Everyone loves rookie starting pitchers for their potential upside, and you do not need me to tell you how great Brendan McKay might be. He might join Mike Soroka and Chris Paddack as fantasy mainstays. So might Jordan Yamamoto, Zach Plesac and Sandy Alcantara. Just don't forget about the veterans, please. Appreciate what Rangers Mike Minor and Lance Lynn have achieved. Oakland right-hander Mike Fiers and Houston left-hander Wade Miley are both top-40 hurlers on the Player Rater -- and still readily available. San Diego right-hander Dinelson Lamet has not pitched in a big league game for nearly two years, but he was a major strikeout option in 2017, and he returns healthy this weekend. Arms of all ages can help out a fantasy roster.
With that in mind, welcome to another free agent blog, as I go position by position to find the fantasy hitters and pitchers who deserve more attention and others who, well, do not. Feel free to share your thoughts (as if you need prompting!) with me on Twitter.
Corner infield
Barely over 50 percent mixed-league must-add: Daniel Vogelbach, Mariners; Matt Olson, Athletics -- the same as two weeks ago
Below 50 percent must-add: Tampa Bay Rays newcomer Yandy Diaz is back after another injured list stint (we hope it's not a theme) and I see a four-category fantasy provider here. He hits for average and has power, and even stole a base on Monday.
Worth adding: Miami Marlins first baseman Garrett Cooper is a legit late-bloomer who continues to produce. He might slow down and become Arizona's Christian Walker, but ride out the fun for now. His teammate Brian Anderson is also hitting nicely and already has many home runs as last season, like seemingly half of the major leagues. Thanks, new baseball! New York Mets third baseman Todd Frazier had a big June and Pittsburgh Pirates starter Colin Moran started July with a five-hit game.
Mixed-league stash: I do think the Mets will trade Dominic Smith soon, and he looks like a potential four-category provider in fantasy. Cleveland Indians first baseman Bobby Bradley was an initial add in the fantasy world, then quickly dropped after a few games. Give the kid a chance!
Drop 'em: San Diego Padres conundrum Wil Myers is barely playing now. Milwaukee Brewers flash Jesus Aguilar should have gone months ago. Things have changed with Cincinnati Reds starter Joey Votto and rejuvenated Philadelphia Phillies option Maikel Franco. Keep Votto, not Franco. Minnesota Twins curiosity Miguel Sano is like Franco. You'll get power, but big slumps and no batting average.
Don't drop 'em: I am waiting just a bit longer on the now-injured Matt Carpenter, but obviously you can move on. It is your team(s), after all.
Middle infield
Barely over 50 percent mixed-league must-add: Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees; Scott Kingery, Phillies
Below 50 percent must-add: Brewers starter Keston Hiura, Los Angeles Dodgers veteran Chris Taylor, Seattle Mariners youngster J.P. Crawford and Toronto Blue Jays rookie Cavan Biggio each offer different things to fantasy managers, and I am not sure I would use the word "must" to describe the interest after Hiura. Still, they are all hitting. Hiura has power. Clear power. We would like more plate discipline, but I doubt Travis Shaw takes his role again. Taylor hit .300 in both of the previous two months. Crawford is hitting second in his lineup. Biggio has obvious power and, now that he is drawing walks, his batting average floor is better. Fellow Blue Jay Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is the most added hitter of the past few weeks, but might still be there in your league.
Worth adding: Pirates shortstop Kevin Newman continues to hit for average and offers double-digit potential for home runs and steals. He is a bit like Taylor. Scrappy St. Louis Cardinals rookie Tommy Edman is more a runner than a power option but, as long as Carpenter struggles, there is an opening. Rays starter Brandon Lowe keeps showing up on the dropped list, but I do not understand why.
