Folks, we have another week of fantasy baseball pick-ups that should help all your teams as we head into the summer months. This week is a unique one as we have three players that could either be back on the waiver in a month or someone that can seriously help your teams make a playoff push. Sometimes you have to risk it to get the biscuit and all three players are someone I think is worth the risk.
Steven Duggar: San Francisco Giants OF (26.5% ESPN Ownership)
The first player on this week’s list is the San Francisco Giants outfielder Steven Duggar. In his fourth season, Duggar is finally getting a chance at an everyday role with the Giants and he has seized the opportunity. So far this year, Duggar is batting .316/.392/.559 with six home runs, six stolen bases, 11 doubles, 27 runs scored, and 25 RBIs in just 136 at-bats. His exceptional play has increased his role and is now an everyday player for the Giants going forward. Over the past month Duggar has started 20-of-24 games and in those games he has a slash line of .309/.413/.559 with three home runs, six steals, 14 runs scored, and 14 RBIs.
One of the biggest reasons for Duggar’s recent success has been his ability to hit the ball hard. Duggar has normally been a softer hitter, but this season he has a career high 87.1 mph exit velocity and a career high hard hit rate of 36%. Duggar also has a career high line drive rate of 27.9% and fly ball rate of 30.2% which has helped cause a big increase in power. There are a few concerns with Duggar that you all should be made aware of. On the year Duggar has a very bad 32.7% strikeout rate and an unsustainable .463 BABIP. These are both glaring weaknesses but Duggar’s career high 11.1% walk rate sits 2.4% better than the MLB average and he has improved drastically with his strikeouts as of late. Since June 14th Duggar has only eight strikeouts in 14 games with two home runs, four steals, and 11 RBI in that span. I recommend picking up Duggar and riding his hot streak. His average will regress but Duggar has become a much better hitter this season and for his SB potential alone he should be rostered in almost all leagues.
Zach Thompson: Miami Marlins SP (23.1% ESPN Ownership)
The second player on this week’s list is a pitcher for the Marlins that has exploded ever since he got called up. Zach Thompson is a name many of you won’t recognize but is pitching like an ace this past month. Since he joined the majors, Thompson has made four starts for the Marlins. In those four starts Zach Thompson is 2-2 with a 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 1.70 FIP, and 25 strikeouts over 18 innings. He has made opposing batters look foolish and has earned a spot in the Marlins rotation for the time being. Thompson has yet to allow more than four hits or two runs in any game this season and has an elite 12.5 K/9.
The dominant start has come as a surprise for many as Thompson had a 6.60 ERA in the minors this season before being called up. However, he was being used as a reliever in the minors and has looked a lot more comfortable as a starting pitcher. The biggest sign of that has been the improvements Thompson has made over just four starts. His first start at the Red Sox he only went three innings allowed one run and only struck out one. Since then, he has gotten better every single outing and has increased his strikeouts each start. Thompson struck out six vs the Braves, seven at the Cubs, and most recently 11 against the Nationals. For the strikeout potential alone Thompson is someone worth streaming for his next couple starts with the possibility of becoming a staple in your rotations going forward.
Keston Hiura: Milwaukee Brewers 2B/1B/DH (58.3% ESPN Ownership)
The final player on this week’s list a player who was sent down already this year but has recently been tearing the cover off of the baseball since he’s been brought back up. Keston Hiura is one of best young talents in the Brewers organization and has a very high ceiling for the rest of his career. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, the start of the 2021 season was a disaster for Hiura and anyone who owned him in fantasy. He had triple the amount of strikeouts to hits, had a batting average well below .200 and only one home run and one stolen base. He was atrocious and as was sent down because of his miserable performance.
The season long numbers are ugly. On the year, Hiura has a very bad slash line of .157/.245/.315 with just four home runs, one steal, and 54 strikeouts to just 20 total hits. However, this is fantasy baseball and everything in the past doesn’t matter when you are looking for players to help your playoff runs. Since he was sent down, Hiura was phenomenal. Hiura batted .403/.506/.722 with five home runs, two steals, eight doubles, and 14 RBI in 20 games at AAA. Hiura’s stellar play provided him with another opportunity at the MLB and so far he has capitalized mightily. Since being recalled, Hiura is batting .316/.391/.842 with three home runs, nine RBI, and a double in just six games. I know it’s a very small sample size but Hiura has potential that you rarely find on the waivers this late into the season. When he is on Hiura is an extra base hitting machine that can steal bases too. He will always strikeout a lot but if he can limit to a point, Hiura can more than make up for it in other categories. Hiura is not only someone who can help your teams in the short term but also has the ability to win you weeks by himself. He was most likely dropped in your leagues when sent down and now is playing like the player everyone thought he was at the start of the year. Don’t wait, go grab Keston Hiura!
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