Never really known as much of a strikeout pitcher (only 35 in 54.2 innings pitched last season) Keller was never really much of a fantasy option due to his bloated WHIP (1.69) and ERA (5.62), but he’s quickly turned that tide since America’s birthday. Since July 4th (eight starts), he’s registered six quality starts, 50 strikeouts in 48.1 innings (a vast improvement over his career K/9 totals), and a spectacular ERA of 2.67. In that span, he lowered his season ERA from a downright ugly 6.67 to 5.43. As long as he keeps pitching like this, he deserves a much closer look in the majority of deeper mixed fantasy leagues and even some shallow AL-only formats. Add where needed.
Another quality addition comes in the form of yet another Kansas City Royal, middle infielder Nicky Lopez. As was the case for Keller, the tide has completely turned. Last season, Lopez hit a paltry .201 in 169 at bats, only hit one home run, drove in only 13 runs, and got caught stealing in all five attempts. That’s terrible. This season, he’s done a complete 180. He’s stolen 15 bases in 15 tries. He’s yet to be caught in 15 tries after being caught in all five of ’em last season. Talk about coincidence. He’s also drastically improved at the dish, hitting 76 points higher (.277) than he did the season prior. In the past week, he has a home run game, a three-hit, two steal effort in another, and a whopping three stolen base game to his credit. He guided the Royals to four wins in those five contests, and could very well be doing the very same for your fantasy team.
Former top outfield prospect, 2014 first rounder Bradley Zimmer has never quite found his footing at the MLB level, though he’s been right on at the plate recently, hitting three round trippers and stealing three bases in his last 12 games (eight starts). He’s always had a sneaky good blend of pop and speed, and it’s been on display recently. Cleveland is a ways away from competing for a playoff spot, being 11.5 games back in the division and 9.5 games out of the second wild card spot, so they may opt to get a closer look at some of their younger players/ players they’re undecided about as the season winds down, and Zimmer could be a main beneficiary of the expanded playing time. Keep a close eye on him if you have a hole in your outfield and need lowkey production.
Another beneficiary of expanded playing time due to a rebuilding team is Baltimore Oriole Jorge Mateo. The O’s currently sit a whopping 47 games under .500 at 38–85, and are riding an absurd 18-game losing streak. Mercifully, and quite thankfully, that doesn’t matter to fantasy managers, for as long as their individual players produce. Former AL-east rival Yankees prospect Jorge Mateo has been doing just that recently for the birds, riding an impressive 11-game hitting streak while playing all over the diamond, both in the infield (2B, 3B, SS) and the outfield. Mateo is hitting .440 in that span, and has eight stolen bases too for good measure. As long as he continues to receive everyday playing time and is this productive, he deserves a spot in your lineup, even more so considering his versatility.
This one is more of a forward thinking move than one as a result of a recent hot streak. Archer, a career Tampa Bay Ray (since 2012) had a quick cup of Coffee with the Pittsburgh Pirates before returning home to “the Trop”. In his first eight years in Tampa, Archer was the ace of a team that consistently let him down in the run department, consistently handing him tough-luck losses despite continued dominance. For data, he’s never had more than 12 wins in a season despite having three different seasons in which he registered north of 230 strikeouts and an ERA under 4.10. This time around, while he may not be as dominant as he once was, the K/9 numbers are still quite strong, and he has the run support to boot. The Rays sit atop the AL-East with an elite .616 winning percentage, and while Archer just returned from a season long injury, notching four punch outs in two shutout innings of work (only 41 pitches), that number should slowly creep up as Tampa Bay marches towards the postseason. Archer is a strong add for those looking to make their own fantasy postseason push.