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Max Kepler smacked three home runs for the Minnesota Twins on Monday. Today, he remains owned in just 36% of leagues. In fact, he leads the league with 11 HR since July 1. The German sensation should be added in all leagues.
But Kepler's fate remained relatively unchanged after the flurry of activity over the past few days. Aside from shipping Eduardo Nunez off to San Francisco, the Twins stood pat on trade day. This week, let's focus on a handful of guys whose fate was altered, either due to their teammates being moved or the player being moved himself, over the course of the past week. For example, Steve Pearce was just traded back to the Baltimore Orioles. In theory this should be beneficial to his value as he's been traded from one of the league's worst offensive squads to one of the best. However, it's believed that he will adopt more of a platoon role in Baltimore, which does much more harm than good for fantasy purposes. We'll also keep an eye on some prospects who have gotten, or soon will get, a chance to help their big league clubs for the remainder of the year.
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Week 18 Outfield Targets
Hernan Perez, Milwaukee Brewers
Owned in 43% of Fleaflicker Leagues
Over the past week, Hernan Perez has shot up in ownership by 33%, easily the most drastic increase of this week. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that he's been the league's most productive fantasy asset over the past two weeks. Since being bumped up to the three-hole in the Brewers lineup, Perez has gone 19-for-53 (.358 BA) with three homers, eight steals, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored. That's how you light up a score card. With Jonathan Lucroy, the team's traditional number three hitter, out of the picture, Perez will likely maintain his hold on the most advantageous lineup position, so long as his numbers and his body stay healthy. With Ryan Braun set to return to play after a few days of nagging side tightness, the counting stats should still be plentiful in a decently effective Brew Crew. A power/speed double threat like this is hard to find on the waiver wire. Perez likely has at least eight more HR and 10 more SB in him before the season is finished.
Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox
Owned in 12% of Fleaflicker Leagues
The Red Sox potent outfield prospect received his first official call up on Tuesday and will be entered into a competition to become the Sox permanent left fielder moving forward. Left field has really been the only hole in the Red Sox lineup this year, as a platoon of Brock Holt and Chris Young has failed to do much at the plate. Benintendi has been killing the ball across Double- and Triple-A in 2016. He's sporting a .312/.378/.532 line with nine long balls, 16 steals and a whopping 76 RBI. Apart from the otherworldly Yoan Moncada, Benintendi is the best prospect in the Red Sox farm system and is expected to have a big impact on the club's push for a playoff spot. His ownership has shot up 9% since the news dropped (a few hours prior to this writing) and will continue to climb as the news spreads. Grab this gem before it's too late.
Josh Reddick, Los Angeles Dodgers
Owned in 49% of Fleaflicker Leagues
Josh Reddick was traded to the Dodgers on Monday shortly before the deadline, which caused a healthy degree of drama in the clubhouse. Though he did not storm out of the stadium, as was initially reported, Yasiel Puig has been demoted to Triple-A after the Dodgers failed to find a trade destination for the embattled outfielder. Though this is undoubtedly bad news for Puig and Puig-owners, it's great news for Reddick, who will now probably become the every day starter in right field for the Dodgers. Batting around the likes of Corey Seager, Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner should be quite beneficial for Reddick's production, as he is expected to bat somewhere in the heart of the order. Reddick is in the midst of a nice season, evidenced by his .296/.368/.449 line. Though the power hasn't really come this year, his steady hitting will be a welcomed improvement over Puig in Los Angeles. This move should finally be enough to push Reddick over 50% ownership and remove him from waiver wire discussions once and for all.
Scott Schebler, Cincinnati Reds
Owned in 0% of Fleaflicker Leagues
If you're feeling the need to rush out and stash Scott Schebler before the news of his promotion breaks, you can rest easy. At a cool 0% ownership, Schebler is not dazzling any scouts out there. The 25 year-old already had a crack at the Reds MLB roster this year. In 27 games, he posted a .186 batting average before being sent back down. However, he's been having a fine season for Triple-A Louisville. He's swatting a stellar .311/.370/.564 in 289 at bats with 13 dingers and 43 RBI. It's been rumored that, in the case of a trade for Jay Bruce, which occurred on Monday, Schebler would be the one filling the spot for the remainder of the season. If promoted, Schebler could be a relevant fantasy option in the Reds outfield. I would say that there's not many opportunities for counting stats in Cincinnati, but Bruce disproved that notion by leading the NL with 80 RBI before August. Schebler isn't going to rescue your team from despair, but he won't hurt you in any category if he can find a way to maintain his success from Triple-A. Feel free to add in 14+ team leagues once called up.
Alex Dickerson, San Diego Padres
Owned in 13% of Fleaflicker Leagues
Last week in Toronto, Alex Dickerson single-handedly destroyed a baseball's sense of self by clobbering it 466 feet into the fifth deck of the Blue Jays Rogers Centre, a feat that's been accomplished just twice since 1989. This kid has some serious power and he's showing it this year. More importantly, he's got a secured spot in the Padres outfield now that Matt Kemp has been shipped to Atlanta. The whole Padres outfield, currently composed of Dickerson, Travis Jankowski and Jabari Blash, is extremely green with only a combined 183 MLB games among them. Dickerson has easily been the best of them all thus far, as he's swatting an impressive .282/.322/.565 line with six homers in just 33 games. If you really want to be impressed check out his insane Triple-A numbers from earlier in the year. How does a .382/.425/.622 line with 10 jacks sound? If he can keep up anything near that pace in the big league, he'll be a star in no time. Over the past two weeks, he's flashing a nice, even 1.000 OPS. Keep a look out for the Padres other touted outfield prospect, Hunter Renfroe, as well.
More Options: Tyler Naquin (59%), Cameron Maybin (48%), Yasmany Tomas (46%), David Dahl (41%), David Peralta (37%), Steve Pearce (37%), Brad Miller (26%), Steven Souza Jr. (18%), Michael Conforto (17%), Leonys Martin (12%)
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