Today, we are going to take a quick glance at some series this weekend where there is some post-season hope at stake for both teams involved (as defined as having at least a 20% chance to make the post-season. We will give a quick glance at what’s at stake for both teams and highlight a player from each team who has recently been getting an increase in Fantasy Baseball attention. With that in mind, here is the 8-14-15 Waiver Wire Report.
Yankees (80.2% Chance) vs. Blue Jays (92.9% Chance)
What’s At Stake:
The Blue Jays have been red hot over the last couple of weeks and have overtaken the Yankees for first place in the AL East. For the Blue Jays, this is a chance to extend this lead. For the Yankees, this weekend is an opportunity to take back first place.
Player Spotlight:
Luis Severino, SP, New York Yankees
Since news broke of Severino being called up, his ownership in Fantasy Leagues has gone through the roof. If you are in one of the leagues where he has not yet been picked up, the question is should you pick up Severino? The answer to this is a resounding yes. In every level in the minor leagues, he put up dominant numbers and his first two starts have indicated that he can hold his own in the majors as he has a 2.45 ERA/3.19 FIP thus far.
Roberto Osuna, RP, Toronto Blue Jays
While much of the noise surrounding the Blue Jays has been the acquisition of star players such as Troy Tulowitzki and David Price, one lesser-heralded move has been to give the closer role to Osuna. While he is only 20, he has produced strong results so far with 11 SV, 9.75 K/9 and a 2.09 ERA. While he has had some good luck (as indicated by a .244 BABIP), overall he appears to be a legitimate option at closer as he has a 2.44 FIP. If he is still available in your league, Osuna represents a strong upgrade at the Closer position.
Pirates (86.2% Chance) vs. Mets (71.4% Chance)
What’s At Stake:
The Pirates look to extend their hold on the first Wild Card spot while the Mets look to extend their lead in the NL East.
Player Spotlight:
Jung Ho Kang, SS, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates
After a respectable but not great start to the season, Kang has played very well since the All-Star break hitting .373 with five HR in 23 games. This hot streak has helped him raise his AVG to .296 and his wRC+ to 137. While he is a solid hitter who can provide double digit power in the middle infield, I don’t see him as someone who would hit .290+ in the long term as he has been helped by a .357 BABIP. However, he is still a solid upgrade option in the middle infield.
Jon Niese, SP, New York Mets
With the exception of the month of May (when Niese had a 5.56 ERA), he has had an ERA of 3.00 or better in every other month this season. Overall, he is 7-9 with a 3.46 ERA. For those of you deciding whether or not to pick him up, there is both risk and reward. The reward aspect is that he continues to pitch well and continue to produce results as the Mets make their playoff push. The risk is that he may be due for regression as his 4.07 FIP indicates that he has benefitted from some good luck and he has been striking out less betters than before (6.05 K/9 this season).
Nationals (41.8% Chance) vs. Giants (31.9% Chance)
What’s At Stake: In this NLDS Rematch, both teams are looking to make up ground as they are on the wrong side of the playoff picture for both the Wild Card and their respective division.
Player Spotlight:
Michael Taylor, OF, Washington Nationals
This season is the first time Taylor has received an extended look in the majors. Whether or not you want to take a chance on Taylor is highly dependent on how much of a hit you are willing to take on your batting average. Thus far, he has shown to be a solid contributor with both his bat and his legs (10 HR/14 SB) and his numbers in the minor leagues indicates that these numbers are not a fluke and better days are ahead for him offensively.
However, there are some drawbacks as he is only hitting .244 despite a BABIP of .333 and he is currently striking out at a rate of 31.2%. This is something that he will likely need to improve to take the next step in his development.
Brandon Belt, 1B, San Francisco Giants
On Tuesday, Belt hit two HR against the Astros bringing his year to date total to 17 which ties his career high. While the standard stats (.272 AVG, 17 HR, 138 wRC+) indicate that he is a having a nice season, they are also selling him short to some degree.
The major thing underlying a breakout is his increase in the amount of hard contact (42.4%) that he has made this season. This places him second in the majors amongst players with enough PA to qualify.
Angels (57.8% Chance) vs. Royals (99.7% Chance)
What’s At Stake: In a rematch of another ALDS series, the Royals are looking to expand their AL Central lead and the Angels are looking to catch the Astros in the AL West race.
Player Spotlight:
Jered Weaver, SP, Los Angeles Angels
This season, Weaver has pitched well below expectations. One question to ask is can he put things together enough to help the Angels and Fantasy Owners down the stretch. He made his first start since returning from the DL on Sunday against the Orioles and he pitched well giving up two ER in five IP and striking out seven batters.
While this could cause people to pick him up out of speculation, I’m going to need more than one good start before being sold on Weaver. This season, his FIP matches very closely to his ERA indicating that his 4.69 ERA is not a product of bad luck and his strikeouts (despite his last start) is still trending in the wrong direction (4.96 K/9).
Edinson Volquez, SP, Kansas City Royals
Despite making it to the World Series last year, expectations of the Royals making a repeat run this year looked unlikely. However, here they sit comfortably in first place. One player who is contributing to this process is Volquez. Despite a tough start against the Tigers on Wednesday, his numbers for this season are still very solid as he is 11-7 with a 3.27 ERA.
While Volquez should be counted on down the stretch to continue posting similar ERA totals down the stretch, and he has pitched better than he has in the past several seasons (3.76 FIP), one thing to keep in mind in the long term is that he is also benefitting from having a strong defense behind him which has helped his overall numbers in the short term.
Playoff odds based on teamrankings.com
Player stats found on fangraphs.com
Based on data through 8-12-15
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