Finding religion
Little-known Padres can provide lift
WE’RE AT a point in the season where any type of fantasy production you can find on the waiver wires is a positive. It’s time to dig deep — really deep — because there’s value everywhere, even the places you least expect it. You know, like, San Diego.
Heading into Friday night, the Padres’ offense ranked dead-last in average (.235), runs scored (466), doubles (173) and on-base percentage (.301). In spite of those numbers, players like Cory Spangenberg, Manuel Margot, Jose Pirela and Yangervis Solarte (all available in 65 percent or more of ESPN and Yahoo leagues) are cheap and productive options who can bring depth (Spangenberg, Pirela and Solarte are eligible at multiple positions) to your squad down the stretch.
Spangenberg, the sixth-most-added player in ESPN leagues this week, had a nondescript first half, hitting .252 with five homers, 20 RBIs, 20 runs, six stolen bases and a .646 OPS. His second half, however, has been a different story.
In his first 32 games since the Midsummer Classic, Spangenberg was 37-for-115 (.322) with seven homers, 23 RBIs, 27 runs, two stolen bases and a .978 OPS — he was hitting .387 with four homers, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases over his last eight games.
Spangenberg’s .405 second-half BaBIP indicates the 26-year-old won’t continue at this pace, but it’s hard to ignore a red-hot player this late in the season. Ride the hot streak for as long as you can.
If Margot had not spent about a month on the disabled list, he likely would be having a 20-20 season. In 40 games since returning from the DL on June 27, the rookie outfielder has gone 47-for-167 (.281) with eight homers, 17 RBIs, seven stolen bases, 21 runs and a .798 OPS.
Pirela has been in the starting lineup since the break and has rewarded his owners with a solid aver- age and sneaky power, going 35-for-114 (.307) with four homers, 16 RBIs, 17 runs and a .921 OPS over his last 29 games.
Solarte is undervalued despite his multi-position eligibility and solid production. In his first 17 games since returning from the DL, he was hitting .283 with two homers, five RBIs and had a .328 OBP. He was hitting .271 with 12 homers, 45 RBIs and a .346 OBP for the season. Something else to keep in mind: Solarte has hit 12 career homers in August (the most of any other month), and has a . 307 career ave ra ge in September.
The fantasy value in San Diego is not limited to offensive players. Though the Padres are ranked 22nd in ERA (4.67) and have allowed the ninth-most earned runs (556), there’s plenty to like about a vastly underowned pitcher like Jhoulys Chacin, as well as rookie Dinelson Lamet.
Chacin (available in 65 percent or more of all leagues) has been consistent since early in the season, despite walking 3.5 per nine innings. He has allowed more than three earned runs just once since May 28, going 7-4 with a 2.93 ERA and 75 strikeouts in his last 15 starts, and 5-1 over his last nine starts with a 2.61 ERA and .198 opponent average. He’s also a must-start at Petco Park, where he is 7-2 with a 1.86 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 13 starts.
Lamet, owned in about 30 percent of all leagues, is 4-0 with a 2.37 ERA, 30 strikeouts and a .163 opponent average over his past five starts.