MLB Barometer: Summer Rentals

Need a one-week rental? Targeting a specific hitting category? Here are some options that may be hanging out in your free agent pool who may be helpful this week:

C.J. Cron (DH, LAA)
3 at CHW  [Sale (L), Rodon (L), Danks (L)]
4 at KC [Duffy (L), Guthrie, Cueto, Ventura]

Cron is hitting lefties well this year (.306 in 62 AB) and gets three hittable ones this week, plus Sale who had the worst two-game stretch of his career. Cron is hitting .304 with two homers over the past two weeks. A great salary saver at 1B in DFS for Tuesday night's tilt with Rodon.

Andre Ethier (OF, LAD)
3 vs. WAS [Gonzalez (L), Ross, Zimmermann]
4 vs. CIN [Sampson, DeSclafani, Holmberg (L), Lorenzen]

Eleven other owners are making a big mistake if Ethier is still available in your 12-teamer. Bats cleanup against RHP and lines up against a juicy Reds foursome over the weekend. All 12 of Ethier's homers have come against righties and he has a .374 OBP against them. Home is where the heart is for seven games (.326 BA at Dodger Stadium this year, .242 on the road).

Danny Valencia (CI/OF, OAK)
3 at TOR [Hutchison, Buehrle (L), Dickey]
3 at BAL [Jimenez, Gonzalez, Tillman or TBD]

The 30-year old journeyman is nothing special, but we may as well strike while the iron is hot. He loves his new uniform (9-for-16, 2 HR in 4 games with the A's) and may stick hitting cleanup this week. Known as a lefty-killer (.321 BA vs LHP / .196 vs RHP last 3 years), but actually hitting righties almost as well this season (.293 vs RHP, .317 vs LHP). Buerhle on Wednesday is the matchup you may want him for in DFS.

Yangervis Solarte (MI, SD)
3 vs. CIN [Holmberg (L), Lorenzen, Iglesias]
3 at COL [Flande (L), Gray, Rusin (L)]

Solarte is hitting .364 with a 1.067 OPS and 2 HR in August. It doesn't get much better than this week's slate of starting pitchers. Solarte has been a reverse-splits guy this year, hitting 66 points higher against RHP this year (.280, .214 vs LHP) but he's worth a shot against these lefties, especially if you're in a league with daily moves. Jedd Gyorko is in play too if you're looking for a power boost. Melvin Upton and Alexi Amarista could work as well.

Juan Uribe (3B, NYM)
4 vs. COL [Gray, Rusin (L), De La Rosa (L), Butler]
3 vs. PIT [Happ (L), Morton, Locke (L)]

David Wright begins rehab games today while Uribe gets a few cracks against gravy pitchers. Even the weekend's Pirates trio is nice as the Mets avoid Liriano and Cole. Four very hittable lefties (hits .288 against LHP) plus everyone's favorite DFS target, Eddie Butler (though, not in Coors). For what it's worth (and it's worth very little), he's 3-for-3 lifetime with a homer against Happ.

RISERS

Rusney Castillo (OF, BOS) – The 28-year old Cuban has been en fuego since returning to the majors on July 27 following the trade of Shane Victorino to the Angels. Castillo earned some at-bats atop the Red Sox lineup recently, which was a convenient adjustment with Mookie Betts spending time on the disabled list (he is expected back on Tuesday). Despite a monster contract and a .333/.475/.819 slash since his call up, Castillo is no lock to play every day nor do so as leadoff or number two hitter. Manager John Farrell claims he needs to "give the appropriate number of at-bats to all involved" and put his team in the best position to win each night – which somehow involves mixing in the aging lefty bat of Alejandro De Aza. Jackie Bradley is likely the odd man out when Betts returns. Brock Holt will still get starts at the top of the batting order against lefties, and will have to mix in with the outfielders more often when Dustin Pedroia returns. Castillo's true skill set is still somewhat of a mystery. He has the power to hit five homers in a week to dead center, steal three bags in a day, or look completely lost at the plate. No longer worrying about nagging injuries that plagued him in spring training, it's time for the Red Sox to let him loose and see if they can get some of their money's worth.

Adam Eaton (OF, CHW) – Tied for the major league lead with 20 runs scored since the All-Star break, Eaton was teetering on bust status over the first three months of the season. Fantasy owners drafted him at a reasonable price (ADP: 196.99) and figured it was only a matter of time before Eaton (and the rest of the White Sox) would heat up and provide some value. He was hard to drop from 12-teamers since he continued to lead off, and those who have been patient have been rewarded over the past month. Eaton has reached base safely in 22-of-23 games since the All-Star break and had a hit in 21 of those games, including eight multi-hit games. He has picked up the pace on the base paths as well, swiping six bags over that time. Eaton should surpass his career-high of 15 at some point this month (currently at 11). Eaton's DFS price has risen from the bottom of the heap to top 10-15 among OF's on most sites. With Jose Abreu and Melky Cabrera swinging two of the hottest bats in baseball over the last few weeks, Eaton's run production should continue at the levels we've recently witnessed.

