If you are an automobile hobbyist, or just enjoy working on your car, you know about parts cars. For the rest of you, a parts car can be defined as a motor vehicle in non-operable condition being used to furnish parts to build, reconstruct, restore, or maintain another vehicle. They’re often found in salvage yards where you can buy the parts you need, and the yard sells the rest as scrap metal.
You might be wondering what a parts car has to do with fantasy baseball. Let me explain.
If you are a fantasy manager playing in a deeper league, you know that finding the right parts for your team is no easy matter. In NFBC 15-team leagues, the weekly list of free agents is usually full of unproductive and uninspiring players. My suggestion is to use low-profile major league teams as your parts cars to help navigate through the continuing deluge of injuries.
One of the biggest misconceptions in fantasy baseball is that you can’t find productive players on subpar teams. The Athletics, White Sox, Rockies, Marlins and Nationals are five teams with a bad reputation, but if you look closely, there are still a few diamonds in the rough to be found on each. Since these teams are largely ignored by managers, you can get these diamonds cheap.
If you’re like me, the stolen base category continues to a priority that needs to be addressed. Locking it down as best you can is paramount – especially in Roto leagues. But did you know that Nationals center fielder Jacob Young has stolen 12 bases, including six stolen in six games recently, and is still available in more than half of leagues at ESPN and Yahoo?
Young was available in my 15-team TGFBI league as recently as April 28th. Sadly, I missed out on acquiring him that night. He went for $54 of FAAB. But the point is that there are others like Young still out there. For this column, I looked at the five previously mentioned MLB teams to find out how many starting players were available on the waiver wire in my TGFBI league.
The winner in my bottom-feeder survey is the Athletics. The A’s continue to be the Rodney Dangerfield of MLB. Oakland is playing close to .500 baseball in May, and this is no fluke. I don’t expect the A’s to be in playoff contention in September, but they’re better than you think. Still, no team has more starters available on deep-league waver wire than the A’s.
You’re unlikely to find Zack Gelof on your waiver wire, but there are other players in Oakland who could help your fantasy fortunes in 2024 – especially if you’re in need of stolen bases. Let’s take a look at six players, all available on my waiver wire, who are starting and getting regular playing time. The players are listed in order based on their roster percentage.
J.J. BLEDAY, OUTFIELDER
The fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Bleday reached the Majors in 2022 and may be about to break out considering his performance in the Athletics’ 20-4 rout of the Marlins last weekend. Blejay went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, two runs scored, and four RBI. His batting average is close to .250, although his strikeout rate remains a concern.
ABRAHAM TORO, THIRD BASE
Toro was dealt to Milwaukee last winter but played in just nine big-league games during 2023, going 8-for-18 with two homers. The 28-year-old was then traded to the A’s. Toro has proven to be a four-category contributor with a low strikeout rate of .193 combined with a solid BABIP of .329. He is starting at second base, which means he will gain eligibility there soon.
J.D. DAVIS, THIRD BASE
One thing that has been lacking for Davis in his career was regular playing time. When he finally got that in San Francisco, he proved serviceable in the second half of 2022 and 2023. Now in Oakland, he’s an everyday player due for positive regression. He has been starting at first base since his return from a recent IL stint, which means he will gain eligibility there soon.
LAWRENCE BUTLER, OUTFIELD
Drafted in the sixth round in 2018, Butler finally reached the majors last August. The success he enjoyed at Double-A and Triple-A did not immediately translate, as Butler struggled to a .582 OPS in 42 games with the A’s, and he’s off to a slow start in 2024. But he is playing regularly and his speed is noteworthy, having swiped 20 bases twice in the minors.
SETH BROWN, OUTFIELD
Brown hit a career-high 25 home runs in 2022 and also recorded double-digit steals, making him a popular sleeper in 2023 drafts. However, he predictably regressed across the board last season as the Athletics stumbled to a record of 50-112. The 31-year-old has a decent amount of power – enough to ensure him a spot in the middle of the order on this surprising A’s team.
Honorable Mention
DARELL HERNAIZ, SHORTSTOP
Since filing this, Hernaiz has been diagnosed with a severely sprained ankle. Hernaiz will be out multiple weeks, perhaps month. Once he’s back, Hernaiz is worth picking up if you are in need of stolen bases. At 22, he has stolen more than 20 bags twice in his short minor-league career. MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 A’s prospect, Hernaiz won the starting shortstop job but got off to a slow start in his rookie season. Keep your eye on him because he can be a future three-category contributor to your team.
Thomas L. Seltzer, AKA Doubting Thomas, writes about baseball and football for CreativeSports. Be sure to follow Thomas on Twitter @ThomasLSeltzer1.
