Batter’s Box: Burning in the Meadows

Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire

After Ji-Man Choi left yesterday’s game, Austin Meadows came in and had himself a day, going 3-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB. The guy has been on fire all year, slashing .304/.337/.481 through 51 games between his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays, not to mention a .344/.396/.771 slashline during his time in the Rays’ minor league system. He’s a super-talented player, and if Choi is out for a while (which he could be if his knee injury is serious), it’s entirely possible Meadows sees some playing time. It’s not like he hasn’t earned it given the stats he’s put up. Only thing blocking him is his position—in the outfield, as the Rays’ outfield is pretty crowded with Mallex Smith, Tommy Pham, and Kevin Kiermaier starting most days and Carlos Gomez on the bench. Still, it’s possible Meadows could work his way in there if Choi is out for a while, and if he does, he absolutely warrants a pick up in fantasy, as he’s proven he can produce.

Let’s take a look at some of the other performances from yesterday’s games:

Cedric Mullins (OF, Baltimore Orioles) – 2-4, 3 R, 1 SB. The Orioles have been a bitter disappointment this year, but there are a few bright spots, and Mullins is one of them. He’s been slashing .280/.368/.380 over the past two weeks and has proven himself to be a good contact hitter with some good speed. I’d snatch him up in dynasty leagues if he’s available.

Aaron Hicks (OF, New York Yankees) – 2-3, 1 HR, 4 R, 2 RBI. A fantastic game from Hicks that will hopefully kick off the start of a good streak because he’s been awfully cold lately, slashing .196/.327/.326 over the past two weeks.

Daniel Murphy (2B/1B, Chicago Cubs) – 3-5, 1 HR, 2 R, 1 RBI. Speaking of good players who have been horribly cold, it’s been nearly impossible to start Murphy for quite a while now. He’s slashing .229/.308/.400 over the past two weeks and his playing time has been somewhat sporadic. Hopefully this game will be the start of a strong last handful of games.

Welington Castillo (C, Chicago White Sox) – 3-5, 2 R. Beef is back but is still playing through some elbow discomfort. His playing time has been kinda off and on and he’s slashing .211/.250/.237 over the past month, so he’s not worth paying attention to.

Josh Donaldson (3B, Cleveland Indians) – 2-5, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI. Since joining the Indians, Donaldson is slashing .217/.333/.478. The power has been there, but he’s far too risky of a play for me to consider starting him in the fantasy championship.

Yan Gomes (C, Cleveland Indians) – 3-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI. Yan Gomes man, what a season he’s very quietly having. Over the past month, he’s slashing .328/.348/.531. He’s still available in 61% of leagues so if you need help at the catcher position, go grab him.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (2B/SS, Toronto Blue Jays) – 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI. Gurriel’s been hot lately, slashing .283/.333/.547 over the past two weeks. He’s available in 87% of leagues and is worth a look. This is the final championship week, so all you need is a good week, and Gurriel could do that.

Yuli Gurriel (1B/2B/3B, Houston Astros) – 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 7 RBI. Speaking of Gurriel’s, Lourdes’ brother hit two home runs too. He’s been even better, slashing .291/.340/.488 over the past month and is still available in 44% of leagues. He absolutely warrants a pickup.

Adrian Beltre (3B, Texas Rangers) – 2-3, 1 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI. One of my favorite players even, Beltre’s had a fairly disappointing fantasy season (though, a .276 average with 14 home runs isn’t terrible), but it’s nice to see this kind of a game from him. For what it’s worth, he’s got a .354 ISO over the past month, so there might still be some value to squeeze here.

Ian Desmond (1B/OF, Colorado Rockies) – 2-3, 3 RBI. Looks like Desmond might be picking things up, slashing .319/.373/.383 with three stolen bases over the past two weeks. When he’s hot, he’s awesome, so keep an eye on his matchups for your championship week.

Khris Davis (OF, Oakland Athletics) – 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI. Khrush doing what he does best, hittin’ dingers.