This article is part of our The Daily Duel series.
This year's batch of August call-ups have been a bit disappointing, with some of the biggest names – Xander Bogaerts and Kolten Wong, in particular –struggling to find playing time on contending teams over the last few days. The cupboard isn't completely barren in this week's "Newbies" section, however, and with September 1 right around the corner there should be some more young talent on the way soon.
Newbies
Anthony Gose, TOR, $3,200 – Gose is just two years removed from a 69-steal, 16-homer season at the Double-A level, but has fallen down the prospect rankings at an alarming pace thanks to his .239 batting average (with just three home runs) in 393 at-bats with Triple-A Buffalo this season. The speedy outfielder finally turned things around in August, going 15-for-48 with nine stolen bases in his last 14 games at the Triple-A level, before being rewarded with a call-up to the big league squad. Toronto's entire starting outfield is currently on the disabled list, and as a result, Gose has seen regular playing time against right-handed pitching over the last two weeks. While he is just 7-for-31 at the plate, Gose is 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts and should have plenty of freedom to run, provided he finds a way to get on base.
Value Players Looking To Rebound
Here are some players who have seen their value drop significantly due to poor performance or a new role. These players have been successful at the major league level in the past and should offer strong value, despite owning disappointing stat lines in 2013.
Jose Altuve, HOU, $2,500 – Altuve is just 7-for-42 over his last 10 games and owns a .653 OPS for the season. That doesn't sound like much to get excited about, but he also has 30 stolen bases and has been batting third in the Houston lineup for the last three weeks. While it's usually best to avoid cold players, Altuve's price has fallen far enough to justify using him, even amidst a slump.
Salvador Perez, KC, $2,800 – Perez made the most of his playing time during his first two seasons and is finally starting to pick things up in 2013. While his batting average sits at a disappointing .275, the Royals' catcher is 12-for-38 with three home runs and 12 RBI over his last nine games, heading in to Wednesday's action. He could probably qualify for the "on fire" section, but doesn't carry the hefty price associated with some of the league's other hot bats.
David Freese, STL, $2,300 – Freese was seemingly banished to a platoon role after Kolten Wong was called up last week, but Wong struggled at the plate, so Freese started the Cardinals' last three games heading in to Wednesday's action. While his performance at the plate hasn't quite been what the Cardinals or fantasy owners were expecting, Freese still owns a respectable .265/.339/.375 slash line, with six home runs and 48 RBI in 381 at-bats. He's mostly been overrated since his heroics in the 2011 World Series, and daily fantasy players now have a chance to buy low.
Desmond Jennings, TB, $2,900 – After going 0-for-4 Tuesday night, Jennings has now gone hitless in his last five games. Though that's never a good thing, the talented young outfielder has drawn four walks over that span, while striking out just twice. The plate discipline is encouraging, and most importantly, the price is right.
On Fire
Simply put, these are some of the hottest hitters in the league.
Dustin Pedroia, BOS, $3,800 – While he struggled badly coming out of the All-Star break, Pedroia has gone in the opposite direction over the last two weeks, batting .398 since Aug. 13. He's been particularly impressive over the last five days, with 11 hits (six doubles) in his last 20 at-bats heading in to Wednesday's slate of games. The Red Sox's second basemen still hasn't homered in the month of August, but the barrage of doubles indicates that he isn't too far off.
Martin Prado, ARI, $4,200 – Prado has quickly made amends for his poor first half, slashing .361/.418/.565 since the All-Star break. He already has more RBI (37) in the second half of the season than he did in the first, including 11 over his last four games and a whopping 30 RBI in the month of August. It's not exactly news that Prado is hot, but we thought we'd remind you that he still hasn't slowed down.
Coco Crisp, OAK, $3,200 – Despite going 0-for-2 Tuesday night, Crisp is 10-for-23 with four home runs over his last six games heading in to Wednesday's action. While the speedy center fielder isn't known for power, he seems to hit his home runs in bunches, and is currently on pace to surpass his previous career-high of 16 dingers in a season. One of the nice things about selecting Crisp is that he can still contribute with walks and stolen bases, should his hot bat suddenly go cold.
FanDuel Promotions
Get a Rotowire subscription for free!
RotoWire.com has partnered with FanDuel - the daily fantasy sports
site - to give you a six month subscription for FREE! All you
need to do is the following:
-- Signup for FanDuel
-- Make a $30 deposit via PayPal
-- You'll be emailed details of your subscription from RotoWire within 48 hours
You also get extra bonus money on deposit, giving you over $79 worth
of value for just a $30 deposit! Grab your RotoWire subscription now
and dominate your fantasy baseball leagues.
Get your free subscription now
*This offer only applies to new FanDuel signups. Current RotoWire subscribers who are new signups to FanDuel will receive an additional six months to their active subscription.
