Rest of Season Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Under the Radar Risers

As we approach the dog days of summer, we tend to fall into traps when it comes to rest-of-season fantasy baseball rankings and analysis. You know how it is – you’re scrolling the waiver wire looking for a stopgap while one of your players is injured. You sort by whatever category you need the most and go from there. And who can blame you? You simply don’t have the time to pore over the minutia of 30 teams with 26-man rosters playing 162 games in six months. Life gets in the way sometimes. Your spouse wants to spend more time with you. Your kids demand attention constantly. It’s fantasy football draft season. And your bosses are upset that you’re falling behind at work because you’re “spending too much time focusing on fantasy sports and gambling.” It’s a tale as old as time.

I cannot promise that I can uncover every potential gem on the waiver wire. But here are a few players who are working their way up my ROS rankings. They are still going under the radar as we approach August and are available in a majority of leagues.

More great fantasy baseball advice and analysis: Waiver Wire & FAAB Recommendations | Daily MLB Injury Report | MLB DFS Picks | Line-up Analysis | Dynasty Rankings and Strategy | MLB Bullpen Updates | MLB Player Props | Prospect Rankings & Analysis | Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers

CJ Abrams, SS, Washington Nationals

CJ Abrams was one of the main pieces in last summer’s trade that sent Juan Soto to San Diego. Between San Diego and Washington, Abrams played about half a season in 2022. And the early returns were rough. He posted a .604 OPS and had just two home runs and seven stolen bases in 302 plate appearances last season. This season started a little better, but the improvement was hardly drastic. However, Abrams has picked up the pace of late. From June 19 through July 6, Abrams hit .314 with a homer and five steals in 15 games. Following that stretch, Washington bumped him up to the leadoff spot. And so far, Abrams has taken to it like a duck to water. In 11 games as the leadoff man, Abrams is 19-for-46 (.413) with three home runs and eight stolen bases.

None of this is to suggest that we’re seeing the second coming of Ronald Acuna Jr. Abrams still does not draw enough walks, and he still struggles against sliders. But something has clicked for the 22-year-old. And Washington is not the worst offense around. They score more runs per game than division leader Milwaukee and playoff contender Miami. The Nationals should let Abrams continue to hit atop their order for the foreseeable future. That should lead to a tangible rise in his ROS value. I bumped him up into my top 200 overall for the first time this week. And honestly, it may not be high enough. He will certainly cool off at some point, but there is plenty of upside here.

Mickey Moniak, OF, Los Angeles Angels

Mickey Moniak has performed well when called upon for the Los Angeles Angels this season. The main problem early on was that he wasn’t getting called upon enough. He began the year in Triple-A and did not make his 2023 Big League debut until May 13. From there, he earned the strong side of a platoon in the outfield and acquitted himself quite nicely. He hit .327 in May and .310, with an OPS over 1.000. However, the spotty playing time made him difficult to trust in fantasy. That has changed since the injury to Mike Trout. Moniak has started every game for the Angels since Trout went down. And the team has trusted him with a premium spot in the order. Moniak has hit fourth or higher in all 12 games since Trout went down. And the results have been positive.

Moniak has hit safely in all 12 games, going 20-for-51 (.392) in that stretch. He has scored seven runs, driven in 10, and added two home runs and a stolen base. He is not without his warts, mind you. Moniak still strikes out too much. His current 13-game hitting streak is strangely concurrent with a 15-game strikeout streak. And his walk rate on the year is 3.0 percent. But he has continued to demolish right-handed pitching, posting a 199 wRC+ on the year. That should mitigate any deficiencies he has versus southpaws. We are also talking about a former number-one overall pick, so we know there is upside. If Mickey Moniak is still on your waiver wire, you should rectify that before someone else in your league does. I have him inside my top 300 in my ROS rankings, and he should continue to ascend in the weeks ahead.

Triston Casas, 1B, Boston Red Sox

It is no coincidence in my opinion that all three players on this list are former first-round picks. We want prospects to enter the Major Leagues and immediately set the world on fire. So, we tend to dismiss these players if they struggle early as if there is no room for growth or improvement. Success is not a straight line. It takes time (often years) for even a highly touted prospect to become comfortable in the Show. And I think we may be starting to see some of that growth with Triston Casas. Casas is still a platoon-only bat at this stage. But he has continued to improve throughout his first full season. His batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS have improved with each month.

Though his batting average may dip below what it has been in recent weeks, Casas has shown the ability to draw plenty of walks. His 13.9 percent walk rate is among the Major League leaders, which is quite impressive for a rookie. He has also hit over .300 since June 1. I am not sure the batting average gains stick to that degree, but he should continue to get on base at a high clip. And that should lead to plenty of counting stats, even as he hits low in Boston’s lineup. The Red Sox are one of just five teams who average over five runs per game thus far this season. Casas continues to climb up my ROS rankings this week, and he now sits just outside the top 250 overall.

Rest of Season Fantasy Baseball Rankings

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