Rotoworld’s brand-new Pickups of the Day column is designed to help fantasy managers uncover a handful of widely-available targets over the course of the season. It could be a breakout candidate, a prospect stash, an injury replacement, a pitcher with a favorable matchup or week, a player who is due some better luck, or any other number of scenarios. If there’s value to be found on the waiver wire, we will find it and bring it your way.
In today’s column, we’re looking at a couple of under-the-radar options that have been performing exceptionally well as of late – with the potential to develop into regular contributors in mixed leagues for the remainder of the season
PICKUPS OF THE DAY
Brayan Bello, SP, Red Sox
Available in 74 percent of Yahoo leagues
Quality starting pitching options are usually the hardest thing to find in fantasy leagues, as every single team is always scouring the waiver wire trying to find them. That’s why it’s crazy to me to see Brayan Bello rostered in only 26 percent of Yahoo leagues at the moment.
Sure, if you glance at his full-season line, it doesn’t jump off the page at you – a 4.08 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 37/12 K/BB ratio over 35 1/3 innings in his seven starts. That includes a disastrous outing against the Angels in his season debut on Patriot’s Day in which he gave up five runs in just 2 2/3 innings of work. Since then, Bello has registered a 3.03 ERA, 1.285 WHIP and a 32/11 K/BB ratio over 32 2/3 innings in his six starts.
He delivered his finest start of the season in a losing effort against those same Angels on Tuesday night, allowing just two runs (on a pair of solo homers) on six hits over seven strong innings of work while racking up six strikeouts.
Bello comes with a strong pedigree, pitches on a team that should win games and his upcoming schedule happens to line up particularly well, where he’ll take on Cincinnati at home, the Guardians in Cleveland and the Rockies at home over his next three starts.
He’s certainly worth a look in deeper mixed leagues, and even makes sense as a streaming option in shallower formats for the next couple of weeks – with the possibility that he turns into a staple for your rotation over the remainder of the season.
Owen Miller, 1B/2B/3B, Brewers
Available in 85 percent of Yahoo leagues
When you think of useful middle infield options in mixed leagues, Owen Miller isn’t usually a name that comes to mind. Perhaps we should be taking the 26-year-old more seriously though.
All he has done this year is hit, and it has started to earn him regular playing time in sort of a super utility role for the Brewers. On the season, he’s slashing a robust .347/.368/.525 with 15 runs scored, three homers, 10 RBI and five stolen bases in just 106 plate appearances.
Miller has started in 11 of the Brewers’ last 12 games dating back to May 10 – and came off the bench in the one game that he wasn’t in the lineup. He did so while playing four different positions and could soon add outfield to his lengthy list of position eligibility. During that stretch, he’s slashing .413/.426/.739 with three homers, five RBI and a pair of steals – including a home run and a stolen base on Tuesday night.
He isn’t the type of player that’s going to single-handedly win you your fantasy league, but with his extreme flexibility he certainly looks like a useful piece – especially while he’s riding this hot streak.
