Welcome back to the Fantasy Baseball Weekly Mailbag. The mailbag is an opportunity to ask a FantasyPros analyst anything about the ongoing season to make the best and most informed decisions possible. Questions from fantasy managers this week can be seen below.
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Fantasy Baseball Mailbag
Pick up Victor Robles or Lane Thomas off waivers for speed?
Is Xavier Edwards available? He just returned from a stint on the injured list (IL) and steals many bases. He may have been dropped because of his injury.
If not, the decision between Victor Robles and Lane Thomas is tough.
Thomas has a .191 batting average with 17 hits, a homer, six RBI and 11 runs scored since joining the Guardians at the All-Star break (30 games). He hasn’t been good. To his credit, he has been better in the last two weeks, batting .306 since finding his groove. He has three steals in this period, despite his hot streak. Thomas has 32 stolen bases this season.
Robles has 22 stolen bags this year, despite playing just 71 games. He has four stolen bases since August 20th, but in just eight games to the 14 Thomas has played. Robles has stolen 18 bases as a Mariner.
Thomas is the better overall offensive bat. However, for pure steals, Robles is the best option. Pick Robles.
Drop Lucas Erceg or Justin Martinez for Aroldis Chapman or Jason Foley?
It’s the playoffs. Make any moves you want.
Justin Martinez has had some tough losses lately, but he still gets saves and has a 2.08 ERA. Most of his disappointing play has come from blowing saves with inherited runners.
Lucas Erceg, on the other hand, is a drop. He has had three consecutive poor performances. He is day-to-day after fielding a comebacker.
You can drop Erceg for Jason Foley. I would avoid Aroldis Chapman because he is in a closer committee after David Bednar was demoted. Chapman might get some saves, but not a consistent amount. Foley is a more consistent option.
Drop Brent Rooker for Dylan Crews in redraft?
Any move is ok for the playoffs. The season is pretty much over. If you’re lucky enough to still be in it, make any moves to stay in.
Just be cautious to make the right moves. Let’s analyze if this would help your team. Brent Rooker is batting .312 with 29 hits, six homers, 14 RBI and 16 runs scored in 24 games since August 4th. He missed a few games on the paternity list.
Dylan Crews has recorded a batting average of .233 with seven hits, two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored in just seven major league games this season. He’s off to a decent MLB debut. But do you want to rely on a prospect for the playoffs?
Rooker is established in the majors and is on a month-long tear. I prefer him in much more costly playoff games.
Ultimately, the decision is yours. If I were deciding, I would keep Rooker.
Rank in keeper dynasty: Jordan Walker, Josh Jung, Mark Vientos, Brooks Lee
Josh Jung has been the best player of this bunch when healthy. The key word is healthy. He keeps getting hurt. His injuries are freak accidents, though, including a broken wrist earlier this season from a hit-by-pitch. I wouldn’t rush to call Jung injury-prone yet. Jung is my top candidate here.
Mark Vientos has splashed onto the scene this year as a high-contact and power bat. He’s been great. Vientos is a solid third baseman and I see him taking another leap next year.
Jordan Walker has everything a prospect needs. He’s 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds with great power and above-average speed. He simply can’t bring it together in the Majors. His value has fallen since his early prospect days, but Walker still has potential.
Brooks Lee has been good in small doses. He is too unproven for my taste to rush into keeping him. I rank him last.
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