We have made it another week through the MLB season with some great and rough performances. This weekly column will help highlight some hot and cold players, risers, and fallers for fantasy purposes. Some players are already rostered in many places so that trades may be in order, and other players may be widely available, making a potential waiver wire claim in the cards. So this week, I am highlighting some lesser rostered players on the rise and some heavily rostered players falling over the past weeks. So let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball Week 11 (6/13-6/19).
Risers
Hoskins has been heating up over the last few weeks, and this past week was a big one. Heading into Sunday, Hoskins had hit safely in six of seven games with six extra-base hits, including two home runs. In addition, Hoskins had a .423 ISO to go with an elite 259 wRC+. His contact quality was also solid, with a 13.6% barrel rate and a 41% hard-hit rate.
Health has always been the concern with Hoskins because he has always shown he can be a great fantasy asset when he is healthy. He is hitting .252 with 13 home runs, 37 runs scored, and 37 RBI. His .224 ISO and 125 wRC+ are good, as well as his 11.2% barrel rate and 44.4% hard-hit rate. His plate discipline has been ok with a 10.6% walk rate and 25.6% strikeout rate. The Phillies as a team are heating up, and Hoskins has been a big part of that. A colossal season could be in the works for Rhys’s Pieces this season.
Brendan Donovan (1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF – STL)
Many thought Juan Yepez and Nolan Gorman would be the Cardinals’ rookies with the most fantasy appeal, but they are not, as the correct answer is Brendan Donovan. Donovan entered Sunday with hits in five of six games this past week with multiple hits in three. He hit .462 with a .192 ISO. The ISO is impressive as he had no home runs but five doubles. Donovan put up an impressive 236 wRC+ as he hit the top of the Cardinals order all week, scoring seven runs and driving in seven.
Donovan is now hitting .326 on the season with one home run and two stolen bases. He will not supply a ton of power, but a 13.9% walk rate with the elite batting average will put Donovan on base a ton for the likes of Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Tyler O’Neil to drive in. Donovan also brings a ton of positional flexibility, making for a great fantasy asset.
Braves’ rookie Harris has been quite the welcome addition to the team with injuries to Eddie Rosario and the struggles of Adam Duvall. This past week Harris hit safely in four games with multiple hits in three, including two home runs. In addition, the rookie barreled the ball nearly 16% of the time with a hard-hit rate of 50%.
Harris is now hitting .324 over his first 20 games with two home runs and two stolen bases. Harris has scored 13 runs as well, which is quite impressive for a hitter that hits ninth. The Braves are red hot, which is why Harris has returned so much value. Ride this rookie’s hot bat while you can, and add him in all 12-team and deeper leagues.
The Padres are one of the hottest teams in baseball, and Voit’s bat has heated up with the rest of the NL West leaders. Over the past week, he hit .308 with seven extra-base hits, including two home runs. He drove in nine but also walked 13.3% of the time, which is a pretty welcome sight. Power has never been questioned with Voit, and his 27.8% barrel rate and 50% hard-hit rate this past week backed the power-up. So it’s time to roll with Voit while he smashes the ball like this.
Renfroe missed some time with injury earlier this season, but he now appears to be getting very healthy. He entered Sunday on a four-game hitting streak, including home runs in his last two games. Renfroe was barreling the ball 16.7% of the time to go with a very nice 14.3% walk rate. On Sunday, Renfroe went deep again, giving him three straight games with home runs and 13 on the season. It appears Renfroe is back to his mashing ways and could quickly run into 25+ home runs this season.
Fallers
Ward was balling out this season, but an injury derailed him, and he has had trouble getting back on track. He hit safely in two games this past week, three hits in each, which was nice, but still only two. Ward had no extra-base hits this past week and struck out 20% of the time. Since returning from the IL on May 26, he is only hitting .140 with one home run and is striking out over 26% of the time. Ward may turn things around, but for now, he is struggling tremendously and is not the auto-start he once was earlier this season.
Josh Rojas (2B, 3B, SS, OF – ARI)
Rojas was putting together a productive season after returning from the IL, but this past week was not great. He only collected two hits, no extra-base hits, and struck out over 30% of the time. In addition, Rojas had a .000 ISO and a -36 wRC+ which does not bode well for someone hitting at the top of a lineup. Rojas is still hitting .254 this season with four home runs and four stolen bases, so better days may be ahead, but this past week was a reminder of the swing and miss struggles that Rojas can bring to a lineup.
Calhoun was one of the hottest hitters in baseball not too long ago, but this past week he is back to being a massive swing and miss problem. Calhoun only collected two hits this past week while striking out close to 27% of the time. He had a four wRC+ to go with a 33% hard-hit rate. The plate discipline was a major issue with a 35.2% O-swing and 13.3% SwStr. Calhoun has always been a big swing and miss bat, but when he is on, he can still produce. Unfortunately, he is not on and has been a drop for me in 12-team and shallower formats.
Nolan Gorman (2B, 3B – STL)
Gorman’s strikeout rate in the minors was a concern for many when he was promoted to the bigs. So far, those concerns have been valid. This past week he collected five hits while striking out 25% of the time. He still had a .174 ISO, which is not bad, but an 81 wRC+, 34.6% O-swing, and 14.1% SwStr are very concerning. If Gorman continues to struggle, his playing time could decrease, and he could eventually find his way back to Triple-A.
All those Myles Straw stans must be nervous right now. He is only hitting .203 on the season with seven stolen bases and this past week went hitless the entire week. Straw struck out nearly 20% of the time and did not score a run. It is hard to drop a stolen base stud like Straw, but if he cannot get on base, it will not matter. Players like Jon Berti are running wild just makes Straw look even worse. It may be time to start looking elsewhere to replace Straw.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Beyond our fantasy baseball content, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you prepare for your draft this season. From our free mock Draft Simulator, which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents, to our Draft Assistant, which optimizes your picks with expert advice, we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball draft season.
