Every fantasy owner is always searching for the next big thing. The next teenage🀅 or 20-something prospect with tons of upside ready to take The Show by storm.
But, what happens to the veteran players▨, the guys who already know how to get things done? Well, they keep plugging along, offering plenty of value to fantasy owners. Though you may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, sometimes the tricks they know are more than enough to help you get by.
Whenever you hear Jed Lowrie’s name, chances are you chuckle and wonder, “Howꦆ’d he get hurt this time?” His injury history is a list longer than most itemized receipts from🔯 a trip to Costco.
That is why the last time Lowrie was fantasy relevant was 2018, his only All-Star campaign. He hit .267 with career-best marks in homers (23) and RBIs (99) while walking in 11.5 percent of h🦂is at-bats and striking out just 18.8 percent of the time en route to finisꦫhing 20th in MVP voting.
After that stellar 2018 campaign, Lowrie ⭕had eight total plate appearances from 2019-20 — striking o🌜ut four times and walking once while not recording a single hit in his two years with the Mets. That came after he played 153 games in 2017 and 157 in 2018.
That is what makes Lowrie’s red-hot start for the Athletics all that more surprising.
In his first 17 games, Lowrie was 20-for-62 (.323) with two homers, 14 RBIs, 12 runs and a .916 OPS. He struck out in 15.7 percent of his at-bats (lower than his career 16.6 percent mark) and walked 11.4 perc💖ent of the time (almost 2 percent higher than his 9.8 percent career mark).
Lowrie, the second-most added player in ESPN leagues this week, entered Friday with at least one hit in eight of his paꦅst 10 games — going 15-for-39 (.385) with two homers, 13 RBIs and a 1.083 OPS in that span. He also had a seven-game hit streak when he drove in at least one run in six straight games.
The 2005 first-round pick is also hitting th🔴e ball extremely hard — he owns the highest hard-hit rate percentage (49.0) of his career (maybe he’s taking out of his frustrations for essentially missing the past two seasons). That is not something he has been known for throughout his career, but he entered Friday with the eighth-highest average exit velocity in the majors (98.6 mph), according to Statcast, and also owned the best sweet spot percentage (54.9) in the game, meaning he’s consistently producing batted-balls with a launch angle between 8 and 32 degrees. Considering he has solid plate discipline and makes a ton of contact, this is all good news.
Sure, his💦 .367 BABIP indicates he will regress, which should be expected, but he’ll still offer value … as long as he stays healthy🐷. Lowrie may not be the waiver-wire pickup who will carry your team to fantasy glory, but he is the insurance policy you’ll be grateful to have.
Here’s a look at other veterans, 🌌available in 45 per🧸cent or more of ESPN leagues, who could provide valuable fantasy depth:
After a slow start to the season, David Peralta entered Friday on a five-game hitting streak. He was 10-for-20 (.500) with homer, nine RBIs (seven of which came on Thursday), five runs and a 1.383 OPS in that stretch. The 33-year-old is a career .290 hitter who𒆙 is hitting cleanup for the Diamondbacks.
The Royals’ injury-prone, 32-year-old lefty D🔥anny Duffy was the second-most added starting pitcher this week after he allowed just three r♌uns (one earned) in his first three starts. He is 2-1 with a 0.50 ERA, 19 strikeouts, six walks and .209 opponent average. His 2.71 FIP indicates he’s gotten lucky, but fantasy owners would take that number as his ERA any day.
The Reds’ Joey Votto entered Friday with at least one hit in seven of his previous nine games, going 12-for-36 (.333) ꦓwith four homers, eight RBIs and a 1.150 OPS in that span. Though his walk rate is nowhere near the elite number it used to be, his strikeout rate was the lowest it had been since 2017.
One veteran to keep an eye on: The Ange𒁃ls’ Alex Cobb is 1-1 with an ugly 6.28 ERA and .295 opponent average, but there are numbers to consider promising. He has a 21-5 str😼ikeout-walk rate, a career-high 16.1 percent swinging strike rate, a 2.54 FIP and a 2.35 xFIP. At the very least, he’s a solid streaming option against weaker offenses — like Wednesday when he faces a Rangers team that entered Friday hitting .218 and had struck out a league-worst 204 times.
Big Hits
Matt Olson 1B, Athletics
Entered Friday on a seven-gam✤e hitting streak — going 11-for-26 (.423) with five homers, nine RBIs, nin♋e runs and a 1.560 OPS in that span.
Max Scherzer SP, Nationals
Allow꧙ed just one run over his past three starওts — going 1-1 with a 0.47 ERA, 24 strikeouts, .141 opponent average and .390 OPS.
Joey Wendle 2B/3B/SS, Rays
During the nine-game hitting streak he𝔍 took into Friday, he was batting .405 with two homers, eight RBIs, 11 runs and a ꩲ1.128 OPS.
Sean Manaea SP, Athletics
After allowing five earned runs and losing his first start, the lefty𓆉 is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA, 18-2 strikeout-walk rate and .230 o🅠pponent average over his past three starts.
Big Whiffs
Clint Frazier OF, Yankees
Entered Friday with just two hits over his past 31 at-bats (.065) with no homers or RBIs. H🔯e struck out 15 times and owned a .212 OPS in that 10-game stretch.
Mike Foltynewicz SP, Rangers
Allowed eight home runs ove𝕴r his first four starts (22 innings) while going 0-3 with a 5.32 ERA, despite maintaining a solid 22-7 strikeout-walk rateಞ.
Dylan Moore 2B/OF, Mariners
Since hitting his first homer of the season on April 15, he went 0-for-15 with seven strikeo♔uts an🍨d a .211 OPS over his next six games.
Zach Plesac SP, Indians
After going 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA and .1🌠96 opponent average in his first two starts, he is 0-2 with a 19.06 ERA and .452 opponent average in his past two.
Check Swings
- Quick Corbin Burnes is really good update: Striking out 40 over 24 ¹/₃ innings (14.8 per nine innings) is impressive, as is the fact the Brewers righty allowed only one run in his first four starts (none over his past three). Even more impressive: He still hasn’t walked a batter. He is the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1901) to have 40 strikeouts and no walks in a four-game stretch at any point in a season.
- Bryce Harper entered Friday night in the middle of a stunning five-game hit streak — going 11-for-17 (.647) with two homers, four RBIs, a stolen base, six runs scored and a 1.845 OPS.
- Did you know the Twins’ Kenta Maeda entered Friday with the highest opponent average (.354) among qualified starters? To make matters worse, he also had the third-worst ERA (6.11) and the worst WHIP (1.868). He allowed seven runs on eight hits (three of which were homers) over three innings on Wednesday, and has failed to make it out of the fifth inning in three of his four starts.
Team Name of the Week
Knick-Knack Paddack Whack