For most of the year, we have focused on the top tier of young talent on the cusp or fresh to the major leagues. If you want to win, getting the most talented players is the best way to do so. At the same time, everyone wants the best, so the competition is fierce.
More often than not, the teams that win championships are those that possess talent but also have someone making decisions with the ability to spot less talented players who can make an impact on the margins. The players talked about here today fit this category.
None of the names on this list were drafted in the first or second rounds. They were never consensus top-100 prospects or even a top-five prospects within their own system. Yet here they are in 2015 as rookies making noise at the highest level.
Pop-up players appear every year, but determining which are found money and which are fool's gold is the key. No player below will win your league for you, but picking the right one or two could help in the process.
Billy Burns, OF, Oakland Athletics; drafted 32nd round (2011); 2015 MLB stats: .325/.367/.427, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5 SB
Analysis: Burns was a 16th-round pick in 2008 but did not sign. He re-entered the draft in 2011 and saw his round selection doubled as he fell to the Washington Nationals in the 32nd round. Now a member of the A's, the speedy outfielder is living up to his last name as a burner on the bases. He stole 74 bags as a minor leaguer in 2013 and swiped 58 last year across three levels. Burns is in the top 10 of major league base stealers this year despite spending part of the season in the minors. He is not a .330 hitter moving forward, but he makes a high amount of contact. If you couple that with his above-average speed, he should receive safe calls more often than not. He is a solid in-season addition who, because lack of pedigree and name value, is still available in about 25 percent of ESPN leagues.