Despite one third of the season being completed, it’s still extremely early and players’ performance has been as volatile as ever. Quality names emerge with every completed game and pouncing on these opportunities is paramount in maintaining a competitive edge. Below you’ll find a player for each position who can help your team now and is available in more than half of leagues. The percentage next to each players’ entry is their %ROST rate in ESPN leagues.
Pedro Severino C, Bal | 44.7%
Catcher has been a mess so far with only studs J.T. Realmuto and Salvador Perez separating themselves from the rest of the pack, yet Severino sits as the third best catcher currently. The young backstop showed flashes of production last season in a shared role and finally appears to have earned the starting job all to himself. Severino has rewarded that confidence with .304 BA and a .571 slugging, both of which rank in the 88th percentile. Some regression is expected due to a .272 xBA and .325 BABIP, but a slight dip would still see Severino roster worthy in all leagues.
Dominic Smith 1B/OF, NYM | 45%
The question for Smith has always been whether his subpar defense could improve enough to get his power bat in the line-up and, while the defense hasn’t changed, injuries and the NL DH have granted him consistent at bats recently which has yielded exceptional production. On the season the slugger has 57 points, 38 of which have come in the past week after receiving regular playing time, and he currently is second in all of baseball with a .780 slugging. Smith won’t continue this pace but is still well worth rostering in nearly every league as the bat is clearly sticking.
Tommy La Stella 2B/3B, LAA | 32%
La Stella has continued on 2019s breakout campaign, just with less fanfare. His triple slash of .295/.403/.443 is actually an improvement on last season’s all-star line and a spot atop the Angels imposing line up ensures plenty run scoring and RBI opportunities.
Colin Moran 3B, Pit | 27.6%
Moran has cooled after a scorching start but the third baseman remains an impact bat and the advanced numbers say he’s due to rebound soon. A .226 BA sits 81 points below a .307 xBA, most likely the result of a low .216 BABIP. A top 20 xwOBA further confirms that Moran should return to his strong first week output.
Jake Cronenworth SS/1B, SD | 13.8%
Added to the active roster due to injuries, Cronenworth’s hot bat earned him a regular spot in the line-up even when those players returned and he has delivered a .311/.367/.622 triple slash. It’s still early for the infielder (only 45 ABs), but those marks actually sit well below a .407 xBA and .741 expected slugging. Cronenworth looks to have the chops to remain an integral piece of the Padres talented infield.
David Peralta OF, Ari | 45.5%
Peralta is a perennially overlooked outfielder due to his low ceiling but remarkably consistent production makes him valuable. The outfielder has had at least a .796 OPS each of the past four seasons and the reason behind his rise to the fifth ranked outfielder is a reduced strikeout rate of 12% compared to a career 19.1%. A dip in Peralta’s stellar .338 BA is expected thanks to an unsustainable .375 BABIP but a .321 xBA indicates he can still contribute handily.
Jesse Winker OF, Cin | 42.2%
Winker has been the hottest player in baseball over the past week and GMs have taken notice as he is the second most added hitter, yet his ownership still needs to be higher. The breakthrough has been his newfound ability to hit left handed pitching, a deficiency that resulted in Winker finding himself on the strong side of a platoon until now. An extremely high .424 BABIP will drive his rates down eventually but the expected stats say it will only be a minor decrease that will still see Winker as a roster worthy outfielder.
Brandon Nimmo OF, NYM | 35.9%
Nimmo was a popular breakout candidate in 2019 after posting a .404 OBP the season prior but was injured early and never regained his form. That looks to have changed this season as Nimmo’s 21.3 BB% is top five and .436 OBP is top ten. He’s also been able to cut down his strike outs to 19.1% (career 26.2%) and is one of the rare players with more walks than strike outs which is huge in the points format.
Framber Valdez SP. Hou | 42.7%
After a rough first outing against the Dodgers, Valdez has responded by allowing only two runs in 19.1 innings over his next three starts and is averaging 18.3 fantasy points per game. In addition, Valdez has thrown at least six innings in each of those starts and Houston’s extremely young bullpen means the lefty is likely to have a longer leash than most other starters. A 1.91 ERA stands to rise but not by much considering an excellent 2.55 FIP and 2.98 xFIP, and Valdez should remain roster worthy for the foreseeable future.
Zach Davies SP, SD | 27.9%
Davies quietly had solid seasons with the Brewers in 2017 and 2019 and came over along with Trent Grisham in an offseason trade that’s looking favorable for San Diego. Entering action Sunday, Davies had three solid starts in four turns through the rotation, the most recent of which coming against the Dodgers. As expected, a low 2.78 ERA should rise according to his 3.09 FIP and 4.25 xFIP but a consistent role on a good Padres team is enough to sustain quality production.
Pablo Lopez SP, Mia | 25.6%
Pitching has been a huge component of Miami’s surprising start and that includes Lopez, who has had two strong outings, one against a potent Braves offense, and only one poor performance against a capable Mets team. A 2.32 FIP and 2.72 xFIP aren’t far from his 2.25 ERA, which demonstrates Lopez’ ability to sustain this level of performance.
Brad Keller SP, KC | 19.9%
Keller has only made two starts and pitched 11 innings but has held the powerful Cubs and Reds lineups scoreless in each outing. Any starting pitcher who can do that deserves attention, and a 2.96 FIP demonstrates how well Keller has pitched to this point. He gets Cincinnati again his next turn in the rotation and that start will be telling about whether Keller is a consistent starting option or only a streamer.
Trevor Rosenthal RP, KC | 45.8%
Mike Matheny has shown confidence in his former stud closer with St. Louis as Rosenthal has the third most points of all relief pitchers, which is surprising on multiple levels considering last season’s 13.50 ERA and presumably being behind Ian Kennedy and Greg Holland for closing duties to begin the season. His 0.90 ERA is unsustainable but a 3.04 FIP and 3.90 xFIP support Rosenthal’s ability to remain relevant once his numbers regress.
