Tersh Wins AL East
American League East
LAB REPORTS
American League East
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The saying holds true in fantasy baseball. We all know the fantasy baseball season can be a war of attrition, and over the course of 6 months, your stars are going to miss time with injuries. In order to win your league whether it's a head to head weekly format or a traditional 5 category roto league, you’re going to need the help of the lesser thought of players, the under 50% owned personnel, or the guys I like to call: Tersh.
Tersh are the players who get added and dropped repeatedly throughout the season, rarely calling one team home for longer than 2 weeks. They are the forgotten heroes. They are the players who won't give you 5 categories worth of production, but will chip in here and there, keeping you afloat until your studs come back or return to form. And while you can’t win on Tersh alone, it’s okay, and more than necessary to buy some time and fill some gaps with these players, as long as you use them correctly, relying on solid matchups and hot streaks.
I’m going to take you around the league by division on a team by team journey in 6 parts to highlight some of the players who can help contribute to your championship run before you cut them and probably come back to them. Who knows, you may even find a gem who sticks. It has been known to happen. I’m only going to highlight the bats and starters to stream in the right situation and let my pal The Closer guide you through the bullpen Tersh in saves and hold leagues throughout the year. Let’s take a deeper dive starting in the American League East.
All rostership percentages are based on Yahoo leagues
Baltimore Orioles
Blaze Alexander(16% rostered) has been a solid contributor in batting average, hitting .305 with 22 Runs and 22 RBIs while qualifying at 2B, 3B, SS, and OF. That kind of versatility is always appealing. Ride the hot stretch. We are still waiting for 2022 1st overall pick Jackson Holliday (28% rostered) to fulfill expectations, it is important to remember he is only 23 and baseball has more post hype breakouts than any other sport, so as soon as he catches fire, pounce and maybe he sustains success. Over the past month, Brandon Young (40% rostered) has pitched to an ERA of 2.61 and WHIP of 1.10, while keeping the mighty Dodgers in check last week. He won’t give you a ton of innings, and he won’t rack up the Ks, but he will be a steady ratio contributor while collecting some Ws.
Boston Red Sox
Caleb Durbin (24% rostered) has been on fire lately. After stepping out of the organization to seek help with his swing, the results have been outstanding. Over the past month he is hitting .337 with 5 HR, 16 RBIs, 15 Runs and 3 SB, good for 32nd overall on Yahoo. He’s turning into the player the Sox thought they were getting when they gave up Kyle Harrison for him. Jake Bennett (15% rostered)is quietly pitching white well, logging 3 consecutive excellent starts, including a gem at Coors followed up by another at home against the Yankees. In those outings Bennett logged 12.1 innings yielding 1 ER and striking out 12. He will help you in the ratio categories and his K rate is steadily improving.
New York Yankees
Paul Goldschmidt (45% rostered) has had a tremendous resurgence. Over the past month he is the number 8 rated player on Yahoo hitting .324 with 9 HR, 25 RBIs, and 14 runs scored. He is statistically the best hitter in baseball vs LHP and with the absence of Aaron Judge, has seen regular at bats in premier spots in the lineup. While the clock may soon strike midnight on the 38 year old, ride him while he’s hot. Trent Grisham (44% rostered) will be back this week and should return to the leadoff spot most nights. The overall numbers have not been exciting, but the counting stats will be there and his Statcast page still looks great. Jasson Dominguez (16% rostered) hasn’t quite figured it out with the bat or glove yet, but he still offers a solid fantasy skillset with pop and speed, and with Judge out, he will play.
Tampa Bay Rays
Many of us, myself included, drafted Griffin Jax (40% rostered) to be a speculative closer or at least a part of a committee in Tampa, chasing saves. After a brutal start to his season in the pen, and with the emergence of Bryan Baker, the Rays decided to experiment, like only the Rays can, and convert Jax to a starting pitcher. He is thriving in the role, and has logged 3 consecutive starts of 5 innings, with the pitch count closing in on 100. In that stretch, he has 2 Ws, and a 1.20 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. If you’re short on starters, and you will be at some point, grab Jax before that 40% rostership number soars. Tampa could be taking the same path with Ian Seymour (9% rostered), who has been stretched out lately and just finished a dazzling 6.2 innings of no hit ball with 7 Ks and a W against the Royals. Another guy with great stuff, poised to break out in the Rays pitching factory. The Rays bats offer some appeal, but they are notoriously the trickiest lineup to stream from with their strict platoon tendencies. Jonny DeLuca and Ryan Vilade (Each 1% rostered) offer some appeal in against RHP, but that’s the short side of the platoon and playing time is scarce. I would personally wait on Jacob Melton (0% rostered) because of his speed/power combo along with his prospect pedigree and hard hitting ways.
Toronto Blue Jays
It’s been a tough go north of the border for the defending AL champs. The stars have been hard to find and outside of Kazuma Okamoto and everyone’s favorite All Star Ernie Clement, and the numbers have been rough. Daulton Varsho (32% rostered) can be a solid contributor. He has always been streaky, but can put up solid power numbers, and he has leveled his swing some recently allowing the batting average to improve. He is frequently injured but can carry you through a week or two. I myself am buying stock on Sean Keys (2% rostered), His Prospect Savant page is bloody red and the pride of Bucknell has mashed his way through Double A and Triple A this season. He has hit 21 home runs in the minors this season with over 100 Runs/RBIs while hitting .285 with an OPS of 1.028. I understand those are minor league numbers, but hitters hit, and in a lineup desperately searching for a spark, he should see at bats and is 1B/3B eligible. You could do worse.
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