Here we are, nearing the end of June, with temperature rising into the high 90’s and low 100’s, deliriously searching the waiver wire for the next gem that is going to help our fantasy teams continue on their winning ways. The top prospect call ups have all but dried up, pitching injury after pitching injury has shoved not-so-great arms into rotations and we’re all fighting to find solid offensive production from every position.

Today I have two bats that can help you now and, I believe, in the long run, plus a grouping of pitchers that I have mentioned the last two weeks that are still available in far too many leagues.

Carlos Santana – 1B – CLE – 38%, Yahoo

Santana’s bat has heated up with the weather, as his OPS has raised each month, from 0.621 in April to 0.735 in May to 1.016 in June. As his OPS has risen, his strikeout rate has dropped, from 18.9% in April to 10.1% in June. His ground ball to fly ball ratio is all the way down to 0.71 and he is sporting an elite 25.4% line drive rate. These numbers are supported by a swing rate of just 44.3%, but a contact rate of 90%. He’s always had a pretty great strikeout rate, with his season long rate of 15.1% being his lowest since 2018, and it is backed by a 8.9% swinging strike rate (it’s at 6.6% during June). He’s been hitting in the 5-6-7 spots in one of the best offenses in all of baseball, with his rise in performance coinciding with the team’s rise from the sixth best offense in baseball to the second best in June (behind only the juggernaut Orioles). I don’t expect him to bat 0.340 the rest of the season, but I am willing to bet that he will be a very productive first baseman in a high end offense for much of the season. And with the recent news of both Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber hitting the injured list and looking at a post All Star break return, you could pick up Santana and not even notice their absence in your lineup.

League Size Recommendation: 14 team or deeper leagues

Want to get access to the rest of Anthony’s article? You’ll need to have a FANTASYPASS membership. Click here to learn more and sign up!
Premium Access Required