We have made it to the third week of the MLB season. There were some awe-inspiring performances. As usual, there were some great and rough performances to dig into. This weekly column will help highlight 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. I will highlight some known and lesser-known players this week. So let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball Week 3 (4/1-4/7).
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Start/Sit Lineup Advice
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers: Week 3
Risers
Tyler O’Neill continued his hot start to the season with a strong week. He hit safely in four of five games with six hits, three of which were home runs. He barreled the ball 15.4% of the time with a 46.2% hard-hit rate on his way to a 1.333 OPS. O’Neill also showcased strong plate discipline by walking 16.7% of the time and striking out 20.8%. He is not hitting .357 on the season, with five home runs and a stolen base while striking out less than 17% of the time. A healthy O’Neill has been fantasy-relevant in the past, and right now, he appears to be relatively healthy.
Ryan McMahon is a boring fantasy player to many, but weeks like the one he just had to keep him high on my fantasy radar. Last week, McMahon hit safely in all six games with a double and two home runs. He scored four runs while driving in five with a 187 wRC+. He struck out 28% of the time, which could be better, but when he put the ball in play, he had a 13.3% barrel rate and 60% hard-hit rate. McMahon is starting the season red-hot and may be in store for a big fantasy season.
Alex Kirilloff has proven he can hit throughout his career when healthy, but he has been battling injuries a lot, which prevents the big fantasy seasons. He had surgery on his wrist this offseason but he looks pretty healthy at the moment. He hit safely in all four games this past week, with a double and three triples. Kirilloff’s plate discipline was great; he walked 10.5% of the time while striking out 10.5%. Kirilloff is in a strict platoon, which keeps him out versus LHP, but he has hits in all seven games he has played to start the season. He also bats second when he plays, which should provide some nice fantasy counting stats.
There have been high expectations surrounding MJ Melendez since he joined the Royals, but he has not lived up to them yet. The way he has started in 2024, he may reach those expectations this year. Melendez finished the week on a five-game hitting streak with five home runs and three doubles. Melendez did this with a .231 BABIP, which is wild but supported by a 25% barrel rate and a 56.3% hard-hit rate. Melendez is only 25 years old. This may be the breakout year we’ve been waiting for.
Willy Adames had a disappointing 2023 but appears to be returning nicely to start 2024. This past week, he hit safely in four of five games with two home runs and a stolen base. He only had a 6.7% barrel rate but a 40% hard-hit rate helped with his production. Adames is now hitting .300 on the season while walking 14.3% of the time and only striking out 11.4%.
Fallers
Andrew Benintendi’s 2024 is starting the way his 2023 went, which is disappointing. Benintendi hit safely in two of six games this past week for a .125 batting average. He had a .125 SLG, .285 OPS and -21 wRC+. Benintendi is only hitting .139 on the season and needs to get going quickly if he’s going to provide any fantasy relevance.
Joey Meneses finished 2023 decently but his start to 2024 resembles the poor start he had last season. He collected three hits over six games for a .136 average. Meneses had zero extra-base hits, did not score a run and drove in one while striking out 28% of the time. The Nats do not have many options to take Meneses’ spot in the lineup but they may need to find one if he cannot start producing quickly.
Vinnie Pasquantino missed most of 2023 with a shoulder injury and was looking to return big this year. It’s early but he has not found his consistent stroke. This past week, he collected three singles over six games with three runs scored. He only struck out 8.3% of the time, which is good, but zero barrels with a 35% hard-hit rate and a 55% ground ball rate will not provide the fantasy upside we are looking for.
If you drafted Corbin Carroll with a first-round pick you aren’t dropping him but the slow start is not ideal. This past week, he hit .182 with three singles and a double. He had one stolen base but also a 0% barrel rate, 10% hard-hit rate, and 45% ground ball rate will not aid in his fantasy production. Carroll says his shoulder is good to go but the early-season production does not leave fantasy managers feeling warm and fuzzy. Hopefully, a turnaround in his Rookie of the Year form will happen quickly.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B – TOR)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. fell in fantasy drafts this year. His early start to the season may make some wish he fell further. It’s early, I know, but it seems we are experiencing the same frustrations with Guerrero Jr. This past week, he collected three hits, one being a home run while hitting .125. He only barreled the ball 6.3% of the time but did have a 56.3% hard-hit rate, which would be good if he didn’t have a 62.5% ground ball rate. He needs to start elevating the baseball or this could be a long season for fantasy managers.
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