Albert Pujols
In case you don't have Prince Albert on your team, you might have missed the fact that he drove in his 100th run of the season Thursday night. While Pujols may not longer be the overall fantasy producer he once was, he's still able to post some pretty solid stats, as he has 24 home runs and even four steals to go along with his triple-digit RBI total. The areas where Pujols has slipped (runs and BA) have seen significant drops, as he is at just 53 runs and a .259 BA, but he's still done enough to be right around the top 8-10 first basemen in 2016. Pretty impressive for a 36-year-old. The signs of aging are there in some areas, like a career-high ground ball rate, but in other areas he's as strong as ever, like a 35.2 percent hard hit ball rate that nearly mirrors his career rate. With Pujols incredible bat control, it seems more likely that we'll see a nice slow decline, instead of the massive drop off some players have. As long as he's hitting behind Trout again in 2017, there's no reason to think he can't hit 25 home runs and drive in 100 runs. He's no longer a fantasy stud, but he's far from washed up at this point.
Jose Bautista
Bautista returned from the DL on Thursday, going hitless in his first three at bats, before an RBI double in the ninth. The Jays outfielder finished the game 1-for-4 with two RBI, a welcome sight for his owners who had been without production of any sort since August 9. The season, as a whole, has been disappointing for owners who likely took Bautista in the second round and have seen him tally just 15 home runs to go along with a disappointing .223 batting average. Now that Bautista is back from his knee injury that held him out three weeks, though, owners will hope he has something left in the tank for the most important time of the fantasy season. Bautista has dealt with injuries plenty of times in his career, so I'd be surprised if he shows rust, but the fact remains, he's almost 36 years old, and has a history of injuries - it might be a bit of a surprise to see him stay healthy even the remainder of the season. As for 2017, I'd hesitate before taking Bautista with a pick anywhere in the first four or so rounds. There is power aplenty to be had in fantasy, and the chances of him burning you with another season like 2016 seem relatively high.
James McCann
Well, it appears that yet another catcher is starting to heat up. McCann went 4-for-4 with two runs, three RBI and a home run on Thursday, giving him two homers in his last four games. McCann has been able to beat up on the Red Sox and Twins rotations, but continues the good fortune with a series against the Angels upcoming. McCann now has 11 home runs and 42 RBI, but with Yasmani Grandal, Russell Martin, and Mike Zunino among other catchers to start heating up of late, McCann still isn't more than an AL-Only or two-catcher option. That being said, he's got a nice batted ball profile for those leagues, with a 33.3 percent hard hit ball rate, and a line drive rate approaching 20 percent. His swing has a few holes in it (28.7 percent strikeout rate), but he has enough power to make up for what will be a low batting average. The Tigers also have a nice lineup to surround McCann, and he has been in the lineup consistently of late with Jarrod Saltalamacchia struggling.
Max Kepler
Kepler had a nice two-run double late in Thursday's game with Detroit, one that nearly cleared the fence, but those were his first two RBI since August 17, as the Twins rookie has cooled off significantly in recent weeks. Kepler still has a great long-term future, but for this season, I'd cut him for someone like Alex Gordon who is hot now. Kepler seems to have hit a bit of a rookie wall, understandable given that this is by far the most games he has played in a season. We talk about that with pitchers, but not as often with hitters. Still, Kepler is going to be a player I'm eyeing in the mid-to-late rounds in 2017, as his 36.1 percent hard hit ball rate and solid plate discipline are impressive for a 23-year-old. He should have a full-season, full-time gig in the Minnesota outfield, as well, a Minnesota offense that is 16th in wRC+ in the second half of 2016.
Daily Fantasy Leagues
Felix Hernandez
At first glance, King Felix is a great option on Friday. He's going against a rather pedestrian White Sox squad and seemingly has turned the corner. In his last three starts, Felix has eight strikeouts each game, with only five runs combined. Felix has gotten a bit lucky in those starts, however, as he has walked a combined nine hitters in those three games, and in not a single one of those games did he have an xFIP below 3.50. U.S. Cellular, the location of Friday's game, can punish pitchers, and while the White Sox offense has really struggled of late, they do have enough pop to punish you when need be. Felix will likely be a popular pick, but you should fade him, and grab somebody like David Phelps instead.
DraftKings: $10,900
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Follow Jim Turvey on Twitter @Fantistics_Turv as he has just started using this handle again. Follow for relevant fantasy baseball advice, interesting daily lineup plays, and irrelevant MLB gifs.
