In last week's 'Waiver Targets' piece, I celebrated the greatest hits and suggestions from the summer that was. For my final 'Waiver Targets' piece, I'll shock the fantasy universe by actually following up with the let-down portion of my advice.
Some of these guys, became more than I thought they would be. Others didn't come close to some of the things I expected them to do with an uptick in playing time. And, finally, there were the guys that never got a shot to come through on my thoughts because they were stuck in the minors all season.
Beyond the misses listed below, you'll find a few, final pushes that could provide you with a slight 2-3 week September lift as you gun for your leagues' title.
Week 2 - Jose Iglesias, Detroit
What I Said Then: 'But, as a 9th-slot hitter, his opportunities to do anything that matters are quite limited. Oh, and did I mention his shins? They're in terrible condition. Let someone else play the bidding fool.'
Now: The shins have held up (Iglesias has played a robust, 120 games) and so has the bat (Iglesias is hitting right at .300). The other major plus has been 11 steals which is almost twice the number he had in 134 games entering this year. Notably, all the other stats are brutal (2 HR, 23 RBI, 44 R).
Week 6 - Justin Bour, Miami
What I Said Then: '... the tag 'prospect' has never been tossed around with him. He's not up because he's necessarily deserving. He's up because (Mike) Morse is still searching for the correct code. Bour's ceiling is low enough to scrape a toddler's head.'
Now: Morse never found his stroke or his health and is now in Pittsburgh. Bour, meanwhile, is taking aim at 20 homers (currently at 16) and, on average, he has driven in a half-run per game. He's become a decent corner infield option.
Week 7 - Peter Bourjos, St. Louis
What I Said Then: 'You should figure on Bourjos handling most of the lead-off duties and that should lead to plenty of opportunities on the stolen base and runs side. I think he gets a three-to-four week look-see here. And, again, if he does well, it could stretch out much longer.'
Now: What a bust. Bourjos has been by-passed like your grandmother on the interstate and is lucky to get a start once every two weeks. Amazingly, he's been thrown out seven times in 12 stolen base attempts. An embarrassing run of lousy results.
Week 9 - Matt Duffy, San Francisco
What I Said Then: 'He can probably keep his average in the .275-range, but there's very little pop and even less of a chance to do damage from his customary 8-spot in the batting order. He's an emergency corner infield option.'
Now: Duffy has been a middle infield stud with double-digit home runs and a stat line that will feature a near-.300 average with runs and RBI totals both over 70. He's also handled a key role in the Giants' lineup, hitting 2nd or 3rd most every night.
Week 10 - Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs
What I Said Then: 'Baez has immense contact issues (like many guys with the Cubs), but with the multi-eligibility, playing time, and surrounding talent, his numbers could be more than palatable.'
Now: We waited and waited and waited for the Cubs to call-up Baez and it never happened until MLB rosters expanded in September. When it's all said-and-done, Baez is going to get about 20 starts for the year. The early returns have been positive, but if you added him way back in Week 10, there's no way he can provide a pay off.
Week 11 - Rafael Soriano, Chicago Cubs
What I Said Then: '... the possibility of adding a slinger who can wrap up some saves. If you're considering Soriano it's because you need saves now.'
Now: Soriano made it to the North Side, but showed almost nothing on the hill. In a half-dozen appearances, he was man-handled by the opposition, stung for an ERA near-7.00 and a WHIP around 1.60 (somehow, he did grapple a couple of W's in that time). All you need to know is that he was released by the Cubs even with their on-going bullpen disasters.
Week 12 - Matt Cain, San Francisco
What I Said Then: 'I believe that Cain will be given a starters' gig no matter what. He's just been too much a part of what has made the Giants so good for the past six-to-seven years. If Cain is truly healthy, this could be a big time waiver steal.'
Now: It's obvious that Cain's elbow still isn't right. He's currently back on the DL with nerve irritation and his career is in doubt. He did get the call for 10 starts, but had no juice, posting a 6.15 ERA and an ever-cratering K-rate.
Week 15 - Jarrod Dyson, Kansas City
What I Said Then: 'Now, he gets a step up in with (Alex) Gordon out for two months. I have strong doubts about Dyson hitting more than .260 for those eight weeks, but anyone who needs a lift in the steals category better be in on the bidding here.'
Now: Gordon disappeared from the lineup on July 8. While he sat for 8 weeks, Dyson did turn in 13 steals (and, again, that's good!), but he only received 23 starts. In other words, the numbers could have certainly been there, but manager, Ned Yost, only platooned him. Matters weren't helped by Dyson's .240-ish average during his chance to shine.
