Fantasy Baseball: Six part-timers who are worth the time, Joc Pederson included

Our Scott White is careful not to rely on part-timers in Fantasy, but he might make an exception for these six.

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I have a longstanding policy with regard to playing time that has served me well over the years, and it's basically this: If you're not getting full-time at-bats, I don't need you.

Now, before you blow a gasket, understand it's not a hard-line rule that applies to all formats equally. It's mostly for leagues that set weekly lineups (as opposed to daily) and are of a more typical size, say fewer than 300 players rostered. But the reasoning is pretty straightforward: Fantasy Baseball is ultimately about accumulating numbers, and the part-timers just can't compete with the full-timers in measurements like runs and RBI. The difference is especially crippling in points leagues. 

But over the past couple years, the game has changed enough for me to soften my stance ever so slightly. Specialization is rampant. Lineups are continually changing. True full-timers are becoming ever more rare, to the point that some part-timers are overtaking them in Fantasy production.

I'm not to the point where I'm forcing any of these six into a lineup with only four infield spots and three outfield spots, but it's no longer such a crazy idea if the need arises. And in larger lineups that require six infielders and five outfielders, I'll flatly say they're worth owning.

And they're not the only ones. They're just the ones who are putting themselves front and center right now.

The inspiration for this piece has positioned himself to continue impacting the Mets' outfield even when it's back to full health. What appeared to be a stranglehold for Yoenis Cespedes, Jay Bruce and Michael Conforto is now so creaky and vulnerable that Brandon Nimmo may actually be the Mets' best option out there. His on-base ability, which was part of his skill set even prior to this year, is too critical to pass up at the top of the lineup, but it's his newfound ability to elevate the ball that has set him apart this year. Since Cespedes went down with a strained hip flexor, Nimmo is the No. 6 outfielder in points leagues.

Truth is, Matt Kemp may have already graduated from part-time status, having started 15 of the Dodgers' past 17 games, but it certainly wasn't the plan coming in. With so many of the bats the Dodgers were counting on falling so short of expectations, the presumed-to-be-washed-up 33-year-old has been a godsend for them, with little reason to believe it'll change anytime soon. Yeah, the BABIP is high, hovering around .400, but a .349 batting average affords him some correction while still being playable. And with line-drive and hard-hit rates that rank among the best of his career, according to FanGraphs, he'll do plenty of damage on contact.

Author of one of my most inaccurate predictions of the season, Austin Meadows has converted his top-prospect pedigree into standout production, despite failing to do so in parts of six minor-league seasons. It happens. His strikeout percentage would rank third-lowest among qualifiers, behind only Andrelton Simmons and Michael Brantley, and his fly-ball rate suggests the power isn't a total mirage either. The floor is too high and potential too realized for the Pirates to send him back down, so he's stealing at-bats from all three of their starting outfielders.

Ian Happ's failure to establish himself as a regular part of the Cubs' lineup has given Ben Zobrist another opportunity to shine, and the 37-year-old is making the most of it, bringing his BABIP back up to his pre-2017 standard (and with the line drives to back it up) while reaching base at a .380 clip. He deserves to bat ahead of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo and is on most days. And, though he still sits every third or fourth game, he's the No. 14 second baseman in points leagues since returning from a back injury April 28.

Just when he's reduced to Fantasy afterthought and presumed to be the odd man out of crowded outfield picture, Joc Pederson is showing his clearest signs of a breakthrough yet. His strikeout rate (once his Achilles heel) is now down to a Dee Gordon-like 14.2 percent — and without compromising his fly-ball rate or average exit velocity. It's just that nobody noticed because he was stuck on one homer for the longest time.

That's changed over the past week, though. Pederson delivered his second two-homer performance in five games Thursday, giving him five total home runs during that span. Like Kemp, the Dodgers have needed him more than anyone thought they would, with Corey Seager's season-ending injury shifting Chris Taylor to the infield full-time. And, while he may never show up against left-handers, the potential for the 26-year-old is still awfully exciting.

Honestly, the biggest reason to get excited about Scott Schebler is because his part-time sentence appears to be over. The Reds had instituted a four-man outfield rotation at the start of the year as a way to incorporate rookie Jesse Winker, but with all four of those outfielders underachieving, the team recently pivoted.

"Let's put three of them out there and see if we can get them hot," manager Jim Riggleman told The Cincinnati Enquirer.

So far it's worked for Schebler, who's 13 for 28 with three homers in his past seven games, with one day off along the way. And though he bats left-handed, that's no reason to sit him: He has hit lefties better than righties this year, just like last year. The fly-ball rate is curiously low for a player with 30-homer power, but if I need homers in a five-outfielder league, I'm not quibbling over it while he's free for the taking, especially since it hasn't limited his production so far.