The baseball fan in me really liked to hear the news that the Angels are holding Shohei Ohtani. It has nothing to do with my living in Southern California, but has everything to do with seeing a great player potentially lift his entire team on his shoulders and take his teammates on a playoff run. Plus, it might be the best shot for Mike Trout to play and win in October – if the Angels get there.
Teams going for it this time of year are just more fun. The tension of the pennant race adds to the passion for the teams and the pennant races. Even if those teams look like longshots after they make additions, it’s the allure of the challenge that is October. So keep an eye on the news cycle to see if closers become setup men and star hitters on non-contenders become platoon players on winners.
And in AL and NL-only leagues, we’re all on pins and needles to see if starting pitchers or stud hitters go to the other league, just plucking them from our teams without replacements. So, I’ll be watching that waiver wire closely with you.
Now, let’s get into some deep sleepers rostered in under 30% of leagues.
Fantasy Baseball Deep Sleepers & Waiver Wire Pickups
Sal Frelick (OF – MIL): 27% Rostered
Sal Frelick is still the No. 2 prospect in the Brewers’ system, as he hit .331 with a .883 OPS, with 11 home runs and 24 steals across three levels of the Minor Leagues last season. With 52 walks against 63 strikeouts, his plate discipline is stellar. The outfielder is off to a hot start in his first five games in the Big Leagues, hitting .417 with a home run and three RBI. Frelick may be worth the flier for a Milwaukee team in the playoff hunt.
Will Benson (OF – CIN): 15% Rostered
When Will Benson was sent down to the Minors on April 12 after starting the season 1-for-20, it did not look like he’d be back in the Big Leagues anytime soon, if at all. He returned to the Majors a little more than a month later on May 30 and went 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Through 44 games since then, he has a triple-slash line of .328/.438/.623. He also has seven home runs and 10 steals, even walking 19 times against 24 strikeouts. Yes, Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain have been fantastic, but Benson is a big part of the Reds being in the playoff hunt.
Carlos Santana (1B/DH – MIL): 15% Rostered
Carlos Santana was fairly supernatural in a three-game series in San Diego, smacking three home runs with five RBI. That may have gotten him traded to Milwaukee, which is a much better hitter’s park than Pittsburgh. Santana will also have better protection in the Milwaukee lineup.
JJ Bleday (OF/DH – OAK): 1% Rostered
In 15 games since July 7, the former top prospect of the Marlins has three home runs and nine RBI. He’s walked 11 times against 14 strikeouts in that period, which boosted his OPS to .877. Fantasy managers like post-hype sleepers, so maybe there’s an opportunity to pick up some counting stats or to see if JJ Bleday might have figured things out for fantasy managers in keeper leagues.
Michael Kopech (SP – CWS): 26% Rostered
With 107 strikeouts in 97.1 innings for the White Sox, Michael Kopech shows some signs of being better than his 4.44 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. Kopech could be a trade candidate, so pitching for a better team and possibly improving upon his home ballpark may help his percentage categories and the win category.
Jason Foley (RP – DET): 7% Rostered
Tigers closer Alex Lange could be traded at the deadline. So Jason Foley could become a factor in the final innings. It’s time to get ahead of the market. Foley has five holds and a save in his last seven games, so the money here is on him taking over the ninth inning if Lange gets traded.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