Week 22 - Jose Berrios, Minnesota
What I Said Then: '... Berrios is a true add, right now. Take the dip before we get word of the call-up and the competition for his services heats up.'
Now: More than two weeks later, we're still awaiting a Berrios call-up. Just over a week ago, Twins GM Terry Ryan, informed us that the organization would not give Berrios the promotion that so many had been awaiting. Instead, an innings total of 166+, forced the Twins to say "no."
Hitters
Kevin Kiermaier, OF, Tampa Bay
If the fantasy baseball game provided credit for highlight-reel defensive plays, then Kiermaier would be gone by pick 25. Instead, the glove maven has to fight for recognition with his bat. And, the overall numbers that he has posted this year have been solid. The average has held steady (.265), he leads all of baseball in triples (12), and needs just a pair of shots to hit double-digits in home runs. Since August 1st, he's been rolling with batting mark of well-over .300 and he's come through with some productive games despite being stuck at the bottom of the order. He's, at best, a 5th outfielder, but with players starting to peel off as we head to the conclusion of the season, you may be in the market for the help.
Suggested FAAB bid - $4
Scott Schebler, OF, LA Dodgers
Schebler will never be confused with a high-end prospect, but after finishing his Triple-A campaign with respectable numbers (13 HR, 15 SB, 50+ RBI, and 50 R in 121 games), he's up with the big league club for some final month seasoning. The Dodgers have had a walking wounded in their outfield most of the summer and that trend has continued as they prep for the postseason. Yasiel Puig is out and Carl Crawford is in his usual limping routine. It all lines up for a little extra playing time, but Schebler would be lucky to start even a dozen games the rest of the way. That makes him a spot play only for those nights when he's in the starting nine while facing nothing more than an average hurler.
Suggested FAAB bid - $1
Blake Swihart, C, Boston
Going back to the start of this long season, many fantasy players got overly excited when Swihart got the call up to Fenway Park. After all, he figured to be the rare catcher who was young, considered a prospect, had a starting job, and ... could hit. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of the lumber as he fumbled his way to a whiff-per-game, a .240-ish batting average, and just 11 RBIs in two months of action. But, as they say, that was then and this is now. Swihart spent July back in the minors, but has come on like gangbusters in his second MLB showcase. After a pair of back-to-back two hit games on the eve of August, the catcher has been red-hot, reaching base in an amazing 44% of his plate appearances. His power has not been great (just one wall-jumper in nearly eight weeks), but it's tough to turn down his current. If he's available still in a 2-catcher league, you've been granted a late year prize.
Suggested FAAB bid - $6
Pitchers
Tim Hudson, SP, San Francisco
I don't make it personal practice to suggest players who just announced that they would be retiring at the end of the season. But, this is one of those occasions that I'll make an exception. The Giants are back to their pitcher-friendly yard for the upcoming week and Hudson is currently scheduled for couple of starting nods versus Arizona and Cincinnati. The right-hander's overall work this year has been fairly mundane, if not downright bad. But, he's coming off a very efficient start in Arizona and gets both his upcoming opponents in a park that gives him a fighters' chance. For those who have season-long innings' limits and are south of the pace, right now, Hudson might be a cheap answer to eat some of your leftover frames.
Suggested FAAB bid - $2
Sean Nolin, SP, Oakland
Nolin is yet another piece in the seemingly-endless parade of parts that came to Oakland in the Josh Donaldson flip with Toronto. After an early season injury, he performed for 12 starts at Triple-A Nashville and accomplished a good deal with an impressive 2.66 ERA in a very limited 47 innings. He was definitely handled with kids' gloves, but the A's do want to give him a big league shot. He's got one start under his belt (a quality start that featured just one punch-out in six innings) and should see another 2-3 chances before the year comes to close. I don't think there's anything overly interesting here, but you may get a slight lift if you find the right match-up.
Suggested FAAB bid - $2
Logan Verrett, SP, NY Mets
New York is suddenly cruising to the NL East title, but they're still dealing with all manner of noise and hulabaloo. Both Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard will see skipped starts leading into October and the Mets will have to find someone to fill those turns in the rotation. Enter Verrett. The 25-year old right-hander has popped up on New York's radar a few times this season with one start over the course 10 appearances. In that time, he's got an ERA under-2, plus 23 Ks in just a shade over 23 innings. He's penciled in for a start on Monday versus the Marlins and could follow it up with a chance against the cross-town Yankees next weekend. His minor league work is far short of his more celebrated pitching teammates, but Verrett is a nice wild card get if you're looking to fill some gaps in your rotation.
Suggested FAAB bid - $4
You can hear Kyle each weeknight on 'The SiriusXM Fantasy Drive' from 7-10 ET, Sirius 210, XM 87.
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