Welcome to the latest edition of “Free Agent Frenzy,” which will try to steer you in the right direction when trying to fill roster spots. Note: Ownership percentages below are from FOXSports.com leagues. We’ll try to stick to the general rule that no player will appear twice in Free Agent Frenzy during a four-week period.
Catcher
Standard Leagues: Yasmani Grandal (2.5 percent owned) plays just about every day, he’ll continue to do so because the Padres want to keep evaluating his ability to be a long-term solution behind the plate, and he’s batting .269 with seven homers, an .850 OPS and a really good walk rate in 134 at bats. What’s not to like?
Deep Leagues: Rob Brantly (0.1 percent owned) might be the Marlins’ catcher of the future, but he’s not in the same class as Grandal as a hitter. Still, he’s playing more often than not, and while he doesn’t have much power (seven homers in 411 at bats between the minors and majors this season), he doesn’t appear to be a batting average killer. NL-only leaguers might still have a chance to get Brantly.
First Base
Standard Leagues: Tyler Colvin (14.4 percent owned) has 17 homers, seven steals and an .880 OPS in 347 at bats? Of course he does – he plays home games a mile above sea level! This isn’t brain surgery, people.
Deep Leagues: I bought Minnesota’s Chris Parmelee (1.6 percent owned) for $1 in my AL-only auction, and was really excited because I thought he had an everyday job. Then he stunk for awhile and got sent to the minors, where he hit 17 home runs. Since returning to the Twins’ lineup on August 29, he has three homers in 11 games, and will probably get a chance to sink or swim between now and the end of the season.
Second Base
Standard Leagues: Chris Nelson (2.0 percent owned) has become the Rockies’ everyday third baseman, and while he’s not tearing it up, he is displaying a solid batting average with decent power (eight HR in 262 AB). Eligibility at 2B and 3B is a nice bonus in daily lineup leagues.
Deep Leagues: Logan Forsythe (0.8 percent owned) has taken over the regular keystone duties for the Padres, and is acquitting himself well, with a .283 batting average, four homers and seven stolen bases in 240 at bats. Forsythe has always been a decent speed guy with solid BAs as a minor leaguer, so his current performance shouldn’t surprise anyone. In deep leagues, he's a pretty good replacement for whatever may be ailing your roster.
Third Base
Standard Leagues: If you can’t find room for Pedro Alvarez (38.9 percent owned) and his 27 home runs, I hope your team has tons of power. Heck, the guy is batting .268 since the beginning of June, so it’s not like his BA is killing you right now.
Deep Leagues: After spending most of the season at Triple A, where he batted .318 with 13 homers and 37 stolen bases in 124 games, the Astros are giving Jimmy Paredes (0.1 percent owned) the chance to be an everyday outfielder in September. Speed/power skills like this may grow on trees, but it’s not like there’s a large forest full of them. Paredes can help in many deep mixed formats. Don't worry that he's hitting .190 over his first 11 games - it'll get better.
Shortstop
Standard Leagues: Is the old Stephen Drew (36.3 percent owned) back? That’s to be determined, but since joining the A’s in late August, he’s batting .222 with a homer and eight runs in 17 games. Drew has never been a big-time fantasy stud, but when healthy he’s been pretty good. For the next three weeks, if you've got an injured guy tp replace (Rafael Furcal?), Drew might not be a bad option.
Deep Leagues: With Furcal done for the season or close to it, Daniel Descalso (0.7 percent owned) appears to be the Cardinals’ everyday shortstop. Does he have power? No. Speed? Just a little. But he HAS A JOB! That means something in deep mixed formats, especially when you’re at the point where you realize that one extra run or RBI can win you a championship. If you need a regular shortstop and can live with Descalso’s BA (.228 this season, .247 career), go ahead and grab him.
Outfield
Standard Leagues: David Murphy (17.2 percent owned) begins every season as the Rangers’ fourth outfielder, and finishes it with solid fantasy production in more than 400 at bats. Murphy is batting a career-high .314, and is on pace for his usual 15 home runs and 10 stolen bases. Murphy is among the most underrated of unappreciated ballplayers, in both real life and fantasyland.
Deep Leagues: With Chris Young on the shelf due to a quad injury, the Diamondbacks called up speedy Adam Eaton (0.1 percent owned) from Triple A, and just might give him regular at bats (or close to it) when Young returns. Eaton batted .381 with seven homers, 119 runs, 38 stolen bases and a .995 OPS in the minors this year, and even though some of that ridiculous production can be attributed to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, it would be difficult to ignore anywhere. His upside is worth your time.
Starting Pitcher
Standard Leagues: Impressive Mets' rookie Matt Harvey (15.5 percent owned) projects to make two more home starts before being shut down; he'll face the Strasburg-less Nats on Wednesday, and the Phillies next Tuesday. Harvey's K-per-inning stuff is as good a bet as any if you're hunting for a starter.
Deep Leagues: Andrew Cashner (0.9 percent owned) returned to the Padres’ rotation on Friday after a two-month absence, and gave up two runs on four hits with five strikeouts over five innings. In case you’ve forgotten, Cashner uses his blazing heat to strike out lots of batters, and there’s a decent chance he could make two of his remaining three starts at PETCO Park.
Relief Pitcher
Standard Leagues: The latest subject of our recurring “What Are All of You Thinking?” closer series is Kansas City’s Greg Holland (19.2 percent owned), who has saved 13 games since the beginning of August. You’re waiting to pick him up because … ???
Deep Leagues: Aside from his saves total (six since August 1, 11 for the season), Minnesota’s Glen Perkins (2.7 percent owned) has been terrific this season, with an excellent 2.54 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP and 66 strikeouts against 15 walks in 60 1/3 innings. It’s doubtful that the injured Matt Capps will be back before season’s end, so Perkins is the guy for the Twins.
See you here next week!
