Welcome back to our final FAABulous Sunday of 2021! Let’s finish strong and take down some fantasy baseball championships!
Catcher
Nick Fortes (0% TGFBI, 1% Yahoo, 0% OC) – The Marlins have four catchers on their 28-man roster, but Fortes just keeps hitting since getting the big league call on September 18. In 18 PA he’s hit .533 with 3 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, and 1 SB while starting the past two games at DH as Miami is on the road at Tampa this weekend. In a deep two-catcher league where I need a catcher, I’m hoping Fortes stays hot and gets three or four of the seven Miami starts at catcher this week.
First Base
Hunter Dozier (88% TGFBI, 19% Yahoo, 67% OC) – 3B, OF – It appears Dozier may finally be healthy. A thumb injury led to an abysmal first half, and out of the break he appeared to concentrate on hitting to all fields, but the power just wasn’t there. Since September 9 he’s hit .333 with 5 HR, 11 RBI, and 9 R — good for a 199 wRC+ over that span. He may not play quite every day, but a Monday makeup game vs Cleveland gives the Royals a seven-game week that should ensure 15 – 20+ PA for the week.
Second Base
Nick Gordon (12% TGFBI, 7% Yahoo, 4% OC) – SS, OF – Gordon received his fifth straight OF start for the Twins on Saturday, so it appears his playing time is safe for the final week. In his last 50 PA (15 G) he’s slashed .370/.420/.652 with 3 HR, 13 RBI, 5 R, and 5 SB. Those SB represent half of his season total. He’s only been caught once this season, so I look for him to get the green light at least a couple of times in the Twins’ final six games.
Third Base
Yandy Díaz (90% TGFBI, 5% Yahoo, 9% OC) – 1B – Díaz has gotten as close to regular playing time as we could hope for with the Rays over the past few weeks with 15+ AB in six straight scoring periods and nine of the past 10. He has a home run in seven of those 10 and multiple RBI in the last five. The Rays finish the season on the road with three games each at Houston and at the Yankees.
Shortstop
Andrés Giménez (85% TGFBI, 18% Yahoo, 43% OC) – 2B, 3B – Since returning to Cleveland a few weeks back, Giménez has hit .232 with 3 HR, 9 RBI, 12 R and 6 SB in 107 PA. It’s pretty underwhelming, especially considering that he hasn’t attempted a stolen base since he nabbed a bag in three straight games September 3-5. However, all three home runs and five of the nine RBI have come in the past seven games. If I need a shortstop, I’m checking Nick Gordon’s availability first but will roll with Giménez in a seven-game week if necessary.
Outfield
Kyle Isbel (2% TGFBI, 1% Yahoo, 2% OC) – Isbel is back in the Royals’ lineup Sunday after an off day Saturday with a pinch-hit appearance and looks to start most of the seven games this week in the Royals’ outfield. Since his recall on September 12, he’s hit .333 in 30 PA with 1 HR, 3 RBI, and 7 R, but most impressive has been his 16.7% K%. He had 15 HR and 22 SB in 105 games at AAA, so there is potential for counting stat contributions across the board with a game every day this week.
Pitcher
Brady Singer (88% TGFBI, 33% Yahoo, 50% OC) – I promise I looked at more than just Royals players this week, but the makeup game on Monday has presented a nice opportunity for Singer — he’ll get the lone two-step for KC’s six-man rotation. He gave up five home runs to the Twins two starts back but had only given up one over his previous eight combined. In his past six starts, including that Minnesota blow-up, he’s put up a 2.97 ERA with 37 K in 36 1/3 IP. He gets Cleveland Monday and a rematch with the Twins Sunday.
Luis Severino (46% TGFBI, 31% Yahoo, 16% OC) – I don’t know how the Yankees plan to use Severino this week, but am confident starting him this week for the innings he’ll get in any capacity. His return Saturday was good for 4 K in 2 IP. I’m hoping for three to four innings, whether in a start or a couple of relief appearances.
Génesis Cabrera (0% TGFBI, 9% Yahoo, 0% OC) – After giving up 6 ER with zero outs recorded on August 26, Cabrera has allowed zero ER since in his past nine appearances (four multi-inning). He has 12 K in 11 IP over that span, and like with Severino, I’m comfortable starting Cabrera where I need pitching depth that will net me some counting stats while also protecting my ratios.
Remember, all of the little things that add up to big things as we set our final FAAB bids and lineups of the season — most importantly, have long lists of conditional bids. Zeros are always bad, but we absolutely can’t afford any this week! As always, good luck tonight, and enjoy the games!
Photo from Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire | Design by Quincey Dong (@threerundong on Twitter)