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Ron Rigney is here every week sharing his favorite bats and arms who are performing on a consistent basis yet flying under the radar in your weekly H2H points leagues!
Consistency Triple Play
The Triple Play here at Big Guy Fantasy Sports is geared toward the head-to-head players using the Consistency model. However, don’t go anywhere just yet you roto players! Each week I’ll highlight three bats and three arms that are consistently scoring points but may not be at the top of the total points category. No matter your league format, you need Consistency! Check out the Baseball Consistent Report by clicking here. Here we go!
Hitters
Brandon Drury, 2B,3B,OF – Cincinnati Reds
Unless you have Brandon Drury shares, you probably weren’t aware he was even a Red. We as fantasy baseball players have an odd relationship with the 29-year-old utilityman. We’ve all added him when an injury popped up, or when we noticed he was sitting on waivers and went on a bit of a hot streak. It always helps when you can play him almost anywhere. Then we jettison him and forget about him for a while. Well, here he is. Putting together an excellent season with 70% consistency thus far. He’s driven in 33, scored 39, and hit 12 homers (his career-high is 16) in 59 games. He looks to easily surpass his career highs in every category including his slash which currently sits at .276/.340/.521. He’s carried this production into the middle of June at this point, and if it tails off, we will send him back to waivers with an apple and a roadmap. But until that point, Mr. Drury remains a useful piece.
Austin Hays, OF – Baltimore Orioles
Hays rocketed into the top 100 MLB prospects a few years ago, and was handed a starting gig with the Orioles out of Spring Training. That didn’t turn out as planned. In 2021 he topped the 20 homer mark while scoring 73 runs and driving in 71 with a modest slash of .256/.308/.461. This season has seen quite a bit of improvement at the plate. Hays has decreased his K% by nearly 4% while increasing his BB% by 2.5%. His improved plate approach has led to a .293/.354/.456 line in his first 57 games. You’re never going to get a ton of RBI from him due to the offense he plays in, but he’s proving that meteoric rise up the top prospect lists was no fluke. Oh yeah, did I mention he’s 70% consistent on the season?
Jorge Polanco, SS – Minnesota Twins
Polanco had an ADP around pick 90 heading into the season, which put him right behind position-mates Carlos Correa, Javy Baez, and Corey Seager. He may rank 14th in total points after nine weeks, but he is the only one at the position who is 100% consistent on the season. His numbers aren’t eye-popping, with seven homers and just a .245 average. But he has hit the Clutch Factor each week, meaning he is a solid producer week in and week out, but not producing Aaron Judge-type numbers. This Twin is a consistent value!
Pitchers
Framber Valdez, SP – Houston Astros
Say what you want about the Astros, but what they have been able to do with their pitching staff is impressive. Just a few seasons ago, only the deepest fantasy players knew who Framber Valdez was. Now he is in the Top 15 in MLB in ERA with a 2.64 and is 89% consistent in our system. Like the hitters mentioned previously, Valdez isn’t producing eye-popping numbers, but he is a steady source for ratio help, even if he is only averaging 7.32/K9. I am lucky enough to have him in one of my deeper dynasties, and he’s a huge reason my team is battling for a league win after finishing 13 out of 15 last season. He could be an attainable trade target since he isn’t a strikeout artist but don’t expect to get him for nothing.
Nick Pivetta, SP – Boston Red Sox
Pivetta is having a season that essentially mirrors what he does every other season. In most leagues, he’s been a streaming option for the most part. He’s a guy that posts an era north of four, and is reliable in real life, but not so much in fantasy. In 2022 he’s been a starter that can be counted on in deep leagues. His 3.78 ERA is nearly a full run lower than where he ended last season. FIP and xFIP (3.56 and 3.92 respectively) both indicate his ERA is legit. However, I still think he will end up with a four-plus ERA before the season is over because that’s just what he is. At 78% he’s only trailing a handful of starters in consistency, so he needs to be in lineups, especially in deeper leagues.
Sean Manaea, SP – San Diego Padres
Since I didn’t put any Tampa Bay Rays in my column this week, I had to include a fellow Indiana State Sycamore! If there has been one consistent thing about Manaea’s career, it has to be how inconsistent he has been. Variations in HR/FB, strand rate, and BABIP, among other things, help tell his story. Much like Valdez, he isn’t a big strikeout artist, even though his K/9 has crept above 9 over the last two seasons. He’s walking more than I would like, but so far he’s posting a .247 BABIP which is nearly 40 points below his career mark and is likely to trend upward. That said, he’s 78% consistent and needs to be in your lineup as long as he’s hitting that Clutch Factor week after week.
