“I’ve got one speed, I have one gear: go!”
— Charlie Sheen
Though more and more players are reaching double-digit stolen bases, it is not easy to find consistent production from a singular source.
But, if you can find that one piece to boost your speed, it could be a game-changer.
Here’s a pop quiz, hot shot (get it, that’s a “Speed” reference):
Who do you think entered the weekend leading the lead in stolen bases this month?
It’s not Elly De La Cruz. It’s also not Bobby Witt Jr. or Brice Turang.
It’s not even Jarren Duran, though he was tied for the second-most.
No, it’s David Hamilton, a player who, as of Friday, was rostered in 10 percent of ESPN leagues despite having 11 stolen bases this month (all of which have come in the past 12 games, including four against the Yankees … in one game).
In that 12-game span, he batted 13-for-41 (.317) with two homers, six RBIs, nine runs scored, a .333 on-base percentage and .846 OPS.
He is hitting .298 this month after batting .333 with seven stolen bases in 19 games in May.
Since May 4, the 26-year-old speedster is hitting .315 with 18 stolen bases and a .838 OPS.
Hamilton has stolen 20 bases overall while hitting .288 with four homers, 13 RBIs, 26 runs and a .776 OPS.
Hamilton’s speed is very much for real, with his sprint speed ranking in the 90th percentile.
He stole 179 bases over 328 games in the minors, including 70 over 119 Double-A games in 2022 and 57 over 103 games in Triple-A last year.
He also has some pop as he hit 12 homers in 2022 and 17 in 2023, and good selectivity at the plate with a 21 percent chase rate, which would be around the 90th percentile.
Roto Rage, however, does not believe Hamilton is, or will be, a .288 hitter — and his BABIP (.373) and expected batting average ( .254) support that.
Should a lower batting average or the fact he mostly sits against southpaws (though Boston isn’t slated to face any this week) deter you from adding Hamilton? Absolutely not.
Even if he hits closer to that .250 mark, which he did in the minors (.251), he has solid on-base skills (despite a poor walk rate), and he is getting consistent playing time on a team that is getting the reputation of a team that will run.
If Hamilton is on base, he will run. Period. The end.
Here is a look at some other possible speedy additions to your roster:
Before landing on the injured list in April, Washington’s Lane Thomas (53.3 percent rostered) stole 11 bases in his first 22 games.
Only problem: He was hitting .184 with a .503 OPS. In 23 games since returning from the IL, the 28-year-old has stolen five bases and hit .273 with six homers, 14 RBIs, 17 runs and a .876 OPS.
Though Arizona’s Jake McCarthy (2.2 percent) stole just two bases over his first 43 games, he has hit .339 with one homer, six RBIs, nine runs, eight stolen bases and a .889 OPS since May 25.
He never has played in more than 99 games in a season and sits often versus lefties, but he is a career .268 hitter who has solid plate discipline and has stolen more than 20 bases in each of the past two seasons.
Colorado’s Brenton Doyle (19.8 percent) has 18 stolen bases, which ranks seventh in the majors, and is hitting .262 with one homer, eight RBIs, seven runs and four stolen bases this month.
One downfall: He is much better at Coors Field (.339, 10 stolen bases, .917 OPS) than he is on the road (.213, eight SB, .586 OPS).
He is a risky option for those of you in weekly leagues when he has away games.
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Two young players to keep an eye on are Oakland’s Zack Gelof and the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Though Gelof is hitting just .202 for the season, he hit .262 with five homers, 11 RBIs, nine runs, four stolen bases and a .849 OPS in his past 18 games before Friday.
He has 20-20 potential, but strikeouts and a low batting average may come as part of the deal.
Despite hitting .132 this month and .202 for the season, Crow-Armstrong has stolen eight bases in 16 June games (second-most in the majors) and 13 for the season (with a 100 percent success rate).
He has been a bit unlucky at the plate with his .265 BABIP and his contact rate could use some help, but he has elite speed and good pop, as he displayed in the minors (.296, 41 homers, 81 stolen bases in four seasons).
Big hits
Carlos Correa SS, Twins
After hitting .249 with four homers and 19 RBIs in his first 40 games, he hit .412 with four homers and 16 RBIs in his first 17 games this month.
Reynaldo Lopez SP, Braves
Hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of his 13 starts, and is 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA and .224 opponents’ average in his past four starts.
Andrew Vaughn 1B, White Sox
Entered Friday with at least one hit in 17 of his past 19 games while hitting .346 with five homers, 16 RBIs, 12 runs and a .947 OPS. He hit .195 with four homers, 18 RBIs and a .570 OPS in his first 51 games.
Matt Waldron SP, Padres
Since allowing seven earned runs May 5, he was 4-2 with a 1.82 ERA, 47 strikeouts and a .184 opponents’ average in his next eight starts.
Big Whiffs
Brent Rooker OF, Athletics
After hitting .283 with 12 homers in his first 195 plate appearances, he hit .185 with one homer, five RBIs, one run, 24 strikeouts and a .577 OPS in his next 61 plate appearances.
Zack Littell SP/RP, Rays
In seven starts since his most recent win (May 11), he is 0-3 with 31 strikeouts, eight walks, eight homers allowed and a .301 opponents’ average.
Taylor Ward OF, Angels
Average plummeted from .268 to .235 after going 5-for-51 (.098) with one homer, 16 strikeouts and a .450 OPS in his first 15 games this month.
Tarik Skubal SP, Tigers
Lost back-to-back decisions while allowing eight earned runs (over 10 ¹/₃ innings), three homers and a .302 opponents’ average.
Check Swings
– Riley Greene hit .308 with four homers, 15 RBIs, 12 runs, two stolen bases and a .975 OPS in his first 17 games this month. He is 14-for-39 (.359) with three homers, 13 RBIs, one stolen base and a 1.175 OPS in his past 10 before Friday.
– Since May 17, Hunter Brown has lowered his ERA from 7.71 to 4.72 while going 3-1 with a 1.70 ERA, 41-8 strikeout-walk rate, .189 opponents’ average and an 11 percent swinging-strike rate. He remains available in nearly 40 percent of ESPN leagues.
– Despite going 1-2 with a respectable 3.60 ERA and .211 opponents’ average in his first four starts this month, Joe Ryan has allowed the most homers (seven) in the majors during that span. He has allowed 14 on the season, which is tied for the third-most in the league.
– Roto Rage favorite Jack Flaherty has not allowed an earned run over his past three starts and is 3-0 with a 19-2 strikeout-walk rate and .109 opponents’ average in those outings. He has a 1.86 ERA, 64-7 strikeout-walk rate and .195 opponents’ average in his past eight starts.
– Jeimer Candelario raised his average from .218 on May 31 to .251 on Thursday after hitting .338 with six homers, 15 RBIs, nine runs, three stolen bases and a 1.005 OPS in his first 17 games. He had at least one hit in 15 of those games.
– Tyler Soderstrom, who is hitting .232 on the season, had at least one hit in 11 of his past 14 games and was hitting .286 with four homers, eight RBIs, seven runs and a .903 OPS in that span.
– After a stinker against the Mets on June 3, MacKenzie Gore was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA, 17-2 strikeout-walk rate and .239 opponents’ average in his next two starts. He also had an 18 percent swinging-strike rate in those outings, which came against the Braves and Marlins.
– Connor Wong (22 percent rostered) entered the weekend with two stolen bases this month while hitting .342 with six RBIs, six runs and an .861 OPS in his first 13 games.
Team Name of the Week
Cosmo Kremer
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