We're down to the penultimate waiver-wire run of the Fantasy Baseball season, which means that all that matters is what kind of an impact a player can have right now. And that's tough for me, because I think the most interesting and exciting player currently available on the waiver-wire is a guy who might not actually make that big of an impact right now.
I'm talking about Kumar Rocker, the Rangers top pitching prospect, who came up and looked awesome in his MLB debut last week. Rocker, who has been dominant in the minors while working his way back from Tommy John surgery this season, looked dominant against the Mariners … for four innings of work. He struck out seven, walked two, allowed just three hits and one earned run, and his stuff looked wicked. He averaged 96.7 mph with his four-seam fastball, but it was the breaking ball – he calls it a curveball, most sites are listing it as a slider – that really wowed, as Rocker generated a whopping 13 whiffs on 21 swings, along with three weakly hit balls in play.
That breaking ball immediately looks like one of the best pitches in the majors, a two-plane weapon he looks comfortable throwing in any count, and it looks capable of generating whiffs either in or out of the zone. Armed with that pitch, plus a good fastball and a show-me changeup, I could see Rocker being an impact player for Fantasy … I'm just not sure there's enough time left for him to do it.
You will note that Rocker only made it through four innings in that debut, and he threw just 74 pitches. The Rangers haven't let him throw even 80 pitches in a game so far this season, and given his injury history – arm concerns led the Mets to pass on signing him after they drafted him out of college, and he has had shoulder and elbow surgery since – I don't see much reason to think Rocker is going to be allowed to get to even 90 down the stretch. Add in that the Rangers are rolling with a six-man rotation right now, and Rocker probably only has two starts left this season anyway.
Of course, he might just strike out 15 in those two starts. He might go six innings in 75 pitches if he pitches more efficiently against the Blue Jays this week, and then he gets either the A's or Angels in his final start, assuming the Rangers keep with their current rotation. Rocker could absolutely be worth starting in either or both matchup, despite his limitations.
It's not the likeliest outcome, of course. The likeliest outcome sees Rocker falling short of a quality start, and likely not even qualifying for a win. That makes him especially tough to use in H2H points leagues. But I did put a bid on him in all of my categories leagues, and if I win him, I'm probably just shooting for the strikeout upside and starting him. It may not work out for me, but with just two weeks left, I'm going to have some fun.
Here's who else we could be looking to add ahead of Week 26:
Catchers
Hunter Goodman, Rockies (5%) – If you're absolutely desperate in a two-catcher league, give Goodman a look. He's not playing everyday, or anything, but he's getting some run lately and has some upside, as he showed with his two-homer game against the Cubs over the weekend. He has started seven of the past 12 games since coming back from the minors and while he hasn't done a ton at the MLB level, he does have a career .929 OPS in the minors. You've just gotta hope the Rockies give him at least two starts in three games at Coors Field this week – though it is worth noting that they have six games at Coors in the final week of the season.
You can also consider: Joey Bart, Pirates (30%)
First Base
Spencer Horwitz, Blue Jays (43%) – Horwitz has been one of several pleasant surprises for the Blue Jays this season, and he might be playing his way into the team's long-term plans with his play over the final month. In 11 games entering Sunday, he is hitting .375/.447/.781 with just five strikeouts in 38 trips to the plate. He doesn't quite play everyday, which is just about the only thing holding Horwitz back from being a viable starter in all formats. But outside of shallow H2H points leagues, he looks like someone you can have in your lineup most weeks.
You can also consider: Jonathan Aranda, Rays (5%)
Second base
Otto Lopez, Marlins (10%) – It hasn't gotten much coverage, but Lopez is actually having a really nice couple of months for the Marlins. Since Aug. 1, he is hitting .299/.357/.429 with nine stolen bases in 40 games – a 36-steal pace while starting all but one game. The counting stats are pretty mediocre overall, as he's batting in the bottom half of a bad Marlins lineup, but the speed and batting average are nice, and not altogether out of the realm of sustainability – he's a career .287 hitter with 42 steals in 230 games at Triple-A, and his .271 expected batting average is in the 79th percentile among all MLB hitters. The Marlins might have a legit contributor here.
You can also consider: Spencer Horwitz, Blue Jays (43%)
Third base
Connor Norby, Marlins (62%) – Norby is starting to slow down a bit, and maybe that foot injury that caused him to miss a game earlier in the week is to blame. The strikeouts have especially become a problem, with 20 of them in 50 trips to the plate in September – with just one walk. That's far from ideal, and raises plenty of questions about how sustainable his post-trade breakout has been. But the positives still far outweigh the negatives, and I bet most of you can still find a spot in your lineup at one of the two positions Norby is eligible for down the stretch.
