In honor of the Cleveland Indians and their historic 22-game winning streak, this week’s difficult trivia question deals with the Indians and winning streaks. Before the Indians, who was the last team to post winning streaks of at least 14 games in back-to-back years? (Answer at the end of the article) This week’s waiver wire recommendations favor a trio of young Chicago White Sox players, as the south siders begin building a promising team for the future. All of these players are available in more than 50 percent of ESPN leagues, with stats as of September 15.[the_ad id=”384″]
Carson Fulmer, Chicago White Sox
Since rejoining the White Sox in August, Fulmer has made two bullpen appearances and two quality starts after being less than impressive during his August 21 debut. He has a 1.69 ERA in September in 10 2/3 innings. In his last two starts, he has pitched 12 innings, giving up one run, four walks, and seven hits while striking out 14. After some rough outings in Triple-A and his first start with the Sox, Fulmer is making a case to be part of the rotation of a team that has a promising future ahead of them.
Has something clicked for Carson Fulmer? #WhiteSox https://t.co/PN8H1Z2EtA pic.twitter.com/C5h4dQp2WX
— White Sox Report (@whitesox_fanly) September 16, 2017
Nick Williams, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
It was easy to overlook Nick Williams after Rhys Hoskins was called up by the Phillies. However, since Williams was brought up on June 30, he has been one of the team’s best hitters. Among hitters with 200 or more plate appearances, only Aaron Altherr has a better wRC+. Williams has improved his plate discipline compared to his minor league statistics, as has both a lower strikeout rate and higher walk rate in the majors. This year he has posted a .300 batting average with 10 home runs and 48 RBI.
Some Numbers on Nick Williams since he made his Debut on June 30#Phillies pic.twitter.com/kjXuFcxG2b
— Phils Nation (@PHLPhilNation) September 9, 2017
Kyle Gibson, SP, Minnesota Twins
After posting an ERA of over 8.00 in April, Gibson has been very good in the last month as he has posted a 1.38 ERA in 32 2/3 innings over his last five starts. Gibson’s change in the way he approaches hitters has helped his turnaround. According to Fangraphs, Gibson is throwing twice as many sinkers as four-seam fastballs his entire career and he has completely switched to using more four-seamers than sinkers. Four-seam fastballs are known for getting strikeouts at somewhat higher rates than sinkers. Also, hitters are swinging upward more than ever before in pursuit of fly balls. This makes his high fastball a formidable weapon. With the Twins in playoff contention and producing runs for their pitchers, Gibson would make a fine streaming option down the stretch.
Tim Anderson, SS, Chicago White Sox
Anderson had struggled for most of the summer while dealing with some personal issues. Anderson has been open about his struggles dealing with the shooting death of a close friend in his home state of Alabama in May and has attributed his turnaround to going to see a counselor who helped him deal with this issue. The session seemed to have helped. Since August 2, Anderson has hit .315 with 11 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, and 24 RBI.
White Sox's Tim Anderson feels like himself again, and it's showing on and off the field.https://t.co/SVGvtArJC7 via @ChiTribKane pic.twitter.com/4LkEsavPxu
— Chicago Tribune Sports (@ChicagoSports) September 15, 2017
Yolmer Sanchez, 2B/3B, Chicago White Sox
Sanchez is making the White Sox feel good about the Todd Frazier trade, especially in the month of September, as the new third baseman is hitting .368/.429/.763 feature the month. His 2.4 WAR, per Baseball Reference, ranks third on the Sox behind Avisail Garcia and Jose Abreu. For the season, Sanchez is hitting .271 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI and could be a mainstay at the hot corner for the foreseeable future on the south side of Chicago.
Dillon Peters, SP, Miami Marlins
After being brought up to the Marlins on September 1, Peters made a successful debut against the Phillies by throwing seven shutout innings, yielding three hits with three walks and eight strikeouts. He was not quite as good in his second outing against the Nationals, but this is a pitcher with a lot of promise. Peters was drafted in the 10th round in 2014 from the University of Texas even though he was viewed as a second-round talent by most but he needed Tommy John surgery. After recovering from the surgery, Peters posted a 2.38 ERA with 105/20 K/BB in 129 innings between High-A and Double-A. In the spring of 2017, Peters injured his thumb and when he came back in July, he was extremely effective, posting a 1.97 ERA in 46 innings in Double-A with a 40/11 K/BB. When healthy, Peters has proven to be a very effective and productive pitcher.
Trivia question answer: The 1936 Cubs, who won 15 in a row; The 1935 club posted a MLB-record 21-game streak.