Garrett Crochet was one of the most remarkable stories in baseball in the first half, as he emerged from an injury-marred obscurity to first become the White Sox Opening Day starter and then a legitimate ace. He made the All-Star game and finished the first half of the season with a 3.02 ERA and 150 strikeouts in just 107.1 innings.
It's been pretty much a disaster since then.
Crochet closed out the first half with a couple of weird, short stints, and then reports emerged about a disconnect between the team and Crochet about the plans the rest of the way; Crochet wanted to remain in the rotation without having his innings limited, and was looking for assurances from would-be trade partners to that end, which seemingly limited the market for his services at the trade deadline – and demands for a long-term contract extension upon a trade certainly didn't help.
The White Sox opted not to trade him, and it seems like Fantasy players have gotten the worst-case scenario outcome: He's still pitching, but not in a way that is going to make him matter for Fantasy. We got confirmation of that Friday, when he dominated the Astros with nine strikeouts over four innings of work … and that was it. Despite just 55 pitches. Crochet has been limited to four or fewer innings in every start since June, and if he wasn't going to be allowed to go deeper in that start, that seems like confirmation that it just isn't going to happen.
I was hoping we wouldn't have to drop Crochet down the stretch, because we absolutely know he can be a difference maker in Fantasy when he's right; how many of the pitchers you might have dropped him for could you have said that about? But in the wake of Friday's start, it seems clear all eyes are on 2025 now. Crochet may stay in the rotation the rest of the way (though I kind of doubt it), and there may even be a few more dominant showings along the way. I sure hope so!
But we've held on to him long enough, and it's clear he just isn't going to matter for Fantasy the rest of the way. It's time to say goodbye.
With one roster spot to play with at least, here's who we're looking to add ahead of Week 22:
Catchers
Joey Bart, Pirates (29%) – Catchers take a long time to develop, because they've got so much more on their plate than everyone else, and maybe what we're seeing right now is Bart figuring it out. He's probably not really a .278 hitter, but he has improved his strikeout rate to manageable levels and still hits the ball really hard, so it all looks like a viable starting option, even in a one-catcher league.
Deep-league target: Adrian Del Castillo, Diamondbacks (17%) – Castillo slowed down a bit over the weekend, but is still showing plenty of strong skills, including a 20% barrel rate in a small sample size. Del Castillo had huge numbers in the minors and has more than held his own so far in the majors, so I remain very interested in him as a No. 2 option at catcher.
First Base
Spencer Torkelson, Tigers (32%) – Expectations for Torkelson aren't especially high in his return to the majors. After all, he was merely decent at Triple-A, hitting .239/.356/.443 with an untenable 31% strikeout rate before being recalled. However, this is a guy who hit 31 homers last season and helped carry countless players to a Fantasy championship with 19 homers in the second half especially. We know what he's capable of, and that makes him worth a look if you need an injection of power.
Deep-league target: Niko Kavadas, Angels (1%) – The Angels have spent the season cycling through Quad-A types, and Kavadas is the latest to get a chance. He's a 25-year-old former Red Sox prospect with a career .246/.388/.490 at Triple-A, and he's stepped into the lineup as the team's cleanup hitter in his first two career games, so let's see if he can be useful in deeper leagues. He'll have the opportunity.
Second base
Jace Jung, Tigers (19%) – Here's what I had to say in the Fantasy Baseball Today Newsletter when Jung got called up last week (subscribe here!): "Jung, though? Yeah, he might be. Jung is the No. 64 overall prospect for MLB Pipeline, and that's in a season where he's been a bit of a disappointment, hitting .257/.377/.454 at Triple-A. The 23-year-old is patient at the plate and has a decent enough 22.4% strikeout rate, and he needs both of those skills to come along with him to the majors because he has solid, but not necessarily exceptional power– his 87.7 mph average exit velocity is in the Jonathan India/Gavin Lux range among major-leaguers, though his max exit velo of 111.4 mph suggests there's at least above-average raw power. The good news is, Jung does have a swing geared toward making the most of the power he does have. He has hit more fly balls than ground balls this season and has pulled 50% of his batted balls, which is what you want to see."
Deep-league target: Will Wagner, Blue Jays (8%) – Wagner has started four of the first six games since being called up, including one against a lefty, so there is some playing time upside here. He's hit extremely well so far, going 8 for 15 with three doubles, and has hit .337/.445/.465 at Triple-A in 83 career games. He probably isn't a superstar, but he's hot right now and has some MI appeal even in shallower leagues.
Third base
Max Muncy, Dodgers (75%) – It's been a long time, but Muncy is finally expected back from his oblique injury this week. He looked fine in his minor-league rehab assignment and was hitting .223/.323/.475 with a 36-homer pace prior to the injury. We know what his limitations are, and maybe Muncy gets a bit more time off coming back from such a lengthy IL stint. But we also know Muncy is an excellent power hitter who makes up for a low batting average with tons of walks, and that has historically had a place in someone's lineup in every Fantasy league.
Deep-league target: Deyvison De Los Santos, Marlins (14%) – There's no concrete sign that De Los Santos' promotion is inevitable, but it has to be, right? He's crushed 33 homers as a 21-year-old across the top two levels of the minors, and the Marlins are certain to want to get a glimpse of him at the MLB level before the end of the season. In deeper leagues, he's one of the better stashes available right now.
Shortstop
Tommy Edman, Dodgers (55%) – It's not entirely clear if Edman is going to play everyday for the Dodgers, and given how much time he's missed coming back from wrist surgery – and how troublesome his recovery from that surgery has been – it's fair to be skeptical about his chances of being a difference maker down the stretch. On the other hand, Edman has been a must-start Fantasy player whenever healthy for years, and he's eligible at three different positions when he comes off the IL this week. You've probably got room for him somewhere on your team.
