Lawrence Butler
(OF - OAK)
Lawrence Butler has gotten out of the gates slowly in regards to his stats; however he is a statcast darling. He is hitting the ball extremely hard (91st percentile hard hit), hitting it squarely (85th percentile barrel percentage), and has a 13.2% walk rate. Right now Butler is on a massive discount, but I believe he may end up the most valuable outfielder on the Athletics if his peripherals maintain and he continues to play the way he is. Butler should continue to get opportunities since the Athletics are so bad. Stash him on your bench and see if he blows up.
Luis Garcia Jr
(2B - WAS)
Luis Garcia Jr came up through the Nationals minor league system, quickly making his debut as a 20-year-old. He was touted as someone who could hit the ball with fair power, good average, and steal some bags, but prior to this year, he had struggled at the plate. This year, he appears to have gone into a second gear. Garcia has maintained his low strikeout rate (16.7%) while adding a batted ball profile that includes a 79th percentile barrel rate, a .528 xSLG, and a 50.8% hard-hit rate. Although the Nats lineup does not provide too many opportunities for RBI's, if Garcia continues to hit like this, he could end up being a top 10 second basemen for the year.
Mike Tauchman
(OF - CHC)
Mike Tauchman has been around for a number of years, bouncing from the Rockies to Yankees to Giants to Cubs, but this year, it appears something has changed with his approach. He continues to walk a ton with a 19.7% walk rate (100th percentile!) but is hitting the ball with authority as well. He has a 13.6% barrel rate, 74th percentile hard-hit rate, and wOBA and has dropped his strikeout rate considerably to 18.3%. If Tauchman continues to get the majority of playing time in right field with Seiya Suzuki out and then potentially shifts over to DH once he returns, an investment in a deep league, especially OBP leagues he could certainly pay dividends.
Amed Rosario
(OF/SS - TBR)
Amed Rosario attended Driveline in the offseason after a few middling seasons around the league, and it appears it's been paying off. He’s not only seeing the ball better (career-low 12.8 strikeout rate) but hitting it harder with a 47.3% hard-hit rate, 8.1% barrel rate, and 88th percentile xBA. Rosario is being put into situations he will be successful in and coming through. At this rate Rosario could certainly become a 15/15 contributor with multi positional eligibility and an above average batting average.
Davis Schneider
(2B/OF - TOR)
Davis Schneider is a streaky hitter who has multi-positional eligibility and has shown elite pop in the past. His statcast page continues to show that he is an above-average hitter and, if he gets hot, could hold a continued position in a dangerous Blue Jay lineup. Currently, he has a 97th percentile barrel percentage of 18.9%, a .515 xSLG, and a 70th percentile average exit velocity.
Last year, he posted eight homers in just 141 at-bats and, with a full season of at-bats, would be on pace for over 30 homers. He continues to display the same aspects of his success last year but also has a poor ownership percentage. He could fill your plug-and-play role or potentially become a starter in your fantasy lineup for the rest of the season.
Gavin Sheets
(1B/OF - CHW)
Another multi-positional eligible player, Gavin Sheets, has shown that he belongs in the starting lineup as he provides some of the only real punch to the rebuilding White Sox. Sheets has been sporting a nice 96th percentile sweet spot percentage, 12% walk rate, 85th percentile xWOBA, and .462 xSLG. Sheets has taken a step forward with the bat this year and can fill a variety of positions for your roster as well. He may be the player on this list with the lowest chance of losing his starting role.
