Deep League Landscape: Week 22

You know the drill by now—we’re digging deep. We’re in the trenches. We’re making other references to displacing dirt for some reason!

You also know that all of the players touched upon herein are rostered in fewer than 40%of The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational leagues. So, let’s get to some things you might not know.

DJ Stewart, New York Mets (27% rostered)

Back in 2021, I thought we were onto something with Stewart.

The Orioles were not yet the Orioles they are today, and playing time was available. Enter Stewart, a bopper who’d put up a .283/.397/.550 line in 72 games in the minors in 2019 before slogging through a lost 2020 season at the big-league level. In spring 2021, it appeared Stewart had a chance to carve out a role on an Orioles team looking for guys to grab hold of opportunities.

He didn’t, not really, anyway, but I never forgot the hope I had for him. Flash forward to today, and Stewart is hoping to grab onto a newfound opportunity on the similarly adrift 2023 Mets. He’d started 10 of the team’s past 11 games heading into Tuesday, and in that stretch Stewart batted .333/.381/.795 with five homers. That kind of power production is what’s he’s capable of down the stretch, especially if the Mets commit to him as their regular right fielder.

He’ll still sit against most lefties so this isn’t a complete plug-and-play situation, but few guys are at this stage of the game. If you’re in the market for run production, take a look Stewart’s way.

Osleivis Basabe, Tampa Bay Rays (24% rostered)

Basabe was promoted the day before the Rays placed Wander Franco on the Restricted List, and since that promotion he’s started all but one game at shortstop for the Tampa club.

As Rays prospects tend to do, he’s also hit the ground running. In his first 12 games in the majors, the 22-year-old has batted .279/.340/.419 with his lone homer being a particularly memorable grand slam against the Rockies. Power isn’t his game, really, but speed is, which makes his zero steals in 12 games a bit surprising, especially given the Rays’ propensity for running.

Assuming he does run a bit as he settles in—and assuming he’s allowed to settle in, seeing as how there’s no end in sight for Franco’s troubles—Basabe could chip in a handful of steals to go with a passable batting average over the season’s final month. In a lineup as good as the Rays’, that’s useful.

Michael A. Taylor, Minnesota Twins (17% rostered)

There are some things about players that stick with you, like my early love for DJ Stewart. Another one is FSWA Hall of Famer and Rotoworld stalwart Matthew Pouliot’s infatuation with Michael A. Taylor.

I got it then and I get it now. Taylor has that unique combination of power and speed that sets guys apart in fantasy leagues. Add in that he plays elite-level outfield defense and it’s a profile that, if he could ever figure out the strikeouts, has the makings of a superstar.

Of course, he never could figure out the strikeouts, and that fact has ultimately limited his ceiling and sometimes relegated him to a part-time player. The Twins aren’t exactly flush with outfield options, though, especially ones that play center field as well as Taylor, and with an extended run he’s quietly put up one of his best offensive seasons—at least in terms of counting stats—to date.

Through Monday, Taylor was hitting .225/.278/.444, an uninspiring line that’s produced a 77 DRC+, but the 32-year-old has 19 homers and 13 steals in his 347 plate appearances on the year. Those 19 homers tie a career high set in 2017, and if he continues to play regularly over the season’s final month Taylor could set career highs in homers, runs and RBI.

We don’t really care about individual accomplishments for our game, but the point is that Taylor is producing, which in turn will likely encourage Rocco Baldelli to keep writing his name on the lineup card. He doesn’t hit for average and he bats at the bottom of the order, limiting his output upside, but if you need an outfielder who can give you a bit of both, Taylor is widely available.

Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers (17% rostered)

Stone’s first go-round in the majors—and second, and even third—was a good reminder that young players don’t always hit the ground running. It’s always said that prospect development isn’t linear, and that includes their development at the highest level.

Stone got another shot with the Dodgers on Sunday and this time he fared a bit better. Pitching behind opener Caleb Ferguson, the right-hander allowed four runs over six innings to pick up his first major-league win. It wasn’t all sunshine and lollipops—he surrendered three homers on the afternoon—but the Red Sox aren’t an easy foe and two of those homers came in the eighth inning as he was hitting his limit.

It’s unclear what the Dodgers have in mind for Stone moving forward, but the fact that they didn’t immediately send him back out suggests they have him in their plans in some fashion. As we’ve noted with guys like Ryan Yarbrough and others, there’s value simply by pitching somewhat effectively for teams that win a lot of games. If the Dodgers continue to put the 24-year-old in spots like Sunday, all he has to do is pitch passably to fall into a handful of wins down the stretch.

Alec Marsh, Kansas City Royals (12% rostered)

I don’t have anything new to say, except that I tried to tell you last week and yet he’s still only 12% rostered.

Michael Busch, Los Angeles Dodgers (7% rostered)

It’s rare to have two Dodgers featured in a deep-league piece, but Busch is another Los Angeles player worth a look in your leagues.

That might not have been the case a week ago, but J.D. Martinez landing on the injured list opened the door for Busch to make his mark in the Dodgers’ lineup—figuratively, but also literally, as Busch was the player recalled in Martinez’s stead. In the week since his promotion, Busch has started five of the team’s six games against right-handers, all at designated hitter. He hasn’t yet found his stride, going just 2-for-17 in that span, but one of those hits was a homer.

That the Dodgers have stuck with Busch is instructive to how the team views him as well as their alternatives while Martinez is out, so I expect him to continue to serve as the team’s DH against righties for the near future. Despite not having produced at the highest level, the 25-year-old hit for both average and power in the minors. If things start to click, he could be a popular add in fantasy leagues sooner than later.

Shintaro Fujinami, Baltimore Orioles (2% rostered)

In speculating on who might take Félix Bautista’s place as the Orioles closer, the most popular choice has been Yennier Cano.

It’s at least worth considering, though, that Fujinami, who the Orioles acquired from the A’s in mid-July, might emerge to take the job. He’s hit some speed bumps since joining the O’s, but the right-hander has also been pretty good, posting a 4.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with a 30.6% K% in 18 innings of work. Cano, meanwhile, has been terrific at keeping runners off base, putting up a 1.57 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, but he’s got just a 23.9% K% in his 63 innings this year.

Even if Orioles manager Brandon Hyde does turn to Cano—or DL Hall, who looks like another weapon in the bullpen—for saves, Fujinami might have utility as a high-leverage reliever anyway. The Orioles win a lot of games these days, after all, and pitching in those pivotal spots can yield the occasional win or save more often than on bad teams. In the same way Cano was heavily rostered prior to Bautista’s injury, Fujinami might have standalone value for the season’s final few weeks even if he’s not the capital-C Closer.

Andre Jackson, Pittsburgh Pirates (0% rostered)

As promised, we’re leaving no stone unturned, and that search leads us to Pirates bulk reliever Jackson.

Jackson was a guy who actually got a mention in our preseason preview of the Dodgers prospects this spring, with BP Lead Prospect Writer Jeffrey Paternostro saying the right-hander “looked like a solid multi-inning pen option during a September cameo.” Indeed.

The Dodgers designated Jackson for assignment in June and the Pirates quickly traded for him, sending him to the minors for a month before recalling him on August 4. Since then, the 27-year-old has registered a 3.32 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in five appearances, two as a starter and three in bulk relief.

It would be foolish to hope for a ton of wins or strikeouts with Jackson the way you might with Stone or others, but he’s providing innings with helpful ratios if nothing else. (He’s also striking out 26% of batters faced since joining the Bucs, so it’s not like he’s a zero in that department, either.) If you need innings with a non-zero chance of picking up some strikeouts and the spare win, Jackson is pretty much free.