Tersh Wins AL Central
American League Central
LAB REPORTS
The second dive through the helpful, but most likely temporary fixes on fantasy teams I refer to as Tersh goes through the American League Central.
As a reminder, Tersh are the players who get added and dropped repeatedly throughout the season, rarely calling one team home for longer than 2 weeks. The guys you have to rely on, like it or not! To qualify, a player must be less than 50% rostered (I used Yahoo numbers) and have the ability to help your team get through tough stretches.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox are one of the most interesting teams to monitor in the Tersh department. There’s a lot of it there, although some are really a step above. I’ve been screaming for over a month that Sam Antonacci (47% rostered) should not be this under rostered, but he still sits below the 50% mark. My guess is next week at this time he graduates from Tersh status. He bats leadoff vs RHP and still plays vs lefties, although your bang will be vs righties, which remarkably, the Sox see a lot of. He hits close to .330 vs RHP with an OPS near .900. He will score plenty of runs and runs regularly. He’s a spark plug that you need to find steady space for on your team. Andrew Benintendi (2% rostered) plays strictly vs RHP and can provide pop and counting stats. He cracks Yahoo’s top 100 over the last month with 15 Runs and 16 RBIs in only close to 70 at bats. In fact, all of his 39 RBIs this season have come vs RHP. He is highly usable in stretchies vs RHP, especially in DH leagues. Chase Meidroth (30% rostered) has been a steady source of Runs (47) and hits close to .280 while having eligibility at 2B, SS, and 3B. He is a regular vs LHP. Braden Montgomery (17 % rostered) is worth a look. Prospects are always more worthy of a more watchful eye as lotto tickets. He seems to be finding it recently putting up solid numbers (7/22 with 6 Runs and 4 RBIs) the past week. The minor league track record is there and he was a first round pick. I like the upside. Another former first rounder at a premium position is Kyle Teel (19% rostered). He had a solid rookie campaign and has yet to really get things going thus far, as he has battled injuries. Again, more of a speculative add in 2 cather leagues, with a ton of upside. Randal Grichuk (0% rostered) is a stud vs LHP and his per bat numbers and Statcast page have been remarkable. The problem is, he is on the short side of a platoon so the at bats will not be regular. Sean Burke (38% rostered) and Anthony Kay (35% rostered) have been serviceable starters and both are usable in the right matchups.
Cleveland Guardians
Travis Bazzana (49% rostered) will probably be off of this list next week as well. I’m surprised the first overall pick of the 2024 draft isn’t rostered more considering his solid play over the past 2 weeks. Maybe it is more of an indictment of the Guardians lineup itself, which is searching for answers. Brayan Rocchio (30% rostered) got off to a nice start this year with a solid April and May. He has cooled off but showed his capabilities. He has taken 13 bags without permission and hits for a solid enough average with counting stats you can live with. He is a good guy to stream at home, hitting .323 with an OPS of .846. Cooper Ingle (3% rostered) is worth a look in the same realm as Kyle Teel. He hit in the minors and will be in the lineup regularly at positions other than catcher. I love a catcher who rarely catches. They play every day. I’m more intrigued by the Guardians’ arms, as Joey Cantillo (39% rostered) has regained that K upside punching out 22 over his past 19 near flawless innings. Slade Cecconi (14% rostered) has put together a solid stretch of starts as well. He has been great in the ratio departments especially. Wins might be hard to come by in the rotation until the bats get healthy, but we don’t chase wins I guess.
Detroit Tigers
I’m not going to lie, the Tigers are one of my least favorite teams in terms of Tersh. Their bats are frustrating and heavily long ball reliant. Gleyber Torres(45% rostered) has been okay, but is on the shelf again with a second oblique issue.Kerry Carpenter (39% rostered) is somewhat useful, and can contribute in counting stats other than steals. He tends to homer in bunches so on the right week, he can have an impact. I just feel like he should be better. He always seems to have lopsided numbers in terms of Runs and RBIs and it’s not always the same category. Colt Keith (9% rostered) is another frustrating player. His counting stats should be higher, but he can have solid stretches of production in batting average, and has the ability to go yard as evident in his 3 home run game a few weeks back. The biggest problem with Detroit is that they remove players a lot mid game, limiting their ceiling. My biggest interest is Keider Montero (16% rostered), who currently has a WHIP below 1 and has provided steady starts in the ratio department, as his ERA over the past month has been a sparkling 2.20. He’s more than serviceable on pitching starved teams.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals are another less than exciting teams for speculative plays. Nick Loftin (4% rostered) has had a solid past two weeks, chipping in a little across categories and seeing some time toward the top of the lineup, especially in Bobby Witt’s absence. Michael Massey (3% rostered) has hit .321 over the past month with decent production in RBIs and Runs and 4 home runs in that time. He also qualifies at 2B and OF which is a bonus. The bloom fell off of the Stephen Kolek (19% rostered) rose last start in a big way, but it is hard to ignore the 3 starts prior and an overall stretch of 5 out of 6 starts with great ratios.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins might be my favorite team of Tersh. There are a lot of sneaky good players on Minnesota. They have exceeded expectations offensively and have a bunch of interesting bats who can get really hot for long stretches. Brooks Lee (47% rostered) is a guy owners can keep coming back to. In addition to his positional versatility (eligible at 2B, SS, 3B), he can hit. One of my favorite stats is that he is one of only two qualified MLB hitters with close to 15 home runs and a strikeout rate below 15%. He’s right outside the top 100 overall this season and even better over the past month. Lee provides power with 14 home runs along with over 40 RBIs and 40 Runs. Another pleasant surprise in the power department is Kody Clemens (22% rostered). He hits the ball hard and his Statcast page backs up the success. He has been a top 60 performer the past month, hitting .265 with 7 HR to go along with 16 Runs and 18 RBIs, with the unique eligibility of 1B, 2B, and OF.
Trevor Larnach (8% rostered) is always a guy that seems to get added and drooped a lot. Grab him now. He is on a tear lately, hitting .462 over the past two weeks with a couple of homers, 8 Runs and 10 RBIs. He has hit over .338 in the past month and his OPS sits above .800 on the season. I don’t know how long the batting average surge lasts, but he has always done well on the strong side of a platoon with his power and counting stats. He can help your team for weeks at a time. I’m baffled by his low roster percentage. Josh Bell (16% rostered) has seen a resurgence this season. A top 50 performer over the past month, with a batting average over .300 in that time, and he can always help you with Runs and RBIs, while providing a little pop. Ryan Kreidler (1% rostered) has been a revelation for Minnesota as well. In just 90 at bats, he has hit close to .290 with 4 HR, 16 Runs, and a whopping 20 RBIs. He is another SS, OF eligible contributor who has been hot, so ride the stretch and ask for explanations later.
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