MLB FAAB Factor: Exorcising a Demon

This FAAB article is in addition to the AL and NL FAAB articles that run Sunday. Bids are based on a $100 FAAB budget. Throughout the season, this column will have two goals:

1. Identify FAAB targets for fantasy managers in leagues with Thursday FAAB.

2. Offer a preview of FAAB targets ahead of Sunday's columns.

OK, full disclosure here: there is a player in this article whom I never thought I'd recommend. And it's for the simple reason that he cost me a fantasy title. Erick Fedde was not supposed to pitch in Game 162 of the 2021 season for the Washington Nationals. I was clinging to a one-point lead in my hardest and favorite league, an NL-only rotisserie scoring league called VURBL. I had a fractional advantage in the ERA and WHIP categories, though in the latter innings of that final day of the season, it looked like all my pitchers were done for the season.

Then Fedde, who had a start scratched a couple days prior, was inserted in the seventh inning to protect a 5-2 Washington lead over Boston. Two outs, four hits and three runs later, he was knocked out of the game and I dropped one slot each in the ERA and WHIP categories, and fell to second. Everything that had happened in the previous six months had been flushed down the drain IN THE SEVENTH INNING OF THE LAST GAME OF THE SEASON. My amigos in VURBL still kid me about it by working Fedde's name into certain references. They're pretty funny sometimes, but I'll let you know when I laugh. Maybe in 20 years. 

We've all got bad-beat stories, but this is just a reminder that even the smallest move can be the difference in a title run. Hoping you all don't have your own Fedde stories, unless his recent run of good pitching continues and does the inverse and uplifts your fantasy rosters. Thank you for indulging me for a couple paragraphs to exorcise a demon. Let's jump into this week's MLB FAAB Factor.

Starting Pitcher

Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers (51%)
Closing out April in style, Flaherty had 14 strikeouts in 6.2 innings on 93 pitches against his old club on the last day of the month. Talk about a revenge game. That's just fantastic, especially for Flaherty, who hasn't made more than 20 starts in a season since 2019 and has had just one ERA under 4.25 — 3.22 in 2021 — in that span. He has been quite popular on the waiver wire, and probably will be even more after this command performance.

He's still winless with a 4.00 ERA and four quality starts in six outings. Fantasy managers, just remember that he's probably not going to have a better game than this career high in strikeouts, though he does have 50 in the first 36 innings this season. If he's healthy and taking a regular turn in Detroit's rotation, the 28-year-old is worthy of a roster spot. The Guardians await next week, so the follow-up to his gem will be watched closely. FAAB: $12

Jon Gray, Texas Rangers (41%)
Gray was another popular pickup ahead of his start against the Nationals on April 30. He delivered with eight innings of one-run ball, giving up three hits without a walk. The strikeouts — three — were low compared with three previous starts in which he's had seven or more. 

There's not much overthinking to do here. Gray has a 2.48 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP, striking out 35 in 32.2 innings. Solid numbers all around, and he's pitching for the reigning world champions in a good pitchers' park. He's a good starter who can be a solid contributor on the back half of a fantasy pitching staff. Gray will get a road game against Kansas City's solid offense. FAAB: $9

Javier Assad, Chicago Cubs (56%)
It's not exactly doing it with smoke and mirrors, but Assad has been a revelation despite a fastball that's averaging just 91.7 MPH. Some pitchers have sliders that speed. But the man knows how to pitch, and in the age of velocity ruling there is still room for mound artistry. 

Assad's average exit velocity allowed is just 87.6 mph — in the 69th percentile — and he's allowed two or fewer runs in any of his six starts. At some point fantasy managers have to stop chasing the flash and eat their vegetables. Rostering players who are simply good helps win titles. Assad's next start is May 5 at home against Milwaukee, which has some players scuffling right now. FAAB: $7

Erick Fedde, Chicago White Sox (44%)
My personal history aside, Fedde may be turning a corner at age 31. He struck out 20 batters in his last 14.1 innings pitched. Included in there is an 8.1-inning gem where he allowed seven hits and two runs without walking a batter. 

