Weekly Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Can Seth Smith Keep His Hot Bat Going?

No frills, no fluff, no fuss. It’s another week, and once again I’ve done all of the value work for you (you’re welcome). Here’s a look at four under-the-radar guys poised for big weeks. Good luck.

Asdrubal Cabrera - SS, Cleveland Indians

After last year’s surprising season, the Indians have been pretty underwhelming so far, which always makes it easy to overlook guys like Cabrera. Especially when you consider his 0.69 nERD (118th best) score. But his .400 slugging percentage, .341 OBP and .328 wOBA are all promising, and he’s been heating up, hitting .333 (7 for 21) this week and .327 (16 for 49) over the last two weeks.

The Indians face the Detroit Tigers for three games at home, which at first glance can see discouraging, but one of Cabrera’s best splits is at home against lefties, hitting .320 with eight hits and four RBI. That supports a favorable matchup against Drew Smyly. Cabrera’s other best split is against righties on the road, posting a .294 average with 15 hits, a homer and 3 runs batted in. Three of Cleveland’s four road games to end the week in Baltimore are against right-handed starters, with an average ERA of 3.88. If you can get through the mid-week games against Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, Cabrera should have a big week.

Seth Smith - OF, San Diego Padres

Smith has been absolutely crushing it as a strict platoon hitter against right-handed pitching (which is evident by his seventh-best 3.54 nERD, .590 SLG and .426 wOBA), so it’s shocking that he’s owned in only 37% of redraft leagues. Over the last 11 games, Smith has hit .513 with a 1.526 OPS, including two home runs and nine RBI. Smith’s best split comes at home against righties (obviously), hitting .419 with 26 hits, 7 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers and 9 RBI. All of the Padres’ games are at home this week, and all but one are against a right-handed starter, so look for Smith to continue his hot streak.

Dustin Ackley - 2B/OF, Seattle Mariners

Ackley's .435 slugging percentage and .320 wOBA keep me coming back for more, and his .275 average (11 for 40) with three homers and seven RBI over the last two weeks is definitely promising. This week the Mariners have two games on the road (where Ackley’s splits aren’t bad at all) before returning home for four games against the Houston Astros and their 29th-ranked 4.70 team ERA. Ackley’s best split is at home against righties, which covers three out of the four games. His dual second base and outfield eligibility along with low ownership and generally low price in daily leagues make him a great candidate for a big under-the-radar week.

Yangervis Solarte - 2B, New York Yankees

Solarte is somehow only owned in 84% of leagues and started in just 72%, technically qualifying him as under-the-radar, and is really making the most of his first season in the big leagues with an impressive .315 average, .488 SLUG, .383 wOBA, and 2.33 nERD (29th best). Solarte’s best splits come on the road (all six of the Yankees games are away), hitting .343 with 23 hits, 7 doubles, 3 homers and 18 RBI. But he’s especially hot on the road against lefties, hitting .393 with 11 hits, 4 doubles and 6 RBI, making him a must play, but especially against John Danks (5.22 ERA).