Chris Tillman (SP, BAL) – No pitcher in baseball has made a full 180 improvement on their first half performance more than Tillman. Tillman was fantasy-unplayable over the first three months of the season, posting an ERA over 5.50 in 79.1 IP. Since July 1, he has been on an incredible run allowing just five earned runs over a five-game stretch (34 IP), including two outings of 8 IP. A 40 percent groundballer over the first half, Tillman posted a GB-rate of 54 percent last month – a career-high. According to Eno Sarris' of Fangraphs, Tillman has been utilizing his new and improved sinker, and switched up the grip on his change up which has resulted in a three times better 'whiff rate'. Tillman missed last week's start dealing with a minor ankle injury, but should be ready to go for a start against the Mariners at Safeco Field on Tuesday, which lines him up for a two-step at home against the A's and Twins. Tillman's skill level is somewhere in between that woeful first half and his incredible July, and should be owned in every 12-team league for the stretch run.

Aaron Brooks (SP, OAK) – Upside starters in good pitcher parks are exactly what my NFBC Main Event team needs, but alas, I am one week too late on Brooks in that league. As a small concession, he is available in almost all of my 12-teamers, and I will bidding a few bucks on him behind Luis Severino and Raisel Iglesias. Brooks came over to the A's (along with prospect Sean Manaea) in the Ben Zobrist deal with the Royals – a swap that will turn out to be another major coup for Billy Beane in the long run. Brooks immediately hit the A's deprived rotation and was magnificent in both starts. He made it through at least seven innings in both starts, allowing one earned run in each outing and collecting 12 strikeouts. Nowhere close to as huge of a prospect as Manaea, Brooks posted a 3.71 ERA and a 1.77 BB/9 in 106 IP in Triple-A Omaha last year. Brooks throws a lot of strikes and has four pitches in his arsenal, including a 94 mph topped-out fastball, but is projected as an end-of-rotation guy. Like most rookie SP who came up piping hot (ie – Eduardo Rodriguez, Lance McCullers, Vincent Velasquez), Brooks will regress and stabilize. The good parts are that Brooks should maintain his spot in the rotation for the remainder of the season, and has the benefit of a pitcher-friendly home park. If you do add him, skip (bench) his start at TOR, and stream him for home matchups.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Edwin Encarnacion (1B, TOR) – The late first round fantasy pick has finally been playing like one this month. Has a hit in every game in August and a current 11-game hitting streak. Launched a couple of homers last week after hitting just three in July. I don't recall a more vicious front four of a lineup than the Fearsome Foursome of Tulowitzki – Donaldson – Bautista – Encarnacion. Ency did miss Sunday's game with a finger injury and the Jays don't play Monday, so make sure he is good to go for the week first.

Jesus Montero (DH, SEA) – Leaner and meaner this year, Montero is finding his way into the Mariners lineup almost every day. At this point, the M's are better off letting him play 1B full time over Logan Morrison (that is what appears to be happening). Hitting .333 in August so far, and the power is coming. A great FAAB add if he is available in your league – I'd drop Ben Paulsen for him now.

Raisel Iglesias (SP, CIN) – Don't look now, but that is two quality starts in a row (11 K and 3 ER in 12.2 IP vs PIT and at ARI). Has a filthy 82 mph slider (.197 oBA), a FIP (3.78) over a full point less than his ERA (4.73) and is striking out nearly a batter per inning. Lines up for a start against those swingin' Padres in PETCO, then a home two-step against the Royals and D'backs (tough, but may be worth it). I'm buying.

Roberto Osuna (RP, TOR) – Apparently, the Jays did not need to rent a closer for the stretch run after all. Osuna has displayed incredible poise for a 20-year-old rookie. Has just nine saves since taking over duties in late June, but three have come since last Sunday. On the year, 54 K in 50.2 IP with a 2.13 ERA and 0.89 WHIP.

OTHER RISERS

Carlos Gonzalez (OF, COL), Kyle Schwarber (C, CHC), Gregory Polanco (OF, PIT), Michael Brantley (OF, CLE), Matt Shoemaker (SP, LAA), Joe Ross (SP, WAS), Hector Rondon (RP, CHC)

FALLERS

Mike Moustakas (3B, KC) – Will the real Mike Moustakas please stand up? Well, he already has. The guy I recommended to sell following a scorching start (.356/.420/.942, 19 runs in April) hit .188 in July and has just two hits in 15 August at-bats (.133). Back in early May, folks were contemplating a 30 HR season, yet he sits at 10 HR with 7.5 weeks left. Moustakas' batting average is down to .275 and he is hitting just .243 against lefties. Moustakas lost his valuable run-producing two-hole spot in the lineup and has been hard to rely upon fantasy-wise, even in our utility/DH spots. Come the end of the season, Moustakas will have outplayed his draft slot (ADP: 320). A true breakout is always possible since he is just 25 years old, I just wouldn't bet on it.