He's allowed more than two runs in an outing just once in six starts, and even pitching on a cellar-dwelling White Sox team, this run of good pitching has to make fantasy managers take notice. Plus, he'll be a prime candidate to get traded to pitching-needy contenders, maybe even well before the trade deadline. FAAB: $4

Relief Pitcher

Hector Neris, Chicago Cubs (57%)
With five straight saves in his only appearances between April 20 and May 1, it's pretty clear that Neris is the Cubs' man in the ninth inning. Manager Craig Counsell knows how to manage a bullpen and doesn't shy away from his best reliever playing the "fireman" role, so the fact that Neris has commandeered the closer role is significant. Neris should keep his spot atop the saves pecking order for the North Siders for a long while, maybe even the rest of the season. FAAB: $15

Catcher

Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins (61%)
From April 22 to May 1, Jeffers went 13-for-33, good for a .394 batting average and a 1.185 OPS. Fans of Tony Gwynn know that his highest batting average was .394 in 1994, and a San Diego microbrew called one of its signature brews ".394" in the Hall of Famer's honor. It's pretty tasty, too.

Beer fandom aside, Jeffers has hit either first or third in every game but one in that recent hot stretch. The one time he was further down in the order, he hit cleanup. Catchers who can hit are so hard to find, and Jeffers could be a solid contributor in two-catcher leagues. FAAB: $4 

Luis Campusano, San Diego Padres (55%)
Campusano has appeared in 29 of the Padres' first 34 games, and is hitting a solid .267 with two homers and 17 RBI. That's enough to keep hot-shot prospect Ethan Salas in the minors for the near future and makes Campusano a good pickup as a second catcher. He's hitting either sixth or seventh when he's in the starting lineup for a Padres team that's second in the major leagues in runs scored. The catcher could be a cheap way to get a piece of a potent offense. FAAB: $2

First Base

Anthony Rizzo, New York Yankees (61%)
Hitting four home runs over a recent six-game stretch, Rizzo appears to be healthy after battling injuries in 2023. He even went 7-for-8, scoring six runs, driving in four and hitting two home runs over a two-game stretch (April 27-28).

Rizzo is hitting primarily in the fourth or fifth spots in the lineup for the Yankees. With first base such a top-heavy position, the lefty-swinger could be back to taking advantage of that short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium. FAAB: $8

Jake Cronenworth, San Diego Padres (66%)
Cronenworth is eligible at first and second base, and he's been a mainstay in the third spot in the lineup for the Padres. He's occupied that important spot in the batting order every one of his 31 starts, out of 34 total games through May 1.

Since April 23, Cronenworth has hit .333 with a 1.016 OPS and has two home runs, 10 RBI and five runs scored. He's another possibility at the thin first base position for fantasy. FAAB: $7

Second Base

Tyler Black, Milwaukee Brewers (19%)
Black, the 88th-ranked prospect at RotoWire, put himself on the cusp of the big leagues with a combined 18 home runs and 55 stolen bases across the top two levels of the Brewers' farm system last year. He also walked 88 times. He kept it going this year at Triple-A, slashing .303/.393/.525 before his big-league call-up on Tuesday.

Black wasted no time upon hitting the majors, entering his first game as an injury replacement and going 2-for-4 with a run scored. He then hit cleanup and went 1-for-3 in his first start Wednesday. He played first base in that game, and that could be key because he already has 2B/3B eligibility in Yahoo leagues. Black could be a multi-position find who could stick the rest of the season. FAAB: $15

Willi Castro, Minnesota Twins (28%)
In the Twins' 10-game winning streak, Castro has been one of the engines, hitting .419 with an OPS of 1.153, smacking a home run and driving in nine. He's scored seven times. Castro has done most of his damage from the sixth spot in the lineup and lower, but that could change if he remains hot. He also has eligibility at four positions — 2B/3B/SS/OF — and those movable chess pieces can become so valuable as the season rolls along. FAAB: $4

Third Base

Nick Senzel, Washington Nationals (11%)
Senzel did not make his season debut until April 15 after suffering an injury on Opening Day. That's something that's happened too many times for this former top prospect for the Reds, but now he's healthy, and in the past five games he's batted in the second spot in the Nationals' lineup four times. 

