Fantasy Baseball 2018: 3 Outfielders Worth Adding for Depth
By Bill Pivetz
With just a month left to the fantasy baseball season, here are three outfielders worth adding to strengthen your roster.
The fantasy baseball season is coming to a close. Owners are either changing their focus to football or bolster their roster for the playoffs. If you fall into the latter camp, then making moves is important to keep on winning. If a player isn’t performing, you don’t have time to wait for them to heat up. Here are three outfielders hitting well and worth adding to your team.
These three outfielders are widely available in ESPN leagues. They have carved out a role for themselves on their respective teams and are producing every chance they get. With a few consistent options on the waiver wire, it’s hard to weed out those worth adding.
Billy McKinney, TOR
Since being traded to Toronto and getting called up, McKinney has been a productive outfielder. He seems to have surpassed Curtis Granderson (who has been the subject of a lot of trade rumors) as the No. 4 outfielder. With his recent performance, he will likely split time with Teoscar Hernandez.
The Blue Jays have Kevin Pillar and Randal Grichuk as their other two outfielders. Hernandez is hitting .186/.277/.361 since the All-Star break. McKinney, on the other hand, is hitting .391/.517/.870 with three home runs, nine RBIs and six runs since his call-up.
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The Blue Jays may not be winning a lot of games but the offense is clicking with Kendrys Morales crushing home runs and McKinney constantly getting on base. He’s owned in just 6.5 percent of leagues.
Melky Cabrera, CLE
Cabrera is getting more playing time due to the injuries to Leonys Martin, Lonnie Chisenhall, Tyler Naquin and Rajai Davis.
Since July 21, Cabrera rose his batting average from .238 to .280 by hitting .320 in that span with six home runs, 16 RBIs and 15 runs scored. He isn’t known to be a power hitter so don’t expect many home runs over the final weeks.
Cabrera has been mostly hitting sixth in the Indians order. With Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley, Jose Ramirez and Edwin Encarnacion hitting in front of him, he will have a lot of chances to drive in runs. Cabrera is available in 73 percent of leagues, up 24 percent over the last week.
Tyler O’Neil, STL
While Harrison Bader is getting a lot of hype in St. Louis, O’Neil is quietly a name for himself.
O’Neil was in the Cardinals lineup early in the season but was hitting .227 with three home runs and seven RBIs over 19 games. He was called back up on July 31, the same day the front office traded Tommy Pham.
Since then, O’Neil is hitting .341 with three homers, eight RBIs and 11 runs scored. He also recorded two steals. O’Neil doesn’t have the best plate discipline, 15:2 K:BB ratio, so if strikeouts count against a batter in your league, you may want to look elsewhere.
However, he has shown improved contact and power in his recent stint with the Cardinals. He is owned in just 7.1 percent of leagues.
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All three outfielders are hitting for good contact and some power over the last month. The power may not sustain for one of the hitters but that doesn’t mean they don’t have value. Based on what your team needs are, these three outfielders should be able to help your team.