Welcome back to “Off The Deep End”, where I will give you fantasy baseball tips on who to pick up in deeper leagues. For people who play standard leagues, drop/add columns are easy for you to find, but for those of you that love deeper leagues, advice can be harder to come by. That is where I can help. All of these players are available in 85% or more of ESPN leagues.
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This time around we will do things a little differently. I will only do one position at a time, but I will give you advice on who to drop as well.
This piece will focus on second basemen. The catchers are here. The first basemen are here.
Rutledge will get plenty of chances with Troy Tulowitzki out. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Add:
Dustin Ackley, Mariners: Ackley is on quite a hot streak, hitting .375 in July. The bad part is that he is not hitting for much power. That said, if you need average or RBI, he can be of service.
Tommy LaStella, Braves: The second base job is his, unless the Braves trade for a second baseman, which is unlikely. He has nine RBI in the last seven games, so he is worth a look.
Josh Rutledge, Rockies: Troy Tulowitzki landing on the DL opens the door for Rutledge to get every day at bats once again. He has shown he can do good things when he plays, so he is worth a look. He is riding a five game hitting streak, and hitting .302 on the season.
Rougned Odor, Rangers: I know, I usually only do three, but there are a lot of second baseman at the bottom of the barrel that are producing. The second base job is Odor’s, and there is still no timetable for the return of prospect Jurickson Profar. So go ahead and plug Odor’s .270 average into your lineup, and hope for some consistent power or speed.
Drop:
Gordon Beckham, White Sox: Beckham is ice cold right now, going just 4-41 in the last two weeks. In fact, he has just six hits in the entire month of July and hasn’t homered since June 24th. If you still own him, you have already hung on too long.
Luis Valbuena, Cubs: You know how much I like guys who are eligible at more than one position, so you know Valbuena must really be struggling if I am calling for him to be dropped. His .160 average over the last two weeks does not help you. He has hit for the cycle in the span, but those are his only four hits.
Jon Schoop, Orioles: Unfortunately, his defense won’t help your fantasy squad. His .148 average does even less, but he has homered twice since the All Star Break. You just need to decide if you can take the hit in the average department.