In his last five games, Senzel has gone 6-for-21 with three home runs, four runs and seven RBI. While he could be a trade target later in the season, try to take advantage of this current healthy run for Senzel. FAAB: $5

Josh Smith, Texas Rangers (28%)
Since April 25, Smith has been sizzling, going 7-for-17 (.412) with two home runs, three runs and three RBI in those five games. That has his batting average at .318 on the season, which is more than the Rangers could have asked of someone subbing for Josh Jung.

Smith is batting primarily in the 5-7 spots in the lineup. Still, this Rangers lineup is going to score A LOT and Smith will definitely drive in plenty of runs. The long end of Jung's return timeline is around mid-June, so Smith should remain in the lineup for quite some time. FAAB: $6

Shortstop

Luis Rengifo, Los Angeles Angels (62%)
The Angels need to find some offense somewhere, anywhere, after losing Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon to injury. Rengifo has gone 9-for-20 (.450) with a 1.322 OPS in his last six games. He's even powered two homers and driven in five runs. 

He's hit in the heart of the Angels' lineup the past three games, almost by attrition after all the fallen soldiers around him. Rengifo is another who qualifies at four position in Yahoo leagues — 2B/3B/SS/OF — so move him around respective fantasy lineups. FAAB: $3

Outfield

Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres (55%)
The switch-hitting former "next big thing" when he was coming up with the Rangers 11 years ago as a hotshot 20-year-old, Profar has been one of the unsung heroes in a potent 2024 Padres lineup. Hitting .342 with a .953 OPS, Profar also has a very good K:BB at 20:17. 

For fantasy managers fearing that the best days for Profar happened in April, keep in mind that he was inserted in the leadoff spot in the lineup for the past four games. The last time he's hit lower than fifth in the lineup was April 7. While it may be too late in his career to call him a post-hype sleeper, Profar could be at the very least a valuable bench piece in daily leagues. FAAB: $7

Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels (40%)
The Angels' former heir to Mike Trout's throne as the team's next outfield star has had a rough go of it since he debuted in 2020. He hasn't hit higher than .246 and has yet to surpass 88 big-league games. Strikeouts were his greatest nemesis, as he was punched out 107 times in 268 at-bats two years ago.

He has been in the lineup regularly of late, and from April 27-30 he had a four-game stretch where he went 6-for-16 with two home runs, three runs and five RBI. While this may not be him finally living up to those grandiose expectations, fantasy teams hit with injuries could take a flier on Adell to see if he might actually blossom with this playing time increase and lowered expectations. He's hit second in the lineup the past three games. FAAB: $4

Joey Loperfido, Houston Astros
The No. 154 prospect here at RotoWire, Loperfido was hitting .287 with 13 homers and 27 RBI in 25 games at Triple-A before getting called up. That was on the heels of him hitting 25 home runs and stealing 27 bases in the minors last season. 

Loperfido was playing plenty of first base before his call, though he has appeared in the outfield in his first two games with Houston. The Astros could certainly use the jolt of offense from anywhere in the lineup. I like taking fliers on players right after they're called up to the big leagues. FAAB: $8

Mike Tauchman, Chicago Cubs (22%)
The main playing-time beneficiary after the injuries to Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki, Tauchman has stepped up after last year primarily being a strong-side platoon find for the Cubs. Now the 33-year-old is becoming an everyday presence for the Cubs, who have been battling with the Brewers atop the NL Center. 

Tauchman hit .395 with a 1.237 OPS in a stretch from April 19-30, drilling three home runs, with eight RBI and nine runs scored. He's hitting second primarily against righties, and drops down the lineup against southpaws. Tauchman could be a solid contributor to a fantasy lineup at least until Bellinger and Suzuki return from injury. FAAB: $4