We are quickly approaching the finish line of the MLB season, with season-long fantasy playoffs likely commencing by this point in time. It’s been an exciting year no doubt, as baseball took off with some new rules, leading to an abundance of runs pretty consistently.
In terms of team specifics, now is about the time when players tend to see less playing time, particularly on teams that are out of real-life playoff contention. This can certainly throw a wrench in fantasy managers’ plans at such an inconvenient time. Waivers remain a factor this deep into the campaign, and maybe there is an end-of-season gem or two to be found.
Fantasy Baseball Depth Chart Review
Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF – CHC)
The No. 1 prospect in the Cubs’ organization (No. 12 MLB), Crow-Armstrong made his MLB debut on Sunday. Acquired from the Mets back in 2021 in exchange for Javier Baez and Trevor Williams, Chicago will look to see what they have in the youngster as the season concludes.
Crow-Armstrong had a pretty prolific season between AA and AAA, slashing a combined .283/.365/.511 across 500 plate appearances. Additionally, he tacked on 20 homers, 82 RBI, 26 doubles, seven triples, and 37 steals. Those are the statistics of a five-tool athlete if I’ve ever seen one.
Now officially up in the bigs, Crow-Armstrong should see ample opportunity and playing time for the remainder of the regular season, even as the Cubs push to remain in contention for a Wild Card spot. If anything, the young stud could and should help them achieve that goal. For fantasy purposes, the top prospect should not be sitting on any waiver wires from here on out.
Michael Wacha (SP – SD)
With Yu Darvish officially being shut down for the remainder of the season, the Padres will need Wacha to step up even more than he has already for the rest of September. San Diego is essentially now down to just two legitimate starters with both Darvish and Joe Musgrove being unavailable. Wacha will be tasked with being the Robin to Blake Snell‘s Batman.
It is possible, if not probable, the Padres call up a young pitcher to make the final few starts of the season for the team. That will be notable for fantasy managers to keep an eye on. Wacha, in the interim, will look to improve on his impressive 11-3 record and 2.99 season-long ERA.
While unlikely that he remains available on waivers in most leagues, it is possible some owners gave up on Wacha following a few poor outings in recent weeks. He could be a real factor during the final push.
Wilyer Abreu (OF – BOS)
The Red Sox are officially going nowhere, leaving a lot of opportunity for young pieces within the organization to see ample playing time throughout the final few weeks. We are already seeing this with stud prospect Ceddanne Rafaela, but Abreu has also been sneaky good over the past few weeks.
Abreu was called up towards the end of last month to make his MLB debut. He has responded by posting a .341/.413/.512 slash line across 41 at-bats. He has already popped a homer and is coming off a five-hit performance against the Orioles just a few days ago.
Abreu has consistently found himself in the Boston lineup. That is primed to continue. He could provide serviceable value before the campaign concludes, as Boston looks to see what they might have in him for 2024.
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