We tend to be easily distracted as Fantasy players. We’re always looking for the shiny new thing, that fleck of something that can turn into the league-winning golden ticket.
This is a good instinct, and I don’t want to suppress it. However, sometimes we go too far, moving on from ”boring” established players in search of upside, while leaving reliable production on the table. Sometimes, we even do this with players who actually have upside, like Yasiel Puig. We saw Puig’s draft stock slide into the late rounds this season after two rough, injury-riddled campaigns. But with three homers in his first three games, Puig is reminding is that, yes, he does have upside left.
So, while everyone else is chasing the next big thing, here are five players who may have once been the next big thing, but who still have a chance to make a difference on the waiver wire for you.
| 27% | 
Ryan Zimmerman
Washington 1B
|
| Small-sample size alerts abound, but Ryan Zimmerman certainly looks like he’s taking a new approach at the plate these days for the Nationals. Following in teammate Daniel Murphy’s footsteps, Zimmerman talked this offseason about putting more of an emphasis on putting the ball in the air, to better take advantage of what was still a pretty hefty bat last season. Zimmerman has two homers in the season’s first three games, and four of his eight balls in play to date have been hit in the air. For someone who ranked 14th in baseball in exit velocity, that is a very promising sign, and an indicator that Zimmerman might not be as washed up as the Fantasy community seems to think. | |
| 72% | 
Gio Gonzalez
Washington SP
|
| Gio Gonzalez probably wasn’t as bad as his 4.57 ERA indicated in 2016, even if it seems safe to conclude he will never quite hit the peaks he enjoyed in the early part of the decade again. He showed on Thursday he can still be plenty effective as he struck out sveen with just one (intentional) walk over six innings against the Marlins. The stuff isn’t there for Gonzalez to pitch like an ace again, but he still sported an above average strikeout rate and walk rate last season, while racking up a decent number of groundballs, so this isn’t exactly coming out of nowhere. Gonzalez doesn’t have a ton of upside, but a mid-3.00’s ERA over 30 starts for a contender still counts for something. | |
| 59% | 
Mike Moustakas
Kansas City 3B
|
| Mike Moustakas tends to get lost in the shuffle at the stacked third base position, though injuries deserve at least some of the blame for that this time around, as what could have been a career-best power season was derailed by injuries in 2016. With two homers in the Royals’ first three games, he seems to be picking up where he left off, and with his combination of low strikeout rate and solid flyball tendencies, he could be a pretty safe bet for 25 homers if he avoids injury. Even at third base, that has value. | |
| 41% | 
Gerardo Parra
Colorado LF
|
| When things are going well, Gerardo Parra certainly looks like the kind of player who should thrive in Coors Field. While much is made of the impact Coors has on power, its tendency to boost batting average on balls in play might be the even bigger bonus in the post-humidor days, and Parra was at his best when he was hitting the ball from gap to gap and avoiding strikeouts. Everything went wrong for him last year as he tried to play through an ankle injury, but he has gotten off to a very promising start so far, going 6 for 15 through the first four games -- and the Rockies haven’t even been home! The eventual return of David Dahl from his rib injury complicates Parra’s long-term outlook, but as long as Dahl is out, he should continue to be a useful option. | |
| 20% | 
Brandon McCarthy
L.A. Dodgers SP
|
| Injuries have always been an issue for Brandon McCarthy, who has reached 200 innings just once, back in 2014. He struggled in his return from Tommy John surgery last season, but showed some signs of having bounced back in his 2017 debut Thursday. It’s not so much the quality start against the lowly Padres that gives reason for optimism, but that he had his fastball back. He averaged 94.3 MPH with the pitch, per BrooksBaseball.net, his highest since before the surgery. McCarthy’s results never quite matched his stuff, but we’ve seen him combine strong strikeout and walk numbers, and if he can keep the ERA below 4.00, he can have value with a very good Dodgers team backing him up. | |