Deep-league target: Shay Whitcomb, Astros (12%) – The key question for Whitcomb is how much time Alex Bregman is likely to miss with his elbow injury. He missed all three games of this weekend's series with inflammation, and if he goes on the IL, Whitcomb could get some extended run after hitting .293/.378/.530 with 25 homers and 26 steals in 108 games at Triple-A this season. There's real power here, and if the improved plate discipline from this season is real too, he could be a viable Fantasy option if he plays everyday.
Outfield
Kerry Carpenter, Tigers (72%) – The Tigers have given Carpenter a single start against a left-handed starting pitcher this season, which puts a real ceiling on how valuable he can be for Fantasy. Of course, he's hitting .286/.339/.602 for the season, so even as a platoon bat, he's going to be valuable in pretty much every format. And he's showing no signs of slowing down since coming back from his back injury, hitting three homers in his first four games back from the IL entering play Sunday.
Parker Meadows, Tigers (20%) – After a dreadful start to his MLB season, Meadows went back to Triple-A and put up huge numbers, and he's done the same since returning to the majors in early July. He is hitting .327/.352/.577 in 14 games, with a four-week absence due to a hamstring injury thrown in there. He hasn't slowed down since coming back from the IL, and could be an impactful power/speed threat down the stretch.
JJ Bleday, Athletics (46%) – Bleday sits against the occasional lefty himself, though that's become less of an issue lately, as he has started 23 of 26 games since the All-Star break – and, given his .884 OPS against lefties, it's fair to say he might not even need to be a platoon bat anymore. Bleday is hitting .318/.396/.553 since the All-Star break with a 190-run-plus-RBI pace, and probably just needs to be rostered in all but the shallowest three-outfielder leagues at this point.
Matt Wallner, Twins (26%) – Wallner is starting to show some signs of slowing down, going 0 for 14 over his past five games. Even with that, he has an .855 OPS in the month of August despite an uncharacteristic one homer in 14 games. He's still crushing the ball, with an expected wOBA of .400 over the past 50 games, so I still think he's one of the best widely available bets for power out there.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs (26%) – Crow-Armstrong just has to be decent as a bat to be an impact real-life player thanks to his defense, and his speed could do the same for Fantasy. Since the All-Star break, Crow-Armstrong is showing off better quality of contact metrics and it's led to eight extra-base hits in 25 games – he has 11 in 60 games prior. He's put up a 39-steal pace in that span as well, and there's probably even room for improvement on his ugly .232 batting average, seeing as it comes with just a .254 BABIP. And would you look at that, he's hitting .296 (with a .290 BABIP) in August.
Alex Call, Nationals (13%) – The Nationals have given a lot of playing time to some pretty fringe, Quad-A-type talents over the past few seasons, and they've been rewarded with some really nice returns. Call is seemingly the latest, hitting .373/.425/.567 since returning to the team in late July. That obviously isn't sustainable, but he has a bit of pop and speed and is playing everyday, so why not add him in those deeper categories leagues while he's hot.
Starting pitcher
Jeffrey Springs, Rays (69%) – Springs' first couple of starts back from Tommy John surgery weren't great, but he's rediscovered the feel for his changeup in his past two, striking out 15 over 10 innings of work. Would we like to see him stretch out a bit more than that? Absolutely, and it's fair to wonder if he'll get that opportunity on the notoriously cautious Rays. If he doesn't, it limits the win upside, but Springs could still be pretty useful the rest of the way even without it.
Kyle Harrison, Giants (70%) – I'm not really much of a believer in Harrison, who is mostly too fastball-heavy for a guy whose fastball just hasn't been a particularly special pitch in the majors. But if you're trying to make up ground in some pitching categories down the stretch, Harrison is a pretty good option for this week, with matchups against the historically bad White Sox lineup and a Mariners' lineup that is even more strikeout happy. It's hard to ask for a better two-start week.
Martin Perez, Padres (29%) – Perez's two-start schedule isn't as good as Harrison's, but I do actually have more faith in him at this point, especially since the move to San Diego has coincided with an increase in his curveball and changeup usage that have led to a 1.96 ERA in three starts. It's not hard to see how it could blow up in your face, but I'm fine trusting Perez here.
Zebby Matthews, Twins (39%) – I'm a little skeptical about Matthews' strikeout upside against major-league hitters, given how much he pounds the strike zone. And that's especially true for Monday's start against the Padres, the best contact-hitting team in the majors. But those concerns are mitigated somewhat by Matthews being in line for two starts this week, the second slated to come against the Cardinals. He's a solid streamer for this week.
Relief pitcher
Michael Kopech, Dodgers (32%) – There's been a lot of, "The Dodgers did it again!" talk about Kopech's turnaround, but I'll just note two things: First, that Kopech's pitch mix is almost identical since the trade; and secondly, that Kopech's turnaround actually began before the trade, as his 13-game scoreless streak includes eight appearances with the White Sox. He's always had closer stuff, and the Dodgers used him for a save Friday and Sunday, which shows he's in the mix in a crowded bullpen, at least. Given the strikeout upside here, Kopech could be worth using even if he isn't a closer right now; if he does end up becoming the team's closer, he could be a difference maker down the stretch.
Seranthony Dominguez, Orioles (20%) – With Craig Kimbrel slumping, Dominguez has emerged as the guy in Baltimore's bullpen, recording the team's last three saves, including Sunday's against the Red Sox. I would imagine the Orioles want to go back to Kimbrel when he gets back on track, but right now, Dominguez sure looks like the closer for one of the best teams in baseball.
