Well, it’s finally happened. The Tampa Bay Rays have called up Major League Baseball’s top prospect Wander Franco. 

The 20-year-old shortstop didn’t slow down in his first taste of Triple-A ball, hitting .315 with seven home runs, five stolen bases and 35 RBI in 39 games. Franco’s skillset was already covered back in Week 6 of Covering the Bases, so to save time it won’t be fully repeated. 

Fantasy managers just need to know this: Franco is a must-add player in all leagues and everyone should check their waiver wire to make sure he’s not available. 

If you missed out on Franco, here are six other players worthy of a spot on your roster who are available in more than 50 per cent of ESPN leagues. 

 

Hitters

Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds (38.1 per cent rostered)

The Canadian has looked like his old MVP self since returning from the injured list on June 8. In 12 games since being activated, Votto has hit three home runs and added 13 RBI while getting on base at a .373 clip.

This season, Votto has an average exit velocity of 92.4 MPH and a barrel percentage of 12.3, his highest marks since Statcast was introduced in 2015. The veteran is also carrying the highest hard-hit percentage and lowest soft-hit percentage of his career. In short, Votto is making very good contact with the ball and he is experiencing a power renaissance as a result.

His home run-to-fly ball ratio (24.2 per cent) sits at its highest mark since the 2010 season, when Votto smacked a career-high 37 homers.

As long as the Reds’ lineup continues to hit well around him, Votto will provide plenty of counting stats and be a very valuable fantasy asset moving forward, especially in OBP leagues. 

Jake Fraley, OF, Seattle Mariners (20.5 per cent rostered)

Fraley has been excellent since being activated off the injured list on May 31. In 19 games since returning to the lineup, the 26-year-old has hit four home runs, stole four bases and driven in 15 runs. 

Fraley’s plate discipline has been otherworldly this season, as he has a 26.5 per cent walk rate which is reflected in his .440 on-base percentage. The Maryland native stole 22 bases in 99 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019, so he should continue contributing stolen bases as long as he remains healthy. 

Fraley doesn’t hit the ball particularly hard but he has found ways to get on base and contribute to the Mariners’ offence. Manager Scott Servais has moved Fraley up to the No. 2 spot in the batting order over his past four starts, which should make him a great source of runs moving forward. 

Bobby Bradley, DH, Cleveland (15.5 per cent rostered)

Bradley was a third-round pick in the 2014 MLB Amateur draft and is currently ranked as the No. 6 first base prospect by MLB.com.

Since being called up by Cleveland, the 25-year-old has hit well, slashing .279/.354/.813, while hitting four home runs and driving in 11 over just 13 games. The power Bradley has shown is very real, as he hit 33 home runs in 107 Triple-A games in 2019. 

The slugger won’t continue to hit for a high average once his unsustainable .400 BABIP regresses. His strikeout rate also sits at 23 per cent, a full 10 per cent lower than his mark in 26 Triple-A games this season.

When Bradley isn’t swinging and missing, he’s making extremely hard contact, with a hard-hit rate of 40.8 percent and an average exit velocity of 92.2 MPH. For context, he’s hitting the ball at the same speed as noted power bats Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez.

Other Options: Jonathan India, 3B/2B, Cincinnati Reds (41.8 per cent rostered), Jonathan Villar, 2B/3B/SS, New York Mets (37.0 per cent rostered), Adam Duvall, OF, Miami Marlins (36.8 per cent rostered)

 

Pitchers

Logan Gilbert, SP, Seattle Mariners (30.2 per cent rostered)

Gilbert did not have a great start to his major-league career. After he was surprisingly called up in mid-May, the rookie lost his first two starts, allowing a combined seven earned runs over 6.2 innings. 

He has been much better over his next four starts, posting a 2-0 record with a 2.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts over 21.2 innings pitched. Gilbert’s solid 3.63. Strikeout-to-walk ratio should help him limit baserunners and keep him productive as he continues to develop in the big leagues. 

However, the 24-year-old righty does allow a ton of fly balls (48.7 per cent) which could result in some poor performances as the weather warms up and some long fly-ball outs turn to homers. Unfortunately this was the case for Gilbert in his start this past Saturday against the Rays, where he allowed four runs over 5.2 innings along with a pair of home runs. 

Iffy start against the league’s top team aside, Gilbert is performing well and deserves a look from any manager struggling with their rotation.

Tarik Skubal, SP, Detroit Tigers (35.1 per cent rostered)

Skubal has not slowed down since he was last discussed on Covering the Bases. In two starts since the Week 10 update, Skubal posted another pair of quality starts and his fourth win of the season, making it three wins over his past four starts. 

His strikeout rate has remained above one batter per inning and he hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a start in over a month.

Skubal has allowed three home runs over his past two starts, putting him up to 16 allowed on the season. Despite the hiccup, the 24-year-old has managed to improve his home run rate each month, from 3.27 per nine innings in April down to 1.59 per nine innings in June. 

His xFIP for June is 2.99, showing a glimpse of Skubal’s potential as the season wears on. Like Gilbert, the warm weather could lead to some ugly starts thanks to his home run issues but Skubal’s strikeout numbers will always keep him on the fringe of fantasy relevance, even if he can’t be fully trusted in every matchup. 

Vladimir Gutierrez, SP, Cincinnati Reds, (28.8 per cent rostered)

Gutierrez has surprised many with how good he has been filling in for the injured Sonny Gray. Over his first four starts, the rookie is 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA and 1.087 WHIP. 

Gutierrez has done a great job of getting batters to swing and miss with a combination of a four-seam fastball, slider, and curveball. 

His 20 per cent strikeout rate doesn’t jump off the page but he did up his game over his past two starts against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out 13 batters over 13 innings. 

Gutierrez faced his first elite offence this past Saturday in a start against the San Diego Padres. It did not go well as he was knocked around for five runs over five innings. The 24-year-old’s next start will come against the Atlanta Braves, so managers may want to take a wait-and-see approach. 

If he can bounce back against a good Braves lineup, he will be more than worth an add in all leagues. 

Other Options: Adbert Alzolay, SP, Chicago Cubs (37.2 per cent rostered), J.T. Brubaker, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates (31.8 per cent rostered), Lucas Sims, RP Cincinnati Reds (34.0 per cent rostered)