Hello Razzballeroos. Back after a week hiatus out in Vegas. I’ve been back for 48 hours and I still have the shakes. Not sure if my body is still in detox, or if I am just excited to be catching up on all the MLB action and the articles over here at Razzball.
I apologize for missing the week, and there may be one or two more yet where I have to skip, but it’s just the way the sports universe rolls for me as we get ready for Football season. Grey will keep you up to date in the daily articles if there are any major SAGNOF Stolen base call-ups if I am out.
As we approach September let’s take a quick peek at a guy who could get you 8-10 steals in September with most of his appearances coming most likely as a pinch runner. I am of course referring to Brewer Hicklen an OF in the Brewers farm system playing in Nashville.
Brewer is an older prospect at 28 years old, and had a cup of tea with the Royals in 2022, but otherwise has been a career minor leaguer. His batted ball skills are fairly atrocious as he has not batted over .250 for any full season above High-A ball. His K-Rate at AAA is abysmal, and I haven’t done any extensive research into this, but at some point over his seven seasons in the minors he may have set an all-time record for total number of pop-ups on the infield.
The only upside hitting wise is his exit velocity this season which is 90th percentile in MiLB. If he does get some ABs his walk rate is over 14% so he will find a way on base, even if 45% of his ABs end in a strikeout or a pop-up to third.
Now the really good news… He has 281 stolen bases in his career and has only been caught 38 times. He has excellent speed and knows how to get a jump on the basepaths. More good news, he has 30 OF assists in his career and only 4 errors. So if the crew does pinch-run him later in games they won’t be afraid to leave him in the lineup and on the field where maybe he gets an AB. If his glove plays that well, they also won’t be afraid to get him a start here or there, especially if they are locked into a certain playoff position as the season comes to a close.
Moral of the story is I think Hicklen is the Brewers choice to be called up in September as he provides a natural platoon partner for Sal Frelick or Garrett Mitchell. He could also snag you a few extra points in the Stolen Base category as we slide into the homestretch where half the players have abandoned their squads.
Here’s Our Stolen Base Leaderboard through Monday August 26th
The Speed Dials:
1 for 4 on the Speed Dials last time out.
Overall, that puts us at 14 for 64 on the season.
Remember these are exact dates to pick up and stream steals guys in daily leagues. Where would you be with 14 extra stolen bases?
Today I have listed my picks for each date without a statistical analysis as I am crunched for time. Trust me, at least one of these guys will likely steal a base for you and should be available on waivers.
Diamondbacks vs Mets – Wednesday August 28th – Jake McCarthy
Angels vs White Sox– Thursday August 29th – Otto Lopez
Tigers vs Red Sox – Friday August 30th – Parker Meadows
White Sox vs Mets – Saturday August 31st – Corey Julks
As always, if you’re looking for anything further out for next week where we don’t have exact pitching match-ups hit me up here or on Twitter @TheGreatKnoche
