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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!
Nate Lowe, 1B – TEX
Just a few short years ago it seemed as if you could find a burly, home run swattin’ first baseman every day on your waiver wire. Oh my, how that supply has dried up in recent seasons. Lowe is a former Rays top prospect who just didn’t have a place at the big league level. If you have him in dynasty leagues, it seems like it’s taken forever for any sort of payoff. In 2022 he finds himself in the midst of his second season as the Rangers’ first baseman. As can be said for most of the guys you will see in this column over the weeks, he isn’t flashy and his numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he is 70% consistent in our system. When looking across his stat line, there is a lot to like as he’s posting a .274/.318/.426 line with eight homers, 27 RBI, and 26 runs scored. As long as he’s healthy, there’s no reason owners can’t expect him to at least match his 2021 numbers. One ugly mark that stands out when studying Mr. Lowe is that nasty 6.1% walk rate, which is down a whopping 50% from last season. While I wouldn’t mind him as my first baseman in deeper leagues, I would love having a guy like this as my UTIL, DH, or CI, and if he can figure out how to walk at a 12% clip again, you OBP league players will be getting LOWE, LOWE, LOWE, LOWE!
Luis Arraez, INF/OF – MIN
If your season is going anything like mine, you’re beginning to feel the sting of the injury bug. This is where a guy like Arraez comes in, and as hot as he has been lately, he’s most likely in your lineup somewhere already. At first glance, boy are his numbers boring. However, as you work your way from left to right on that Fangraphs page, you’re pleasantly surprised. This guy can hit! Currently, the Twins’ utility man is slashing .361/.443/.439. I love guys like Arraez in deep leagues for a couple of reasons. First, he is eligible at 1B, 2B, 3B, and OF in most formats, which also makes him corner and middle infield eligible as well. I also like guys I can plug in who won’t hurt me in categories, while helping me at others. Granted, his counting stats won’t win you many leagues, but that slash line will help you offset power hitters or base stealers that just aren’t getting it done in the average or OBP categories. I can’t come off of Father’s Day weekend without a dad joke, so here goes: His 60% consistency mark from here on out will surely be on the Arr-rise!
Daniel Bard, RP – COL
As if seeing that COL abbreviation next to a pitchers name in your draft isn’t scary enough, how about when you see it next to the guy who is closing for the Rockies? Nightmare fuel! If you’re anything like most drafters, you have few shares of Rockies pitching of any kind. Yet here we are with the Rockies’ closer coming in at 80% consistent after 11 weeks. Bard owns a teeny, tiny 1.98 ERA and is striking out 11.52 hitters per nine innings. While I like a lot about his stat line, I have a bad feeling about this. He’s walking 4.28 batters per nine innings, which is right around his career mark. He has been able to limit a bit of the damage with an 80% strand rate and a .203 BABIP, which are both going to be tough to keep at those paces, especially when you close your home games at Coors Field. I know saves are tough to come by, and as a Bard owner I hope he keeps this up, but it might be time to sell high on the Rockies’ ninth-inning man.
