Cole Burston/Getty Images. Pictured: Amed Rosario
The Field of Dreams game was a fun experience that best serve as a one-off, but Major League Baseball cannot help itself. The Chicago Cubs will play in the 2022 iteration (courtesy of Cubs manager David Ross’s verbal diarrhea).
There is not a lot of luster based on the movie’s historical context and lack of diversity, but to see the game feet away from the actual field was enjoyable. Tim Anderson’s walk-off home run is the 15th by the White Sox against the New York Yankees. The first? ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson.
Pick Them Up
Amed Rosario – SS/OF, Cleveland Indians
Yahoo: 43%, ESPN: 45%
Rosario enters the weekend with seven hits (three for extra bases) this week and two RBI. He gets the Detroit Tigers in the Motor City this weekend.
Myles Straw – OF/SS, Cleveland Indians
Yahoo: 50%, ESPN: 36%
Straw’s performance since coming over from the Astros has been encouraging. He has hits in 10 of 13 games and two stolen bases. His 20 swipes are good for fifth in MLB this season.
Miguel Rojas – SS, Miami Marlins
Yahoo: 17%, ESPN: 26%
Playing up to 2020’s .888 OPS was never realistic in 2021, but the impending free agent’s six home runs and .740 OPS are good for second-best of his career. Rojas has also been smart about swiping bases, collecting 11 in 12 attempts.
J.P. Crawford – SS, Seattle Mariners
Yahoo: 14%, ESPN: 21%
I shied away from Crawford in the midst of series against the Rays and Yankees. Silly me. He had eight hits in five games over the two series and collected his first home run since June 19 against Texas.
Worth A Look
C.J. Cron – 1B, Colorado Rockies
Yahoo: 54%, ESPN: 58%
Cron has a 15:3 home/road home run split. The Rockies have a six-game homestand starting August 16. He had four home runs and 16 RBI during Colorado’s last homestand (also six games).
Luis Urias – 2B/3B/SS, Milwaukee Brewers
Yahoo: 26%, ESPN: 32%
Facing the “new-look” Cubs can cure hitting woes. He had eight hits, two doubles, two home runs, and five RBI in three games against them this week. Urias can continue the hot hitting against the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend.
Hunter Renfroe – OF, Boston Red Sox
Yahoo: 43%, ESPN: 61%
Another home run and seven RBI this week hitting at the bottom of the Red Sox lineup. One more home run and Renfroe will have his fourth 20-home run campaign in five seasons (min. 42 games).
Short-Term Solutions
Tony Kemp – 2B/OF, Oakland Athletics
Yahoo: 2%, ESPN: 3%
Josh Harrison left Thursday’s game with a quad injury, potentially opening more playing time this week for Oakland’s original utility player. Kemp went 3-for-4 Thursday as well.
Miguel Cabrera – 1B/UTIL, Detroit Tigers
Yahoo: 10%, ESPN: 9%
As long as Cabrera is on his pace for 500 home runs, he has some fantasy value. The future Hall-of-Famer is 4-for-7 this week with homer number 499. It was also interesting to see him outproducing Dominic Smith of the Mets, a player ranked similarly as him at the moment despite being drafted highly prior to the season.
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I Am Skeptical
Patrick Wisdom – 1B/3B, Chicago Cubs
Yahoo: 29%, ESPN: 31%
Too many strikeouts for sporadic production. I liked Wisdom a lot more as a secondary hitter in the Cubs’ lineup pre-trade deadline.
Kyle Farmer – C/1B/2B/SS/3B, Cincinnati Reds
Yahoo: 74%, ESPN: 51%
The position flexibility is Olympic-gymnast worthy, but I do not trust him even with a favorable schedule coming up. He has Miami, the Cubs, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and St. Louis over the next couple of weeks.