Mixed-league stash: Padres starter Ian Kinsler stands behind only Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera among active players in runs scored. Hey, good for him! Luis Urias would clearly be an upgrade, like the Brewers situation, so when that promotion comes (soon), be ready. Also, watch the Rockies. OK, so Brendan Rodgers did not hit and then he got hurt. I get it. Bust! (Not really.) Still, between him and Ryan McMahon, someone is going to play and hit in that ballpark.
Drop 'em: Drop Robinson Cano of the Mets because, unlike Votto, he has not started hitting again. Drop Washington Nationals utility option Howie Kendrick because he does not play enough, though I think his versatility and batting average still matter. Enough with Travis Shaw and Marwin Gonzalez. Derek Dietrich stopped hitting. So did Asdrubal Cabrera.
Don't drop 'em: Some odd drops here. Moving on from Seattle's Dee Gordon is similar to people impatiently cutting Adalberto Mondesi. He runs. Few do. Cardinals All-Star Paul DeJong is wrongly on the list. I still like Boston Red Sox rookie Michael Chavis more than most. I do not think he is Franco or Sano, however.
Outfield
Barely over 50 percent mixed-league must-add: None
Below 50 percent must-add: The Dodgers' Alex Verdugo looks like a .300 hitter with 20-home run pop. Toronto's Randal Grichuk is a .230 hitter, but with 30-homer pop -- at least. I would still add the Kansas City's Jorge Soler first if you need power and nothing else. He might really reach 40 home runs and even with this baseball in this era, that matters. Indians rookie Oscar Mercado hits for average and runs, and he is scoring runs.
Worth adding: There are myriad defensively-minded, four-category options at this position that cost you in batting average (especially in OBP/points formats) but hit for power and run, like Oakland's Ramon Laureano, Tampa Bay's Kevin Kiermaier, San Francisco's Kevin Pillar and others. I like them over the Cubs' Jason Heyward, who we know at this point, and Pittsburgh trade bait Corey Dickerson. It's the same with Boston's Jackie Bradley Jr. as I do not see statistical staying power there.
Mixed-league stash: Texas Rangers youngster Willie Calhoun fits the description, at the least. He should continue to see playing time, and the word is that some of it could come at second base. Added eligibility never hurts! I bet we see the Yankees' Clint Frazier in the majors soon and when it comes to Philadelphia's Nick Williams (producing nicely at Triple-A Lehigh Valley), a July trade to another franchise would make him a potential top-50 fantasy outfielder.
Drop 'em: Do you still think Arizona's Adam Jones can save your fantasy team? Time is running out on Kansas City's Alex Gordon as well. Do not mistake a hot April for a potential hot second half. I am on the fence about Detroit Tigers underachiever Nicholas Castellanos. The numbers do not excite, but he is the one hitter that, if he ends up with a contender, you could see a return of motivation and big numbers.
Don't drop 'em: Nice to see you have stopped dropping Franmil Reyes, Yasiel Puig and Hunter Pence. Reyes will hit 40 blasts! I still think Seattle's Mitch Haniger belongs on rosters. Atlanta rookie Austin Riley could hurt the batting average, but I do not move on. I keep Milwaukee's Lorenzo Cain a while longer as well.
Catcher
Worth adding: Chicago White Sox starter James McCann is hitting .319 and made the AL All-Star team. OK, so there is that .403 BABIP but to be fair, these things do not always even out. Perhaps McCann hits .300 all year. It's unlikely but, on occasion, a player gets away with it. It's not as if I see any other catcher worth adding since most of my recent picks have gone cold, like Minnesota's Mitch Garver and Willians Astudillo, Houston's Robinson Chirinos and Cleveland's Roberto Perez. Sure, add Boston's Christian Vazquez and find another guy next week. If you are in a multi-catcher format, definitely add McCann and Vazquez, and consider Washington's Kurt Suzuki, Arizona's Carson Kelly and perhaps Baltimore's Chance Sisco.
Mixed-league stash: Certainly for dynasty formats, the Dodgers' Will Smith could be a top-10 option soon. They are being patient -- and can afford to be. I guess in a deep league with a deeper bench I want to see if Toronto's Danny Jansen and San Diego's Francisco Mejia ever start to hit consistently.
