We have made it through another week of the MLB season. Like every other week, there were some awe-inspiring and rough performances to dig into. This weekly column will help highlight some hot and cold players 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.
Let’s look at some of the risers and fallers for Week 19 (July 31 – Aug. 6).
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Fantasy Baseball Risers & Fallers
Risers
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (OF – ARI)
After a quiet few weeks from Lourdes Gurriel Jr., he has got the bat going again. This past week, Gurriel Jr. hit safely in all seven games for a .407 batting average. He hit three doubles and three home runs while striking less than 14% of the time. Gurriel barreled the ball 17.4% of the time with a 43.5% hard-hit rate. Gurriel was locked in and will look to keep things going as the Diamondbacks try and fight their way into the postseason.
Ryan Mountcastle (1B – BAL)
Once he returned from his bout with vertigo, Ryan Mountcastle was off to a slow start at the plate. He was even on the short side of a platoon with Ryan O’Hearn. Mountcastle is swinging it well now and is back to playing every day. He hit safely in all seven games this past week for a .560 batting average. He did not have a home run but collected four doubles with a .160 ISO. Mountcastle showcased strong plate discipline with a 12.9% walk rate and 16.1% strikeout rate. His contact quality was through the roof, with a 13.6% barrel rate and 68.2% hard-hit rate. Mountcastle appears to be back and should be back in all fantasy lineups.
Ryan McMahon (3B – COL)
Ryan McMahon is having a solid season, and this past week was another good one for the lefty. He hit safely in five of six games for a .318 batting average. McMahon had five extra-base hits, including three home runs with six runs and eight RBI. He also walked nearly 15% of the time, while barreling the ball 12.5% of the time with a 50% hard-hit rate. McMahon now has a .259 batting average with 19 home runs as he continues to produce for those who drafted him to start the season.
Mitch Garver (C – TEX)
With Jonah Heim going down, Mitch Garver has taken over daily at-bats between catcher and DH, and he’s flourishing. This past week, Garver hit safely in all five games with two home runs and a .389 batting average. He still struck out 35% of the time, but a 10% walk rate, 18.2% barrel rate and 54.5% hard-hit rate will keep him providing plenty of fantasy production.
Mike Moustakas (1B,3B – LAA)
Mike Moustakas has settled into his role with the Angels and is flourishing. Most need to realize how well Moose is playing. This past week, he hit safely in five of six games with a .333 batting average, three doubles and one home run. Moustakas only struck out 12% of the time with a 47.6% hard-hit rate. Since joining the Angels on June 26, Moustakas is hitting .268 with six home runs, 16 runs scored and 18 RBI. Moustakas has become very fantasy-viable in 12-team and deeper leagues.
Fallers
Joc Pederson (OF – SF)
Joc Pederson’s production has not been great since returning from the IL. This past week, he collected two singles on his way to a .100 batting average. Pederson did barrel the ball 17.6% of the time with a 52.9% hard-hit rate, which is good, but the production did not follow. He hit the ball on the ground nearly 42% of the time, and that will not help in the power department that we all expect from Joc. He’s only hitting .197 with three home runs since the All-Star break, making it extremely difficult to start him confidently for now.
Michael Toglia (1B – COL)
Many were excited about Michael Toglia receiving regular playing time when C.J. Cron was traded to the Angels. This past week, Toglia did not live up to the hype. He collected three singles while hitting .143. He did not collect a walk and struck out 57.1% of the time. Since being recalled on July 15, Toglia is hitting .183 with two home runs while striking out 35.9% of the time. Toglia is better left on the waiver wire.
Yoan Moncada (3B – CWS)
Between a litany of injuries and poor production overall, it has been an ugly season for Yoan Moncada. This past week was more poor production as Moncada collected three singles while hitting .139. Moncada struck out nearly 40% of the time without a barrel, with a 38.5% hard-hit rate. It does not appear Moncada will ever produce for fantasy managers the way we once thought; feel free to leave him on the waiver wire.
Hunter Renfroe (1B, OF – LAA)
Hunter Renfroe’s bat has gone ice cold at the plate, and this past week was no exception. He hit .148 with four hits, one being a double. Renfroe had a .037 ISO with a 34.5% strikeout rate, which is not what you want to see from a power hitter. Renfroe did not barrel a ball all week and only had a 23.5% hard-hit rate. Renfroe can be streaky and will have to get hot soon, as there are a lot of mouths to feed in the Angels’ outfield these days.
Leody Taveras (OF – TEX)
Leody Taveras was the talk of the fantasy town for a while, but that has quieted down quite a bit. This past week, Taveras hit .227 with three doubles and three runs scored. He struck out 30.4% of the time with zero barrels. Taveras did have a hard-hit rate of 53.3%, but it was not enough for great production.
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