Once upon a time, the Milwaukee Brewers made Lucas Erceg a second-round draft pick and expected him to reach the major leagues as a lefty-hitting, slugging third baseman. Things did not quite work out as planned. Still, eight years and several franchises after being drafted, Erceg is the most-added relief pitcher in ESPN standard fantasy leagues, as he saves games for the postseason-bound Kansas City Royals.
Erceg made his MLB debut for the Oakland Athletics last season, posting a 4.75 ERA and a messy 1.58 WHIP (walks were a problem) over 55 innings. A power right-hander who averages 98.5 mph with his fastball but throws four different pitches at least 20% of the time (sinker, slider, changeup as well), Erceg moved to the Royals at the trade deadline and quickly assumed a high-leverage role. He has now thrown 12â…“ scoreless innings for his new team, with 15 strikeouts, only one walk and, most importantly, five saves. Somehow, Erceg is still only rostered in a mere 15.6% of ESPN standard leagues.
