Tyler Anderson (SP) COL - The rookie is really racking up the K's over the past two starts, as after 8 K's in 7 innings against the Cubs last time out, Anderson fanned 10 Brewers in just 5 innings on Wednesday. The stigma against Rockie pitchers is strong, as any other rookie pitcher with a 3.51 xFIP and a 10.5% swinging strike rate would be heavily owned, yet Anderson is owned in far less than half of formats as far as I can tell. I wouldn't be flocking to the waiver wire to grab him, as the Coors factor is enough to give me pause in most shallow formats, but nor would I shun him completely.....he has yet to pitch poorly at any level, and he's managed a 3.69 ERA through 14 starts despite the majority of them coming at home. It's tough to call him a streaming option with his characteristics, so let's call him a borderline SP5 for now.
Josh Bell (1B/OF) PIT - OK, I get it, he's a butcher in the field. Bell can definitely hit though, and it isn't like John Jaso is a Gold Glover in the field. His contact ability is excellent...his minor league K rates are about as low as you'll see from a guy that isn't a slap hitter, and although the raw power hasn't completely shone through yet, he already looks like a 15-20 HR guy with the possibility for a bit more down the road. I really think this kid is going to be good, but he doesn't get as much press as many offensive prospects. After keeping him on the bench for the first 5 games of his career, Bell has started the last 4 in a row, going 5-12 with a 2B. He is an excellent choice for those of you in need of a late-season upgrade at the position, and he's at least that positive an option for 2017.
Jedd Gyorko (2B) STL - Gyorko has hit well lately, tallying 4 multi-hit games and 5 homers in his last 10 appearances. He's hitting 246/309/489 after a pair of singles on Wednesday, and the career-best power numbers that you'd expect after escaping San Diego purgatory have come to fruition, as he's managed 20 HR in just 280 AB. The hard contact rate and avg HR distance don't suggest better than average-plus power, so this HR total is likely going to be a bit beyond him moving forward, but the good luck there has been offset by some pretty poor luck with BABIP. Gyorko was always forecast to be a low-AVG bat, but he's managed to move his contact rate up near 80% this season...there's a bit of opportunity for upward movement on the batting average front. All told, Gyorko looks like a MIF in standard-sized mixed leagues right now...that power is tough to find at 2B, and with his potential eligibility all over the infield he's a handy guy to roster. The ceiling is necessarily limited with the minimized-but-still-present contact issues and complete lack of speed, but the floor (with the power) isn't all that bad.
Ryan Schimpf (2B) SD - The 28 year old has finally broken into the majors this year with Padres, bringing his three true outcome style to an unusual position (2B). Schimpf, after tripling Wednesday, has 61 XBH in 108 games between AAA and the bigs this year...remarkably, he's hitting over 60% flyballs in a home park where flyballs go to die. Partly due to that but mainly due to contact issues, the AVG is going to be a constant millstone. Still, there aren't many MIF that can give you 20+ HR power, and particularly in OBP-weighted leagues Schimpf is looking like a player that can be utilized down the stretch. As far as 2017 goes, the Padres have Cory Spangenberg and Carlos Asuaje also competing for a starting role, so there are no guarantee's for Schimpf beyond the next few weeks.
Trea Turner (SS) WAS - After his 8th straight hit, the Orioles finally did get Trea Turner out Wednesday, but not before the rookie had increased his line up to 335/359/544 for the year. I know that Turner had hit well over .300 at 4 straight stops before a brief cameo in Washington last year, but he's exceeded even my optimistic expectations, showing a bit more power and even more speed than I expected. He definitely looks like a guy that is going to his .300 and steal 30-50 bases for a good number of years, and the power (he's already hit a 450 foot homer this year) may end up somewhere near average by the time he fully matures. Instead of the solid citizen that I expected to see, Turner looks like a potential star.
