishek have found themselves in new cities. News will be breaking fast between now and the end of the month, so be sure to stay up to date and be ready to act if a blockbuster deal opens up an opportunity for a heretofore-unknown player.

This week, we’re looking at players who aren’t exactly “unknown”, but who have been turning in some strong performances while flying a bit beneath the fantasy baseball radar. Finding these hidden gems is one of the keys to fantasy success, so let’s get right to it, shall we?

Hitters:

Rougned Odor, 2B, Texas: Odor was a popular deep sleeper this spring, but he struggled mightily out of the gate, batting just .144 before being sent to the minors in early May. He was recalled in mid-June and has been tearing it up ever since, smacking out five homers, plating 21 RBI, stealing four bases and batting .360 in 30 games. Look to the 21-year-old for some decent pop and a few steals the rest of the way.

Kyle Schwarber, C, Chicago Cubs: The fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft has been one of the most popular waiver-wire targets lately, and small wonder: all he’s done is bat .400 with three homers and 11 ribbies in his first 14 major league games. He can’t sustain this of course, but the .323-16-49 line he posted across two minor league levels this season tells us that Schwarber’s bat is a potent one indeed.

Randal Grichuk, OF, St. Louis: Grichuk posted .282-5-12 in June, and he has plated 15 RBI with four homers and a .282 average through his first 20 games in July. His .370 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) suggests that a downward correction in his batting average is coming soon, but it looks like the 23-year-old should be a decent source of fantasy power for at least the near future.

Pitchers:

Kevin Siegrist, RP, St. Louis: Siegrist has logged a 1.39 ERA and five saves while fanning 57 batters in 45.1 innings this season. Closer Trevor Rosenthal, meanwhile, has allowed runs in four of his last six outings, and he has scuffled to a 5.73 ERA and 2.09 WHIP in 11 July appearances. Factor in that Rosenthal skipped the All-Star Game due to arm soreness, and there seems to be cause for concern here. Siegrist is a good speculative add if you’re chasing saves – but keep in mind that newly acquired Steve Cishek could also be in the mix if Rosenthal needs a break.

Chris Heston, SP, San Francisco Giants: Heston has been streakier than a cab driver’s windshield during his rookie season: he posted a 2.77 ERA in April, a 4.58 in May, 3.56 in June and a stellar 1.32 in his first four starts in July. His recent run of success has lowered his ERA from 4.29 on June 2 to its current 3.18, and he has received the best run support of any qualifying National League starting pitcher.

Kyle Hendricks, SP, Chicago Cubs: Hendricks was knocked around a bit in his July 22 start at Cincinnati, but the 25-year-old has cobbled together some solid numbers in 2015 while flying below a lot of fantasy radars.  Hendricks has outstanding command, and his strikeout rate has improved markedly from his 2014 rookie season. The advanced metrics suggest that Hendricks’ current numbers are sustainable, but he is owned in fewer than 30 percent of Yahoo leagues.

That’ll do it for this week; good luck in your fantasy leagues and we’ll talk again soon.