Each week we’ll look at a handful of different players who fantasy managers in deeper leagues should consider picking up. Many of these players will have the most value in larger leagues where waiver wire options aren’t as plentiful. Still, they could also occasionally be useful additions in other, more standard-sized leagues depending on your options at their position. This week it’s José Alvarado, Héctor Neris, Jorge Soler, and Jose Siri who are worth your time as potential additions in deep leagues.
All roster percentages mentioned in this column are via Yahoo fantasy leagues as of Friday afternoon.
José Alvarado – 10%
Alvarado was elite at providing strikeouts last season, with 81 strikeouts in 51 innings of work for the Philadelphia Phillies. If you’re doing the math at home, that spits out to 14.29 strikeouts per nine innings. Among all qualified relievers, only Edwin Diaz and Josh Hader struck out more batters per nine innings. Overall, the 28-year-old pitched to a 3.17 ERA and a 1.92 FIP in those 51 innings to go with 22 holds and a pair of saves.
Alvarado, also along with Diaz, was one of just four qualified relievers to log a strikeout rate north of 30.0% and a FIP below the 2.00 mark.
The Phillies relief ace should once again be in for a similar amount of holds, but it’s also possible he could see a significant uptick in saves as well.
Philadelphia’s other closing options, which include Seranthony Domínguez, Gregory Soto, and Craig Kimbrel, haven’t exactly hit the ground running this season.
*All stats as of the beginning of play on Friday.
Notably, Philadelphia relievers don’t yet have a save this season, so there’s still an extra bit of uncertainty where the ninth inning is concerned for the National League East club.
All told, the early season-struggles of Dominguez, Soto, and Kimbrel could leave the door open for more early-season saves for Alvarado, who has continued to miss bats at a high rate. He’s struck out five batters in two scoreless innings so far this year. In his most recent outing against the New York Yankees, Alvarado generated six swinging strikes on seven swings and 12 overall pitches.
Of course, we’re still dealing with a small sample size this year in the season, but if Alvarado can earn the majority of saves in Philadelphia moving forward, he has league-winning upside with his elite strikeout metrics.
Obviously, whether that happens remains to be seen, but it’s nearly impossible to find players with that type of ceiling and this low of a rostered percentage. Add him now before your league mates do.
Héctor Neris – 14%
Neris doesn’t quite have the ninth-inning ceiling that Alvarado does, but in saves+holds he has plenty of fantasy upside.
Positioned as one of the top high-leverage options in one of the league’s best bullpens – not to mention on one of the best teams in the league – Neris should have no trouble approaching the 25 holds he registered last season.
The veteran pitched to a 3.72 ERA and a 2.35 FIP in 65.1 innings for the Houston Astros last season, adding in six pitcher wins and three saves to go with the 25 holds. He also registered some quality bat-missing metrics, with 79 strikeouts (compared to just 17 walks allowed) and a split-finger offering that registered a 52.4% whiff rate.
Clearly one of Houston’s most-trusted relievers, Neris is already tied for the league lead in high-leverage appearances so far with three. He should continue to rack up holds with ease moving forward. Elsewhere, he’s already recorded a save. And while it’s unlikely that the saves continue with regularity unless Ryan Pressly and Rafael Montero are dealing with an injury or ineffectiveness, Neris’ role in the Houston bullpen makes him one of the best relievers in the sport in terms of holds and ancillary saves.
Jorge Soler – 14%
Soler had a bit of a down year in 2022 in an injury-shortened season, hitting .207 with a .295 on-base percentage and 13 home runs in 306 plate appearances. However, the metrics weren’t incredibly far off from his 2021 numbers, albeit in fewer plate appearances.
A full season from Soler would go a long way in helping the Miami Marlins‘ lineup, not to mention fantasy managers in search of power-hitting options.
The outfielder and designated hitter has gotten off to a strong start to the season. Entering play Friday he’d contributed five barrels already in 28 plate appearances and 19 batted ball events, positioning him to overtake his 2022 barrel total of 22 by a significant margin.
In part thanks to those home runs, Soler has also registered a .409 wOBA, a .459 xwOBA, a 57.9% hard-hit rate, and a .337 xBA. In short, pretty ideal, loud contact.
What’s more, after hitting fifth in the season’s first two games, the veteran has hit second in each of Miami’s last five contests. If that trend continues, it’ll only improve Soler’s fantasy ceiling, giving him even more chances to connect on home runs.
Jose Siri – 15%
Siri enjoyed a solid fantasy season from a counting stat standpoint last season, hitting seven home runs to go along with 14 stolen bases in 325 plate appearances split between the Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays.
However, the outfielder hit just .213 with a 6.2% walk rate. The walk rate, which was below league average, in part resulted in only a .268 on-base percentage. Siri also struck out 33.2% of the time
And while Siri is striking out 30.0% of the time through 20 plate appearances as of the beginning of play Friday, there are some encouraging numbers once you dig a bit deeper. It’s still early in the season, but the former Houston Astro is showing some improved plate discipline and pitch selectivity.
And this is all without mentioning Siri’s uptick in power production so far. In his career in both the minors and Majors, the 27-year-old has been known for his power and speed production. He’s certainly improved on the former, at least in the season’s early goings. Siri has collected three barrels in 20 plate appearances and 13 batted ball events, already a quarter of the 12 barrels he registered in 2022 in 325 plate appearances and 194 batted ball events.
Overall, the outfielder is hitting .333 this season with a .350 on-base percentage, two home runs, and a stolen base in 20 plate appearances.
Already with a stolen base to his name this season, Siri shouldn’t have trouble approaching a 20 home run and 20 stolen base season, if the barrels continue on a regular basis, especially considering the fact that the Rays are playing him every day in center field.
Image courtesy of Pixabay | Adapted by Aaron Polcare (@bearydoesgfx on Twitter)