Brandon Moss (OF, STL) – Moss was acquired by the Cards for pitching prospect Rob Kaminsky right before the deadline to help an outfield that just lost Matt Holliday. It is a move uncharacteristic of a team that typically doesn't love hitters with high strikeout rates. On the plus side, Moss has experience at the corner infield spots and provides depth there with Mark Reynolds needing to retire already and Matt Adams still on the disabled list. Moss is on his third team since last year and is in the midst of the worst season of his career. His k-rate is 28 percent and Moss is hitting just .213 this year. Moss is 4-for-25 with two walks and just one extra base hit since joining the Cardinals, unlikely to hit higher than seventh in the lineup. Moss does have special power – he hit 55 homers in his two full seasons with the A's – but has hit just 15 in 102 games this year. He is worth starting only on fantasy teams that can afford the BA hit and need power. He could very well hit 10 homers from this point on, but will need to adjust to the new league and his new team quickly in order to get there.

Santiago Casilla (RP, SF) – By the time this article is published, the Giants may have already named a new closer. They are just three games back of the Dodgers in the National League West and can ill-afford to take risks in close games in the late innings. I am heavily invested in Casilla in NFBC leagues and drafted him this year with full acknowledgement that his 0.86 WHIP in 2014 was an outlier. Casilla blew his fifth save of the season last Monday, and was pounded for three earned-runs in the eighth inning against the Cubs on Saturday. In the blink of an eye, Casilla's WHIP has risen to a number (1.50) that is the worst mark among all closers. Sergio Romo handled the job for a couple years before Casilla and has been solid recently. Romo may get the first call, but they can also go with Hunter Strickland who has been filthy this season (1.72 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 35 K in 31 IP), but is still developing.

Cody Allen (RP, CLE) – When Kenley Jansen went down prior to the season, Allen was bumped up and drafted as the fifth closer overall with an ADP of 96.46, based on the notion that he was as safe of a bet after the Chapman/Holland/Kimbrel trio. What we are humbly reminded is that closers are fickle – and sometimes we spend the entire season chasing saves. There are no guarantees in drafting an early one. Allen has remained in the role, but has been shaky almost the entire season (except for a scoreless June). Allen is striking batters out at a career-high 36 percent clip, but has one of the worst ERA's among active closers (4.06). He has just three blown saves, but the most recent one was a doozy against the Angels last week as he served up 3 ER. Allen's walk-rate is a bit higher than last year, but xFIP (2.93) and FIP (2.04) allude to a touch of bad luck. Allen should remain in the role for the rest of the year, but it is yet another lesson for us about taking early closers not named Craig, Greg or Aroldis.

DISHONORABLE MENTIONS

Todd Frazier (3B, CIN) – Struggling mightily since returning from the break (.128/.188/.419). Frazier is striking out less than 20 percent (18.3) for the first time in his career and is just two homers shy of his career-high mark of 29 last year. He's a streaky hitter who happened to have an extended 10-week hot streak this year. Still a top five fantasy 3B especially with the extra steals, but we have to keep in mind he will likely never help us in BA over the course of a season.

Anthony Gose (OF, DET) – Late-round rabbit that didn't quite pan out after swinging a scorching spring training. The rumblings in March was that he had re-tooled his swing and approach at the plate, but it's another example of 'noise' we need to be wary of. Hitting .148 since the break and still not playing every day.

Francisco Liriano (SP, PIT) – Only lasted 3 IP against the Dodgers this weekend (7 H, 4 ER) after a 10-day layoff. Worth his 210.28 ADP this year and among the league leaders in k-rate (28 percent), but just one outing in his last eight with more than six strikeouts. Tough matchup against the Cardinals in St. Louis this week.

Carlos Rodon (SP, CHW) – Outside of a gem nine-strikeout shutout against the Indians on July 26, he has allowed 19 earned runs in just under 12 innings. Not a finished product, and a borderline drop in 12-teamers if you can't stomach the unpredictability. Perhaps I'll buy on the cheap next season.

OTHER FALLERS

Billy Butler (DH, OAK), Yasmany Tomas (OF/3B, ARI), Starlin Castro (SS, CHC), Matt Cain (SP, SF), Yordano Ventura (SP, KC), Lance McCullers (SP, HOU)