You can also consider: Jose Tena, Nationals (12%)
Shortstop
Trevor Story, Red Sox (28%) – Story hasn't played much over the past three seasons, but when he has, he still looks like a pretty viable Fantasy option. He started all three games for the Red Sox this weekend, going 5 for 15 with a homer and a steal, along with three strikeouts, and he is 8 for 29 since coming back from what we initially thought might be season-ending shoulder surgery. All in all, he's now played 152 games for the Red Sox over the past three seasons while dealing with a bunch of injuries, and while he has hit just .231 in that time, it has come with 20 homers, 69 runs, 87 RBI, and 26 steals. That's viable production from a middle infielder in basically any league.
You can also consider: Trey Sweeney, Tigers (5%)
Outfield
Parker Meadows, Tigers (32%) – I don't quite understand why Meadows' roster rate remains so stubbornly low. Even in points leagues – unquestionably his worst format – Meadows has been a top-15 outfielder over the past 28 days entering play Sunday. He hasn't had a game off so far in September, and is still hitting .304/.349/.548 in 34 games since coming off the IL, with a 100-plus run and 100-plus RBI pace. He should be rostered and started in nearly all formats at this point.
Victor Robles, Mariners (34%) – This is one to keep an eye on, as Robles did leave Sunday's game with an apparent lower-leg injury. It would be a real bummer if an injury derailed Robles, because he has truly been one of the best stories in the league since getting to the Mariners. And he has been showing no signs of slowing down lately, hitting .432 with eight stolen bases in 11 games entering play Sunday. Robles has his strikeout rate down to 18.8% for the season, significantly lower than the marks he typically ran in Washington, while also putting up a .361 expected wOBA on contact, the best mark of his career. Robles isn't a superstar now, but he showed signs of improvement last year and has built on them here, and at the very least looks like a must-roster player in all category leagues down the stretch if he's healthy.
Tommy Pham, Royals (20%) – At this point in Pham's career, we pretty much know who he is. Over the course of a full season, he'll give you 15-20 homers and about as many steals, without being a true impact bat across the board. So, on the whole, his low roster rate certainly makes some sense. On the other hand, he's the leadoff hitter for the Royals right now, hitting in front of a potential AL MVP, which means he's getting around 4.5 plate appearances per game, vital volume in any scoring format. Again, he's not a difference maker on his own, but the context does make Pham someone who probably needs to be started in many more leagues than he currently is.
You can also consider: Luke Raley, Mariners (21%), Heston Kjerstad, Orioles (26%)
Starting pitcher
Reid Detmers, Angels (40%) – I know, I know, we've done this before. You're scared to trust again. I get it, I am too. But… he gets the White Sox this week. Sure, he also gets the Astros, which isn't great, but … he gets the White Sox! Detmers seemed to rediscover his slider during his time in Triple-A, and he's racked up 18 strikeouts with just four runs allowed in 12 innings of work against the Dodgers and Twins since returning to the majors. Surely he won't hurt us again in the Fantasy stretch run against the White Sox, right? Well, one way or another, I'm trusting him.
Clarke Schmidt, Yankees (62%) – Despite the 2.41 ERA on the season, I'm not at all convinced that Schmidt is suddenly an ace, or anything. But he doesn't need to be an ace to justify being useful in Fantasy, especially with a great matchup coming this week against the Mariners, the most strikeout prone team in the history of baseball (not counting the shortened 2020 season). I'm not sure I'd be willing to trust Schmidt in his final start against the Orioles next week, but after he limited the Red Sox to just two runs over 5.2 innings this weekend, I'll get him in my lineup against the Mariners.
Edward Cabrera, Marlins (30%) – Is Cabrera maybe starting to figure it out? He limited the Nationals to two unearned runs over six innings over the weekend, and suddenly has a 2.66 ERA over the past nine starts. His underlying metrics don't quite match that, but they aren't terrible – 3.78 FIP, 3.70 xFIP in that span – and when combined with Cabrera's ability to keep the ball off the barrel of the bat in the past, maybe there's something here. The problem is, he gets the Dodgers this week, so you'd have to be awfully gutsy to trust him here. If you are playing into Week 27, you could consider him for a softer, more whiff-prone matchup against the Twins.
You can also consider: Nick Martinez, Reds (25%), Cade Povich, Orioles (18%)
Relief pitcher
Porter Hodge, Cubs (37%) – If you're desperate to make up ground on saves right now, there unfortunately just aren't a lot of options to choose from. Hodge is probably the best choice, despite blowing a save against the Rockies Saturday – he hadn't allowed an earned run in 14 straight appearances prior to that, while emerging as the Cubs' top option for the ninth. He only has two saves in September, so I'm not sure how much he'll help out – the Cubs have gone 6-7 in that stretch and are basically a .500 team overall – but he's the best option we have right now.
You can also consider: Jason Foley, Tigers (45%)