Monday August 6th, 2012

Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com

Peter Stein (Fantasy Baseball Analyst): Follow @peterwstein

In the majority of fantasy leagues, the trade deadline has already passed and owners are depending on the core roster that they have assembled all year for the final stretch run of the season. When trading becomes closed, it makes it much more difficulty to fill the void left by an injury. However, the waiver wire remains open. And although you aren’t likely to hit a home run at this point of the season, there are players still available that can prove to be the difference in a championship quest.

Here are a group of players to consider if you face an unexpected injury over the last two months of the season:

Bartolo Colon, available in 85% of ESPN leagues, continues to surprise us all with his advanced age and weight. Most recently, he shutdown the Blue Jays over eight scoreless innings at the Coliseum. Just know that Colon is not a must start option, but is a good one at home and if he faces weaker opponents like Seattle.

David Murphy is available in 90% of ESPN leagues and is the perfect extra OF to own on your team. With a .301/9/39/8 stat line, he doesn’t hurt you in any category. The perfect guy to own as insurance or to fill in when a player has an off day. He’s an even better option when playing at home.

Jean Segura: The top prize in the Greinke Trade, Segura has joined the Brewers Major League roster after just eight games in the minors. It remains to be seen if he plays everyday, which I suspect he will by September. But the speedy infielder has the potential to provide a lot of value on the base paths. In his brief, eight game stint with the Brewers AA squad, Segura batted .433, scored 7 runs, and stole 4 bases. He is only 22 years of age and is definitely worth grabbing in keeper leagues.

Ryan Doumit is only owned in 40% of ESPN leagues and is a definite add with his catcher eligibility. I was high on him coming into the year and it took Doumit a couple of months to get going. With a .288/11/52 line, he has essentially out-produced Brian McCann .236/18/56.

Greg Holland, despite inheriting the closer position in Kansas City, remains un-owned in half of the ESPN leagues.  With 59 K’s in 44 innings pitched, Holland provides more value than just saves. After a rough stretch early in the year, Holland has been lights out in the bullpen and was a guy I owned ever before Broxton was traded.

Stephen Drew has had a slow start .202/1/8 in 29 games since returning from his gruesome ankle injury. I still think that Drew is a good hitter, and I am willing to call this 29-game period his spring training. The shortstop position isn’t very deep, and with a career .770 OPS and still only 29 years of age, Drew has the ability to been impact player down the stretch. He is currently only owned in 13% of ESPN leagues. Grab him before he gets hot!

Ryan Ludwick has been the most popular add over the last week (+52.2%) as he has mashed 4 HR’s and 14 RBIs in his last eight games. Grab him if you still can!

Vinne Pestano has been the game’s top setup man with a 1.31 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 57 K’s in 48 IP. He has not allowed a run since June 27, and Chris Perez struggled mightily in his most recent appearance. Although Perez has pitched far too well this season to suddenly lose his job, its possible that Pestano could see chances in the future. Even without saves, he provides value in the other categories and is owned in only 6.6% of ESPN leagues.

Luis Cruz (owned in 2.2% of ESPN leagues) has surprisingly emerged as the starting shortstop for the Dodgers. Cruz has been a steady contributor .255/2/18 and 2 steals and is an option if you are desperate at the position.

(*The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com*)

***Today’s feature was prepared by our Fantasy Baseball Analyst, Peter Stein.  We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers.  You can also follow Peter on Twitter (@peterWstein)***

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