Justin Turner has turned things around at the plate

Hope all you dads had a Happy Father’s Day. A big part of fatherhood is being there for a child. Protecting, nurturing, helping, supporting, playing with, etc. The job does not end after the baby making. It requires tons of energy and sacrifice to be a good dad. The same can be said for owning a fantasy baseball team. The draft is usually the most exciting aspect, but the work doesn’t end there. It takes time to look at box scores, scour the waiver wire, and think of potential trade scenarios. Constantly try to improve your team. Don’t be a deadbeat.

In this weekly column, I highlight some lower-owned players that performed the best/worst over the past week. Hopefully, some of the information helps you to navigate the fantasy baseball season.

RISERS

• Justin Turner (3B – LAD)
  11 hits, five runs, four home runs, and nine RBI. He’s on fire! And I’m not talking about his hair. After a slow start to the season, Turner has really picked it up the past few weeks. Manager Dave Roberts felt that he was close to coming around back in early June. His patience has been rewarded. What does it portend for the rest of the season? The batted ball and plate discipline numbers are fine. So are the walk and strikeout rates. The BABIP is a low .261 and his career batting average is .279, so the good times should continue. Hitting in the middle of an inconsistent, yet still dangerous lineup doesn’t hurt either.

• Whit Merrifield (2B – KC)
  14 hits, nine runs, two home runs, eight RBI, and one stolen base. Since getting the call up in mid-May, Merrifield is batting .339/.356/.514 with 21 runs, two home runs, 12 RBI, and four stolen bases. With Omar Infante no longer on the team, Merrifield has claimed second base and the fantasy-juicy leadoff position in the batting order. So, who is Merrifield? He’s 27 years old and bats from the right side of the plate. In seven minor league seasons, he’s never hit double-digit home runs but has a high of 32 stolen bases. His career batting average is .274 with a .334 OBP. As long as he continues to bat leadoff for the Royals, he should score plenty of runs and contribute on the base paths. I wouldn’t expect too much pop, though.

• Michael Saunders (OF – TOR)
  Nine hits, five runs, four home runs (three in one game), and nine RBI. The advanced stats say that he’s making more contact (88.9%) and hitting the ball harder (37.3%). I don’t think we needed advanced stats to tell us that. What they do tell us is that some regression could be in store. His BABIP (.384 vs .300), AVG (.314 vs .240), and SLG (.606 vs .406) are all way above his career averages. The home run-to-fly ball rate is at 22.4%, compared to his career rate of 12.3%. With that said, he’s batting cleanup for one of the most potent lineups in the game. In addition, he is one of the few left-handed power bats the Blue Jays can employ.

• Didi Gregorius (SS – NYY)
  10 hits, six runs, two home runs, nine RBI, and one stolen base. Didi ain’t down with the walk, as his walk percentage is a paltry 3.8%. That’s okay, though, because he’s making excellent contact. His K% is only 11% and all his contact rates (inside and outside the strike zone) are at career highs. Swinging strike percentage is at a career low as well. His BABIP is in-line, so the production could continue. He bats low in the order and won’t steal too many bags, but he plays in an excellent park and is showing an elite skill with the bat.

• Joc Pederson (OF – LAD)
  Nine hits, six runs, four home runs, five RBI, and one stolen base. Joc is making better contact this season (75.2%), striking out less (24.8%), and matched his stolen base numbers from all of last year (4). He even hit leadoff when Chase Utley was given the night off. Unfortunately, he still can’t hit left-handed pitching and won’t be given the opportunity to do so.

FALLERS

• James Shields (SP – CWS)
  Two brutal starts last week. At home against the Tigers, Shields allowed nine hits, six earned runs, walked four, and struck out one in five innings. Five days later, he allowed seven hits, eight earned runs, walked three, and struck out two in 1 2/3 innings in Cleveland. In his past four starts, he has allowed 8, 6, 7, and 10 earned runs. So, the White Sox designated Mat Latos for assignment then replaced him with Shields. Talk about spinning wheels. The $27 to $31 million owed to Shields seems like a hefty price to pay for a poorly-souped up Latos.

• Nomar Mazara (OF – TEX)
  Two hits with one run scored. Mazara’s slash line has decreased slightly every month from .333/.392/.460 to .269/.315/.343. It’s baseball. Streaks happen. Mazara is a great young hitter with a really good approach and great contact skills. With that said, he is still only 21 years old and has room for improvement. Most notably, slaying left-handed pitching. He’s entrenched as the No. 3 hitter in a potent Rangers’ lineup. As long as he remains in that role and continues to develop, Mazara should pick things back up and help fantasy teams the rest of the way.

• Trevor Rosenthal (RP – STL)
  Two appearances. 1/3 innings, five hits, four earned runs (two each game), one walk, and one strikeout. Rosenthal has a 4.91 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP on the season. That is just unacceptable from the closer position. There’s chatter that Rosenthal should be replaced by Seung-Hwan Oh, who has been downright filthy this season, but it’s just been speculation. There has been nothing official coming from the Cardinals’ front office of a change coming, but keep a keen eye on the situation.

• Jimmy Nelson (SP – MIL)
  3 2/3 innings, eight hits, six earned runs, three walks, and two strikeouts in San Francisco. That makes three straight losses without getting out of the sixth inning. Nelson is now sporting a 3.92 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with 67 strikeouts in 85 innings. He has a career-low strikeout rate (7.09), second-worst walk rate (3.81), and career-high home run-per-nine innings rate (1.27). No thanks.

• Todd Frazier (3B – CWS)
  Zero hits, two runs, and two RBI. The Toddfather has had a curious season so far. He’s clubbed 19 home runs but has a .198 batting average. He is swinging at fewer pitches, which has enabled him to post a career-high 11.3% walk rate. When he does swing, though, he’s making less contact and pulling the ball at a career-high 51.6% when he does. The BABIP is at a ridiculously low .180. The strikeout rate (22.2%) is close to his career average. If you can get him cheap, I’d buy.

Good luck this week.

Stan Son is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Stan, check out his archive and follow him @Stan_Son.