Drop 'em: For now, the only catchers that must be rostered in all leagues are, in order of my rankings: Gary Sanchez, J.T. Realmuto, Willson Contreras and Yasmani Grandal. You do not see the names of Yadier Molina and Buster Posey there for a reason.
Starting pitcher
Barely over 50 percent mixed-league must-add: "Must" is a strong word here, but Dodgers right-hander Ross Stripling stands out, as does Pittsburgh's Joe Musgrove and Philadelphia's Zach Eflin. Then again, I can find pitchers I like just as much rostered in 20 percent of standard leagues.
Below 50 percent must-add: Let us give Rays rookie Brendan McKay his own section. I think he's more valuable to us as a pitcher than hitter, clearly, but then again, rookie pitchers break hearts. We saw it Monday with San Diego's Logan Allen and the Cubs' Adbert Alzolay. Be careful, but McKay is worth a look. I think young, unproven pitchers belong in this section. Still, because of the upside, you add McKay over a Tanner Roark type just in case he is awesome. There are few starters I would classify as a "must" anything.
Worth adding: With the back of fantasy rotations, see who is thriving lately and check the schedule. Teams play with rotations during the All-Star break. Again, I cannot use the word "must" for Miami rookie Jordan Yamamoto, who is intriguing but unproven. Oakland's Mike Fiers is not overly intriguing or fun, but he is safer than most realize and No. 15 on the 30-day Player Rater. Washington's Anibal Sanchez was terrible in April. He had a nice June and June matters more. Cincinnati's Roark is much like Fiers -- boring but profitable. Look up what Padres right-hander Dinelson Lamet did in 2017. He can be very good.
Mixed-league stash: Oakland youngsters Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk stand out and the White Sox will unveil Dylan Cease on Wednesday. Rookies!
Drop 'em: Forget about in what round you drafted Boston right-hander Rick Porcello and left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Yikes! I still like Yankees left-hander J.A. Happ, but there seems little risk of a monster second half. Speaking of the Yankees, I doubt we'll get much of Luis Severino in 2019. Time ran out quickly on Zach Davies, Julio Teheran and Nick Pivetta.
Don't drop 'em: The obvious mistake name on the most-dropped list is Cole Hamels. He might miss only a start or two, and I want him around for the final 10 weeks of the season.
Relief pitcher
Barely over 50 percent mixed-league must-add: Fantasy managers just do not want to like Philadelphia's Hector Neris.
Below 50 percent must-add: I think we could see a full second half of saves for St. Louis' Carlos Martinez, Atlanta's Luke Jackson, the Angels' Hansel Robles, Texas' Shawn Kelley and Kansas City's Ian Kennedy. Saves are out there, but fantasy managers get impatient quickly.
Mixed-league stash: As noted on Tuesday, Boston's Nathan Eovaldi fits here. Perhaps he starts saving games later this month. Perhaps it does not work out. We care because the Red Sox are a good team and he can be good. I would prefer adding Colorado right-hander Scott Oberg, for he is better than Wade Davis and that change should happen soon. Milwaukee right-hander Jeremy Jeffress saved Monday's win and more could be coming, as Josh Hader sees a more versatile role.
Drop 'em: Any Cubs pitcher not named Craig Kimbrel. I can see moving on from Cincinnati's Raisel Iglesias, since that situation has become a timeshare. Enough with Jose Leclerc. We cannot wait all six months!
Don't drop 'em: It is premature to part with Oakland's Blake Treinen and the Mets' Edwin Diaz, but they are on the dropped list.
Tuesday's takeaways
Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola delivered his top performance of an erratic season, tossing eight shutout frames at Atlanta. There were no signs of the control issues that have plagued this top-10 fantasy hurler in 2019, nor the fly balls leaving the yard. It sure would be nice if the Nola of 2018 that we saw on Tuesday had a big second half. He is currently No. 42 among starters on the Player Rater, behind Joey Lucchesi, Wade Miley and Mike Fiers.
Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus swiped three bases against the Angels, giving him 19 on the season. We forget Andrus once stole 42 bases (in 2013) and topped 20 steals the following four seasons, before slowing down in 2018. A lower walk rate and elevated BABIP are a bit disconcerting, but he is barreling up baseballs and his splits show no concern. Put it this way: We love Arizona's All-Star Ketel Marte, and Andrus ranks higher on the Player Rater.
Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer continues to frustrate. He cruised through four innings at Kansas City and then the hits kept coming -- 11 of them in all. It was almost as if Bauer pitched to the score when his team led 7-1. They held on. Still, Bauer has a 3.74 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP, and those stats should be better. I would trade for him. When Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco return, the Indians will go on a run. Similar to Bauer, St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Jack Flaherty got lit up again (this time by the Seattle Mariners) and his numbers are far worse, despite, as with Bauer, an awesome K-rate. These pitchers should be doing much better!
Kansas City Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi returned from a short IL stint with a home run and three runs batted in, his spot among the top-10 hitters on the season Player Rater still secure. Some will say Mondesi cannot possibly hit .269 for long with such brutal plate discipline (5% walk rate, 27% K-rate), but I am not one of them. Trade for a 50-steal option with confidence. He has better numbers than Washington's Trea Turner, and their spots in 2020 drafts should be interesting. Turner will go considerably earlier, but should he? Nope. I would preliminarily say Turner late in Round 2, Mondesi in Round 3.
Health report
Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter mercifully hit the injured list with a back strain, but the team claims he will play right after the All-Star break. I think they are just giving him a break. Fantasy managers are tiring of Carpenter's struggles, but again, I would be a bit more patient. Carpenter hit 20 home runs between July and August in 2018. We know he is capable.
Twins right-hander Jake Odorizzi, the No. 17 starting pitcher on the Rater, is IL-bound with a middle finger blister that forced him from his Tuesday outing. It does not sound serious. He is not Aaron Sanchez, we hope. Keep Odorizzi rostered, for he likely starts the weekend following next week's All-Star break.
Closing time
Athletics right-hander Liam Hendriks added another save to his ledger on Tuesday and continues to pitch magnificently this season, but with Blake Treinen potentially coming off the IL on Wednesday, it seems unlikely Hendriks keeps the role. Then again, Treinen's balky shoulder might continue to be a problem. If you roster Hendriks, keep him around a while longer.
W2W4
Wednesday's full slate features the return of Yankees right-hander Domingo German from a hip strain, and you can catch his outing on ESPN. He has big numbers and his team scores a ton of runs, regardless of personnel available. Activate German right away. Cleveland right-hander Mike Clevinger faces the Royals, but after a shelling in Baltimore last week, let us not assume anything. Clevinger should bounce back nicely. His 1.09 WHIP tells us more than his 5.89 ERA.
Independence Day features a less-than-full-slate, but the first game starts in Washington at 11:05 a.m. ET, so get those lineups in early, or better yet, on Wednesday night! That is the warning! Look for Dodgers left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu to get back on track at home against the Padres in his final first-half outing. Perhaps we will also learn more about the fantasy viability of Cubs left-hander Jose Quintana and Pirates right-hander Jordan Lyles as they meet on ESPN, the first of two televised games. Are they top-50 hurlers? Quintana should be, Lyles could be. Be safe with your fireworks!
Friday night's headliners look like rookies Brendan McKay and Jordan Yamamoto, as the former leads the Rays against the Yankees, while the latter takes on the Braves on ESPN+. McKay boasts more upside, and a bit more strikeout potential. Speaking of strikeouts, Lamet returns after two years, throwing hard, and pitching at Dodger Stadium. Adding him to your bench would be my move. Enjoy a safe holiday weekend!
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