We have made it through another week of the MLB season, and there were some awe-inspiring performances. But, 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. So this week, I will highlight some known and lesser-known players. So let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball Week 13 (6/19-6/25).
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Fantasy Baseball Risers & Fallers
Risers
Maikel Garcia (3B, SS – KC)
Garcia has been as advertised since the Royals called him up, and this past week was a monster fantasy week for Garcia. This past week Garcia hit .333 with hits in six of seven games. Garcia hit a home run while stealing four bases and striking out less than 20% of the time. Garcia is hitting near .300 in June with two home runs and seven stolen bases. He continues to improve each week, so a big second half could be coming his way.
Ha-Seong Kim (2B, 3B, SS – SD)
Kim has been finding his offensive stride in recent weeks, and this past week was a big week for the Padres’ second baseman. Kim hit safely in six games for a .333 batting average with three home runs, six runs, seven home runs, and two stolen bases. Kim was barreling the ball around 15% of the time while striking out around 15%. There were high expectations for Kim when he was signed, and he may finally be showcasing those skills for the Padres.
Billy McKinney (OF – NYY)
McKinney has erupted in his everyday playing time for the Yankees. He hit safely in five of six games this past week, hitting .333 while striking out less than 10% of the time. The most impressive part of the week was McKinney hitting three home runs while barreling the ball over 20% of the time with a hard-hit rate of around 50%. McKinney will get plenty of playing time with the Yankees’ injuries, and they have some favorable matchups upcoming for McKinney to continue to shock us all.
Willy Adames (SS – MIL)
After a slow start to the season, Adames has turned things on at the plate. This past week he hit .292 with two home runs and six RBI. Adames had a barrel rate of around 20% with a wRC+ of about 200. Adames has a long way to go to the fantasy production many hoped for, but the past week was a great start to regaining that production.
Royce Lewis (3B, SS – MIN)
There was a ton of hype when Lewis was called up, but he was not matching that hype. That changed this past week as Lewis hit safely in all six games for a .458 batting average. Lewis hit two home runs, stole a base, and struck out less than 10% of the time. He had a friendly barrel rate of over 11% with a hard-hit rate of over 50%. This is the production we expected from Lewis, and a big season will surely come for all Lewis fantasy managers.
Fallers
Spencer Torkelson (1B – DET)
Torkelson appeared to be turning the corner at the plate. He was even a recent riser in this article. This past week, he reverted to his struggling weeks, collecting only two singles, hitting .080. To make matters worse, Torkelson struck out over 40% of the time with a 15% SwStr and zero barrels. Torkelson has shown solid hitting skills, but consistency needs to be improved significantly.
Rowdy Tellez (1B – MIL)
Tellez has been struggling tremendously lately; this past week was a new low. He only collected two hits, one run, and one RBI. Tellez only struck out around 11% of the time, which is excellent, but his quality of contact metrics was extremely low, and the overall production was horrible. Rowdy is only hitting .218 with 12 home runs, and he could be platooned sooner than later. Not suitable for fantasy purposes.
Adam Duvall (OF – BOS)
Duvall has been off to a slow start since returning from the IL; this past week was rough. He collected two doubles on Sunday, which helped, but that game gave him three hits on the week, all extra-base hits. Duvall was all or nothing, as he showcased a little power but also struck out over 40% of the time. I am holding on, Duvall, but a few more weeks like this could change that.
Miguel Vargas (1B, 2B – LAD)
The struggles continued for Vargas this week as he collected only one hit, a home run, and only started four games. Vargas is only hitting .201 on the season with seven home runs and three steals. He is still walking over 12% of the time while striking out less than 20%, which is good, but the overall production makes it extremely difficult to roster Vargas.
Jake Burger (3B – CWS)
This year, Burger has been a great story in fantasy circles, but his great production has recently hit the skids. This past week, Burger collected two hits, a double, and a home run. He was still barreling the ball over 15% of the time with a hard-hit rate of over 50%, but he was also striking out over 35%. Burger’s playing time appears to be good for now with the White Sox injuries, but the production will have to improve quickly, or the playing time will begin to disappear.
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