We have made it another week through the MLB season and had some awe-inspiring performances. As usual, there were some great and rough performances to dig into. 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 trades may be in order. Other players may be widely available, making a potential waiver wire claim in the cards. Each week, I will try and highlight some known and lesser-known players. Let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball Week 20 (8/22 – 8/28).
Risers
Lowe continued his impressive 2022 season with a great week. He ended the week with a five-game hitting streak, resulting in a .385 batting average. Lowe hit four home runs while driving in 11 and scoring six runs. He only struck out 11.1% of the time with a .538 ISO and 1.330 OPS. It was a heck of a week, and he didn’t “overachieve”, as he had a .318 BABIP. Lowe was so locked in when you look at his contact quality, as he barreled the ball 26.1% of the time with a 73.9% hard-hit rate. Lowe is now hitting .300 on the season with 22 home runs, as the breakout has finally arrived.
After a hot start for Paredes, he has hit a bit of a skid of late. Last week, he may have broken out of that slump with a .333 batting average and four home runs. He only had a .200 BABIP, which suggests more success could be in store. He also walked over 25% of the time with a 16.7% strikeout rate. Paredes was barreling the ball 21.4% of the time with a 50% hard-hit rate, proving he was extremely locked in. He gave some vibes of that hitter that came out of the gates hammering the ball earlier this season.
We may never get the MVP Yelich again due to his constant back injuries, but this past week, we saw a glimpse of that elite hitter. He hit safely in five of six games for a .462 batting average with two home runs. Yelich scored six runs while driving in six and only struck out 14.6% of the time. Yelich barreled the ball 9.8% of the time with an elite 68.2% hard-hit rate. Yelich is now hitting .262 on the season with 11 home runs and, more importantly, 16 stolen bases. He could finish the season with at least 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases, which would be a quality season considering the constant injuries.
It has been a rough season for O’Neill, but we saw some serious signs of life this past week. He hit safely in four of eight games for a .227 batting average, which is not ideal, but he had a .118 BABIP, which is not likely sustainable. More importantly, O’Neill hit three home runs while walking 17.9% of the time and only striking out 10.7%. He barreled the ball 20% of the time with a 45% hard-hit rate, which is what we want to see from the slugger. O’Neill is only hitting .230 with 10 home runs and nine stolen bases, but this past week leaves some earnest optimism for a solid finish to the season.
It has been quite the up-and-down season for Wong; a season that has seen the second baseman lose some playing time and move from leadoff to the bottom of the batting order. He has started to produce as of late, with this past week being solid. He hit .353 with two home runs, two doubles, and a stolen base. He struck out less than 5% of the time to go with a .471 ISO and 1.300 OPS. Wong is now hitting .249 on the season with 10 home runs and 13 stolen bases, as he tries to finish strong and salvage the fantasy season.
Fallers
Abrams came into the season with some high hopes with the Padres. That quickly faded, and he found his way back to Triple-A. Then he was traded to the Nats, and there was optimism that everyday playing time and a change of scenery would help the highly-rated prospect. That has not happened yet. This past week, he collected two singles for a .111 batting average and struck out 27.6% of the time. Abrams is now hitting .136 as a member of the Nats, and it is looking to be a lost season for the rookie.
Walls has cracked the code of everyday playing time as the Rays’ shortstop, but sadly, that has not resulted in the kind of fantasy production we had hoped for from the speedster. This past week, he hit .136 with three singles and a 33.3% strikeout rate. Walls is now hitting .176 on the season with six home runs and seven stolen bases. He is not rosterable in any format outside of A.L.-only leagues right now.
Gorman was showcasing signs of life for a bit with the Cardinals, but his high strikeout rate is catching up with his overall production. This past week, he struck out 33.3% of the time and only hit .160 with a .040 ISO. Gorman did have a 50% hard-hit rate which is promising, but a 71.4% contact rate and 13.3% SwStr are not great. As long as Gorman keeps striking out a ton, he will continue to have some significant slumps, which makes rostering Gorman quite tricky for fantasy managers.
Ryan Mountcastle (1B/OF – BAL)
It has been another up-and-down season for Mountcastle. He is hitting .244 on the season with 18 home runs, but this past week was a definite concerning step back; he hit .174 with a home run but struck out nearly 46% of the time. Mountcastle had a 60% contact rate and his 21.2% SwStr will result in a lot of strikeouts, but there was some optimism as he had a 25% barrel rate and 41.7% hard-hit rate when he did make contact.
It was another preseason full of optimism for Hayes that has resulted in another disappointing season. Hayes has once again battled injuries all season, which has affected his production and only resulted in a .248 batting average with six home runs and 14 stolen bases. This past week, Hayes hit .200 with two doubles, a steal, and an alarming 40% strikeout rate. Hopefully, Hayes can finish the season on a solid note and bring yet another preseason of optimism for all fantasy managers.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy baseball, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you navigate your season. From our Lineup Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball season.
