Justin Smoak: Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em

With only two weeks left in the MLB regular season, fantasy owners either find themselves on the cusp of winning a championship or have their eyes toward next season. For those owners still alive, there still seems to be waiver wire value that could pay huge dividends.

One of the more interesting names that is still floating out in the waiver wire is Justin Smoak. Owners are all pretty aware of who Smoak is, as he has been billed as a potential star player since he debuted in 2010.

It seems as though those massive expectations have taken their toll on Smoak, as he has more or less profiled himself as at best a platoon player. Even though Smoak may never develop into that stud prospect, it does not mean he cannot carve himself a nice career in the big leagues.

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Smoak may have found a permanent home now with Toronto after Seattle finally gave up on him, and it is safe to say that he made the correct career choice. Smoak still struggles with AVG, .222 this season, but his calling card has always been the power potential he possesses. In a part time role with Toronto, he has be able to really produce, as he has already passed his career high in RBI this season, and should flirt with passing his career high total in HR as well.

While I usually do not like advising owners to gamble on streaky platers, especially in the championship weeks, picking up Smoak provides enough upside to overlook the ugly AVG. One on hand we all know about the offensive exploits that the Blue Jays have been able to carry out this season, so investing in one of the few players offensive players left in their lineup offers value in itself.

The most important part of adding Smoak has been the recent tear he has been on over the last two weeks. He has a .355/3 HR/8 RBI/1.216 OPS line over this time, and has forced the Jays to try and get him into their lineup as much as possible.

The Jays will look to maximize Smoak’s current run over the course of their mission to close out winning the division, so he should be able to see more AB’s over the next two weeks. The Jays face the Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, and Orioles to close out the month of September.

Boston, New York and Baltimore are hitter’s paradises so Smoak sees no drop off there, plus he gets the Rays in Toronto as well, so there aren’t too many signs that point to a sudden drop off.

Smoak has been notoriously streaky, but since he has been on a roll over the last two weeks, I have confidence that he is currently on a hot stretch to close the season, rather than just getting lucky.

Owners should examine their lineups and potential matchups next week to see if they could use a power boost to their squads. Most of us, usually always welcome power bats so Smoak offers enough value at this point of the season to be worth a potential waiver wire add.