Man, I know this is a baseball article but I just want to say one thing…The Meg 2 was NOT a good movie. As farfetched and somewhat corny as the first one was, you could still find a way to say that it at least had points where it was good. The second one felt so rushed and underdeveloped that it left me kinda bummed out that I paid $40 to go see it. The plus side, though, is it’s at least more entertaining in 3D.

Now you know what else was terrible today? The Mets. They lost their doubleheader 27-3 to the Atlanta Braves and there wasn’t much outside of the six innings Jose Quintana pitched that made anyone feel good. Quintana now has a 3.03 ERA this season but has yet to win a game. Rough sledding for a pitcher who deserves a whole lot better.

With the disappointing parts of this Saturday evening out of the way, let’s now get into the positives we can find for Week 19. We are just a few weeks out from most people’s fantasy baseball playoffs, and now is the time to make your playoff push. Let’s make it as easy as possible for you to be successful from this point forward.

Players To Target

Zack Gelof (2B – OAK)

Gelof has been on this list once before, and rightfully so. As I write this, I’m honestly amazed he’s still as widely available as he is. Through the first 24 games of his career, he’s hitting .253 with a .880 OPS and 15 XBH. He had power in the minor leagues, but it wasn’t power that felt like it would translate fully at the major league level. I was very wrong. His 92.4 MPH average exit velocity, 15.5% barrel rate, and 46.6% hard-hit rate show he has the ability to make consistent quality contact. He’s got some speed as well, already swiping six bases. He swings and misses more than I’d like, but at the weak second-base position, Gelof has the tools to become a top-10 contributor at the position.

That’s FIFTEEN extra-base hits for Zack Gelof through 24 games. This kid is a STUD. #Athletics #RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/4vc1lLvui7

— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) August 12, 2023

Brice Turang (2B, SS – MIL)

Turang is going to be the one guy on this list that I point out has so much more utility in points leagues than anywhere else. You can find ways to make him valuable in a category or roto league but in points leagues his value skyrockets. Since July 26th, Turang is hitting .340 with a 13% walk rate and 9.3% strikeout rate. He’s turned himself into someone who no longer strikes out and finds his way on base quite often. He’s void of power with just three XBH in that span, but he makes up for it with three stolen bases and some of the best speed in baseball. He bats consistently at the bottom of the order, but he’s found a way to make himself viable from this point forward.

Kerry Carpenter (OF, DH – DET)

Another recurring guest on this list, also for good reason. The Detroit Tigers don’t necessarily have a lot to get excited about, but Carpenter is an exception. After two home runs on Saturday, he now has 15 on the year to go along with a .281 average and .851 OPS. Not bad for a guy rostered in just 12% of Yahoo leagues. He has an 11.3% barrel rate and 44% hard-hit rate, which show he’s making great quality of contact. He’s also been improving his approach at the plate as well. In his 10 August games, he’s cut his strikeout rate down to just 12.5%. In that timeframe, he’s also raised his zone contact rate to 95% and his overall contact to 85%. Should this upward trend continue, Carpenter is the type of player who’ll lead fantasy managers to a championship.

Mike Moustakas (1B, 3B, DH – LAA)

Moose has bounced around his fair share this season, but after landing with the Angels on June 26th, he’s become a force to be reckoned with. Since then, he’s hit .270 with seven doubles, seven home runs, and 23 RBI. Now, his on-base ability is a bit of a downside since he has just a 2.8% walk rate in that span, but he makes up for it with that power and clutch hitting. In his last eight games, he has six XBH and 10 RBI. He routinely hits in the heart of that Angels lineup which means plenty of runners ahead of him. In those scenarios, he’s hitting .293 with a .859 OPS. The Angels have been a weirdly boring team, but Moose should continue to be one of their lone bright spots.

Gary Sanchez (C, DH – SD)

For as much as I didn’t believe Sanchez could be a consistent contributor at the catcher position this year, I think I should admit I was flat-out wrong. For the season, he has 15 home runs in just 58 games. That’s already just one away from tieing his total in 128 games of the 2022 season. He’s been especially good as of late. In his last eight games, he has five home runs, two multi-home run games, seven RBI, and a 1.098 OPS. Catcher has been fairly stacked this season, but there are still some monsters like Sanchez who are getting overlooked and worth the roster spot. He seems to be quite trigger-happy at the plate, but Sanchez has always had a bit of a wild plate approach, and it’s nothing new. Lock him in as a top-tier fantasy baseball option moving forward.

Gary Sánchez’s 15 home runs since May 31 are the most by any primary-position catcher during that span

(h/t @SlangsOnSports) pic.twitter.com/eCCEeGxcYV

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 7, 2023

Emerson Hancock (SP – SEA)

If there’s one thing Seattle has learned how to develop at an elite level these last few years, it’s pitching. Their top pick in the 2020 MLB draft has finally arrived, and he did it in style. In his major league debut, he threw five innings, allowing two hits, one run, and striking out three. He did it on the back of his fastball and devastating sinker. The sinker ended up having an impressive 33% whiff rate, while his fastball (25%) and slider (20%) weren’t all that far behind. He sprinkled in a few effective changeups and proved he has what it takes to be a solid contributor at the major league level. How long he stays in the rotation once Bryan Woo returns is yet to be seen, but he’s lined up to face the Royals on Tuesday, which is an advantageous matchup for him. Like the other Mariners rookie pitchers, add Hancock and see if he’s able to continue the Mariner magic for the rest of the season.

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