Rocket Fantasy Baseball Aug. 8, 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 August 6, 2015. Position eligibility based on Yahoo scoring rules.

This week, we’ll take a look at a few players who are quite likely available in your fantasy league, but their recent performance has been worthy of a spot on most mixed-league rosters. If you do choose to bring them onboard, remember to be vigilant and cut ties if these players’ hot streaks suddenly turn cold. Good luck next week!

Hitters:

Welington Castillo, C, Arizona Diamondbacks: Castillo has fared rather well since coming to the desert back in early June, batting .299 with 11 homers and 24 RBI in 42 games as a member of the Diamondbacks. He’s been absolutely on fire since the All-Star break, though, slashing .320/.414/.740/1.154 with six homers and nine RBI in his first 50 at-bats. Castillo figures to cool off, but while he’s going this well he makes a fine addition to your mixed-league fantasy roster.

Yangervis Solarte, 1B/2B/3B, San Diego Padres:

Yangervis Solarte, 1B/2B/3B, San Diego Padres: Utility guys like Solarte are valuable fantasy commodities in that they can be plugged in to several spots in your lineup, but lately Solarte’s bat is justifying his presence with or without the aforementioned position flexibility. Solarte is batting .329-2-8 in 16 games since the All-Star break, but he has raked out a torrid .391-2-5 line in just six games in August. Daily game players take note: Solarte is batting .280 versus right-handed pitching this year, and just .209 against lefties. (Steve Mitchell / USA TODAY Sports)

Ben Paulsen, 1B/OF, Colorado Rockies: Paulsen has done a fine job filling in for Justin Morneau, and the 27-year-old is batting .333-3-15 in 18 games since the break. Paulsen owns a career .277 average and .794 OPS in the minors, so don’t set the bar too high, but he could be a decent source of fantasy pop while he’s seeing regular at-bats.  A couple of notes for daily game players: Paulsen is likely to sit against lefties, and he owns a .981 OPS at Coors Field this year versus .720 on the road.

Pitchers:

Luis Severino, SP, New York Yankees: The highly touted prospect logged a solid five-inning outing in his first major-league start, though he wound up on the losing end of a 2-1 score. Severino posted a 7-0 record, 1.91 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 11 starts at Triple-A, and the 21-year-old absolutely oozes upside. Expect some bumps in the road, but Severino’s raw stuff and strong supporting cast looks like a recipe for fantasy success.

Taylor Jungmann, SP, Milwaukee Brewers: Jungmann was the 12^th overall pick of the 2011 draft – two selections ahead of some high-school kid named Jose Fernandez – but his minor league numbers were rather pedestrian until he was called up to the Brewers back in mid-June.  He has been lights-out in the majors, though, allowing more than two earned runs only once in 11 big-league starts. He has allowed just two home runs in 71.2 innings, while fanning 61 batters and holding opposing hitters to a .220 BAA.

Alex Wilson, RP, Detroit Tigers: Wilson has stepped nicely into the ninth-inning void created by the trade of closer Joakim Soria, logging two saves and a win in his last four appearances. Wilson is not a big strikeout guy, but he has allowed no runs and only six hits in 11.1 innings since the All-Star break. If you’re chasing saves, Wilson is a must-add in most fantasy formats.

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