Ian Happ CHI. CUBS CF
Kyle Schwarber and Ben Zobrist both recently returned to the lineup for the Cubs, but it doesn’t seem to have impacted Ian Happ’s playing time in the least. With 11 home runs in his past 32 games, he’s ready to tee off against the Orioles’ collection of bottom-feeders.
Steven Souza TAMPA BAY RF
Steven Souza keeps skating just below the 80-percent threshold, making him more or less a fixture in this space, but especially against the Angels’ patchwork rotation. His .306 batting average, seven homers and .949 OPS in his last 28 games have helped make him the 21st-best outfielder in Head-to-Head points leagues and the 20th-best in Rotisserie this year.
Tommy Pham ST. LOUIS LF
In a week when mistakes figure to be amplified, Tommy Pham is kind of a risky pick given that he left the Cardinals’ last game Sunday with hip tightness, but it was thought to be a non-issue at the time and hasn’t gotten much notice since … kind of like Pham himself, who’s on a 20-20 pace for the year and is the ninth-best outfielder in points leagues since becoming a regular May 5.
Joc Pederson L.A. DODGERS CF
Joc Pederson has killed it since coming back from a concussion in mid-June, batting .304 with seven homers and an 1.131 OPS, but there’s always the threat of him sitting against left-handers. Not this week, though, with only Dan Straily, Jose Urena and Edinson Volquez — al
l righties, and none particularly imposing — on the schedule.
Max Kepler MINNESOTA RF
Max Kepler ended the first half on a high note, batting .467 (14 for 30) with five doubles, a triple and a homer in his last nine games, and he’s always at his best against righties, batting .305 with a .907 OPS for the year. He should keep it going against hittable ones like Charlie Morton, Joe Musgrove and Mike Fiers this week.
Aaron Altherr PHILADELPHIA RF
I could say almost the same thing for Aaron Altherr that I did for Max Kepler, except that Jimmy Nelson is one of the three righties he’ll be facing. He also wasn’t quite as hot before the break, batting .333 (8 for 24) with a homer and 1.054 OPS in his last nine games, and then there’s the fact that his .299 batting average and .901 OPS against righties is a little harder to believe since he, you know, bats righty. But I’m nitpicking.
Mallex Smith TAMPA BAY CF
Mallex Smith will benefit from those same matchups Steven Souza has, and since all three of the pitchers he’s facing throw right-handed (it’s all the Angels have), he’s a good bet to start every game. He has stolen bases at about the same rate as Dee Gordon and hit .440 (11 for 25) with two steals in his final seven games before the break.
Paul DeJong ST. LOUIS 2B
The Cardinals are scheduled to face Gerrit Cole, Chad Kuhl and Trevor Williams, which may be even better than it sounds given Cole’s hit-or-miss tendency. Paul DeJong’s miserable strikeout-to-walk rate is cause for concern over the long haul, but he’s a shortstop-eligible player who homered in each of his final three games before the break.
Tommy Joseph PHILADELPHIA 1B
Tommy Joseph has been fairly reliable from week to week, but of course at first base, there’s a higher threshold to meet. Zach Davies and Matt Garza are two good matchups in a three-game week, though, and Joseph is hitting .294 with a .998 OPS so far in July. If you for some reason have a need at that position, he presents a high floor and a reasonable ceiling.
Orlando Arcia MILWAUKEE SS
Orlando Arcia cooled off right before the break, but he’s still batting .337 (58 for 172) with an .833 OPS over his past 48 games. It may have been more than just a hot streak, in other words, and his matchups against the Phillies pitching staff this week could be enough to get him back on track. It may turn out to be a long-term pickup at a position like shortstop.
http://baseballua.com/2017/07/17/top-10-sleeper-hitters-for-week-15/
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