Wil Myers has finally found the breakout that was always expected of him

So I just came back from a trip to San Francisco. I live in LA, so it’s about a six-hour drive each way. Once you leave each city, the highway goes from four lanes to two lanes. Granted, the right lane is populated with big rigs, but it just absolutely boggles my mind how oblivious some drivers are. The left lane is for passing and driving fast. Some people just stay in the left lane with no regard to their surroundings. Do some drivers not look in their rear view mirrors? If you are not driving fast, stay in the right lane! At the very least, pull to the right lane when a bottleneck of cars builds up behind you. Ok, rant over but it’s applicable to fantasy baseball. We are entering the dog days of summer now. The season is two and a half months in so the honeymoon period is over. There is probably some complacency at this stage, but remain vigilant. Be aware of the free agent pool and transaction log. Keep going over those box scores as there will be players that are available that can help you win your league.

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RISERS

• Wil Myers (1B/OF – SD)
  Nine hits, eight runs scored, four home runs, nine RBI, and two stolen bases. On the season, Myers is batting .292 with 40 runs, 13 home runs, 37 RBI, and 8 stolen bases. Granted, his ownership percentage is at 84% now, but he is someone that you could probably acquire for a decent price. That is if you want to. After winning the AL Rookie of the Year in 2013, Myers struggled in the subsequent two years, primarily due to injury. A 25/15 player with a .270 average is a valuable commodity. That is what most of the projections lay out. He’s walking a career-low 6.2% but his approach at the plate has changed, as he’s pulling the ball less and going up the middle more. If you’ve read any of my stuff, then you know I’m a subscriber to C.R.E.A.M. Myers is playing on a one-year/$523,900 contract. He’s 25 years old and looking for a big payday.

• Tommy Joseph (1B – PHI)
  Seven hits, five runs scored, three home runs, and six RBI. Joseph has replaced Ryan Howard at first base for the Phillies and is batting fourth or fifth in the lineup. He doesn’t profile as a high average or big power bat, but he’s going to play so that’s half the battle. So far this season, he’s only walked 2.7% of the time. I’m always leery of guys that don’t take walks, so expect some regression in the near future.

• Eduardo Nunez (SS/3B -MIN)
  Eight hits, six runs scored, three home runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Nunez was a super-utility guy for the Yankees when Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano played in the Bronx. During his time there, he had a high of five home runs and 22 stolen bases in a season. Now, he is showing everyone what he can do with consistent playing time. There are some warning signs, though. He’s only walking 2.8% of the time and his BABIP is at .349. Remember Danny Santana last year for the Twins? Same deal. With that said, I think Nunez is a better hitter than Santana and his multi-position eligibility will keep him valuable. Just don’t expect the heater to continue all year.

• Jon Gray (SP – COL)
  Two starts. Seven innings, four hits, one earned run, and seven strikeouts in a no-decision vs SD. Five days earlier, seven innings, five hits, two earned runs, one walk, and 12 strikeouts for the win in @SD. Granted, two games against San Diego need to be taken with a grain of salt, but he did limit the Red Sox to two earned runs a week ago in Boston. Since his two rough games after being called up, Gray has only had one game in which he allowed more than three earned runs. I get the trepidation. He pitches half his games in Coors. It’s a legitimate concern but he has an explosive arsenal (mid-90s fastball, wipeout slider, and a changeup) that misses bats (12.7% swinging strike). Those play anywhere.

• Danny Duffy (SP/RP – KC)
  Two starts. Six innings, three hits, zero earned runs, three walks, and 10 strikeouts for the win in @CWS. Five days earlier, 6 1/3 innings, five hits, two earned runs, and nine strikeouts in a loss @BAL. I wrote about Duffy a few weeks ago. At that time, he was still getting stretched out, but what intrigued me were the velocity and control gains. He has continued to maintain both, while increasing the pitch count. I’ve always been a believer of Duffy, so keep that in mind. It’s been a painful journey, but I’m finally starting to reap the rewards.

FALLERS

• Addison Russell (2B/SS – CHC)
  Two hits. He’s walking a fair amount for him (10.3%) but strikes out 26.5% of the time. The BABIP is at .304 so nothing out of line there. The stats that pop out at me are the decreased fly ball rate and increased ground ball rate. He’s just pounding the ball into the ground. His defense will keep him on the field, so the opportunities in a potent offense will be there. Unfortunately, he is going to be mired in the bottom of the lineup. He is still on 22 years old, so the sky is the limit for Russell. I just don’t think the breakout will be happening this year.

• Devon Travis (2B – TOR)
  One hit and one RBI. Since returning to the lineup, Travis is batting .155 with one home run, seven RBI, and one stolen base. It’s only been 15 games. The potential is too great to give up on him now, especially if he can solidify the leadoff spot in a dangerous Blue Jays lineup.

• Victor Martinez (DH – DET)
  Three hits. Martinez is still batting .335 with nine home runs, 24 runs scored, and 34 RBI. He’ll be fine.

• Jeff Locke (SP – PIT)
  4 2/3 innings, 11 hits, 11 earned runs, three walks, and two strikeouts @COL. Locke has a 5.38 ERA, 1.43 WHIP with only 37 strikeouts in 72 innings. With Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon waiting in the wings, Locke could/should find himself out of the rotation.

• James Shields (SP – CWS)
  After getting traded to the Chicago White Sox, Shields introduced himself to the home crowd by allowing eight hits, seven earned runs, walking two, and striking out two in two innings. The White Sox have both Shields and Mat Latos in the starting rotation. Yuck.

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