Athletics Ryon Healy: September Power and Contact Worth Adding

Sep 15, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oakland Athletics baserunner Ryon Healy (48) rounds third and scores a run against the Kansas City Royals during the second inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 15, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oakland Athletics baserunner Ryon Healy (48) rounds third and scores a run against the Kansas City Royals during the second inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Athletics are clearly out of playoff contention. That doesn’t stop them from winning. One hitter you should add is third baseman Ryon Healy.

The Oakland Athletics are still competing as we quickly approach the end of the season, despite being eliminated from the playoffs. We all know about the numbers Khris Davis is putting up, but there is another hitter worth adding for the fantasy playoffs. His name is Ryon Healy.

The Athletics called up Healy after the All-Star break, but struggled to get things going. After his first 25 games, he was hitting .230 with four home runs, 12 RBI and nine runs scored. He improved in the second half of August and turned it up even more in September.

He began the month with a .287/.317/.471 line. In 16 games this month, he is hitting .391/.435/.656 with four home runs, 12 RBI and 13 runs scored. The increase in runs scored and RBI correlates to the A’s success, as they have won six of their last seven games.

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Since Sept. 10, nine games, Healy has seven multi-hit games and hit safely in all nine of them.

Healy is hitting in the second half of the Athletics lineup, behind Davis and Yonder Alonso. Because of his recent success, he moved up from No. 9 to 5 over the last couple of weeks.

The added benefit of adding Healy is that he gets on base frequently. His .349 on-base percentage is due to his 68 hits and 11 walks. He has just 44 strikeouts, so he is patient at the plate and getting a good eye on the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand.

With Healy, and most of the other players we’re writing about at this time of the year are all dart throws. Healy is playing well now, but he struggled in July. He doesn’t have a long enough track record to be confident in his performance. But, a nine-game hitting streak with some power is nice to see in a September waiver add.

Next: Domingo Santana Late-Season Waiver Add?

Fantasy owners are noticing Healy’s performance. With just two weeks left to the baseball season, owners want to add everyone and anyone with the slightest fantasy value. He’s been added in 31.8 percent of ESPN leagues over the last week. He can hit home runs and get on base, and that is something that can’t be ignored this late into the season.