With September Call Ups It’s Not Too Late to Win Your Fantasy League

The calendar says September which means time is running out both on the 2016 regular season and in your fantasy league which ends a bit before the regular season does. Things may look grim for some teams right now and they may look equally as grim in your fantasy league but have no fear, September call ups are here. What does that mean for you? Well it’s simple, all 30 MLB teams went from having 25 players at their disposal to having 40 options now giving you more opportunities to mix and match. Need stolen bases? Well teams like the Yankees have players like Eric Young Jr. whose sole purpose on the roster is to steal bases and pinch run. Need home runs? Pick up a guy like Aaron Judge who should hit plenty with more than a few strikeouts thrown in the middle. These are just two of many examples of how September call ups can aid you in pushing and potentially winning your fantasy league this season. It’s not too late but it’s getting late, early.

Need Power?

Randal Grichuk had a productive August and it should continue in September for the power hitting Red Birds. Ryan Schimpf has also handled hitting in Petco Park well and has put up impressive power numbers as a second baseman. He, like Aaron Judge, will strikeout a ton though so it’s a double-edged sword.

Need Stolen Bases?

Take your pick. Keon Broxton of Milwaukee steals a ton of bases and gets on base at a .360 OBP clip while Ender Inciarte is a contact hitter with a lot of speed for Atlanta. Nick Franklin of the Tampa Bay Rays is doing enough to remain in the conversation while the Yankees should give Eric Young Jr. plenty of base stealing opportunities with Brian McCann and others in the lineup.

Need Veteran Pitching?

Ivan Nova has been terrific for the Pittsburgh Pirates posting a 2.87 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. Where was this guy when he was with the Yankees? Alex Cobb is also back and will be making his second start in almost two years tonight for the Rays.

Need Rookies?

Byron Buxton has been disappointing to date in his MLB career but he has impressed since his latest call up. Yoan Moncada has impressed as well and should play every day for the remainder on the season. Moncada will strikeout a lot but he adds a lot to almost every other category.

Brewers, White Sox, & Mariners Scouting Yankees Players

Via George A King the Yankees had a few visitors recently scouting their players for potential trades. The Seattle Mariners recently had a scout at last night's loss against the Baltimore Orioles scouting Yankees starting pitcher David Phelps. Phelps may be expendable with so many arms, Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno, and Michael Pineda to name a few, vying for that last rotation spot and for open spots in the Yankees bullpen. I can't see the Mariners having anything we would necessarily want unless they are willing to give up Tijuan Walker, I'd take that. It's a Nick Franklin for Phelps trade that is more likely to happen but you have to have dreams, right?

The Chicago White Sox were also in attendance last night at George M. Steinbrenner Field keeping their eyes on Yankees players. The White Sox are said to have a few infielders available for young catching depth. The Milwaukee Brewers are also said to be in the backup catcher market making John Ryan Murphy, Francisco Arcia, and Austin Romine especially attractive. The Brewers are said to be dangling Rickie Weeks and Aramis Ramirez while Chicago is willing to part with Gordon Beckham and Jeff Keppinger.

I personally want no part of either Keppinger and Beckham but Weeks and especially Ramirez intrigue the hell out of me. Both are owed a ton of money, so you would think they come cheap in terms of players acquired, and both may be better than what New York currently has. Ramirez has surprisingly been the 6th best third basemen in all the league using wRC+ with his 136 wRC+ over the last three seasons. Even if Ramirez is a shell of his former self he would be a huge upgrade as a right handed platoon over Eduardo Nunez.

Get it done Cash, you have my approval, just make it for Romine and not Murphy, I'd like to keep him a bit longer.

Yankees Interested In Nick Franklin?

When Robinson Cano left the Yankees he left New York with a glaring hole at second base. When Cano signed with the Mariners he all but ended the tenure of Nick Franklin in Seattle as he has been blocked for the next ten seasons at second base. Obviously that makes Franklin available but should the Yankees be interested?

Franklin is only 22 years old who hit .225/.303/.382 with 12 home runs in 412 plate appearances for the Mariners in 2013. Franklin owns a career minor league stat line of .287/.360/.459 with 46 home runs and 63 steals in 81 chances in 1756 minor league plate appearances. Franklin also has some experience at shortstop, although not considered to be a wizard defensively there, and would likely be a great option for us at second base for the next few years.

Lots of team control, versatility playing both middle infield positions, can somewhat handle the bat in the majors, and its the Seattle Mariners. They would be luck to not give him away. I think we make the trade.