We have made it to the start of the MLB season, and there were some awe-inspiring performances.
As usual, there were some great showings and some rough ones to dig into. This weekly fantasy baseball column will help highlight some hot and cold players, risers and fallers. Some players are already rostered in many places. Other players may be widely available in fantasy baseball leagues, making a potential waiver wire claim a possibility.
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 2 (3/31-4/6).
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Fantasy Baseball Risers & Fallers
Fantasy Baseball Risers
The Tigers’ bats were red-hot at the start of the season, and Riley Greene played a significant part in the early success. Greene hit safely in five out of six games this past week for a .435 batting average. Greene flexed his muscles with three home runs and three doubles on his way to a 304 wRC+.
Greene’s contact quality supported the power, as he had a 17.6% barrel rate and 58.8% hard-hit rate. A healthy Greene can be an offensive powerhouse, and more weeks like this may be in store this season.
Trent Grisham was supposed to be the Yankees’ fourth outfielder to start the season, but injuries have forced Grisham into the lineup. He’s taking full advantage of the playing time. This past week, he hit safely in four out of five games for a .471 batting average with three home runs.
Grisham barreled the ball 14.3% of the time with a 57.1% hard-hit rate on his way to a 344 wRC+. Grisham also displayed nice plate discipline with a 10.5% walk rate and 15.8% strikeout rate. While Grisham is getting at-bats, he may be in play for fantasy.
Nico Hoerner is healthy after rehabbing this spring, and his elite batting average and speed have been on full display. Hoerner hit safely in five games this past week for a .417 batting average. He stole six bases while running wild, but hit just one double, as power is still limited with Hoerner.
The Cubs infielder showcased elite plate discipline, walking 11.3% of the time while only striking out 3.7% of the time. Hoerner is an elite batting average and steals source who may drive in a fair share of runs, hitting sixth for the Cubs.
Jacob Wilson was going late in drafts as a batting average asset at middle infield. He has been just that, but even better to start the season. Wilson hit safely in all six games last week for a .409 batting average.
Wilson even added two doubles and two home runs with seven RBI. Wilson barreled the ball 10% of the time with a 40% hard-hit rate, supporting the power, making Wilson an even better fantasy asset this season.
We have been waiting for Ke’Bryan Hayes to be fantasy relevant since he debuted with the Pirates. Injuries have made that problematic for Hayes, but he has started to show signs of potential this season, giving hope to fantasy managers.
This past week, Hayes hit safely in five out of six games for a .318 batting average with a double, triple and home run. Hayes had a 5.3% barrel rate, which could be better, but his 57.9% hard-hit rate was solid. Hayes also walked 12% of the time while striking out 12%. If Hayes can stay healthy, he may finally become a serviceable fantasy asset.
Fantasy Baseball Fallers
Junior Caminero is off to a cold start to his rookie season with the Rays. This past week, Caminero collected two singles for a .111 batting average and a -5 wRC+. Caminero did not barrel a ball with a 29.4% hard-hit rate and a 52.9% groundball rate.
Caminero walked 9.5% of the time while only striking out 9.5%. Caminero is super talented, but needs to start elevating the ball more to be more successful this season.
We have been waiting for a healthy Taylor Ward to bust out for fantasy, but that has not happened early in the season. This past week, Ward had four singles over six games for a .160 batting average. He struck out 25% of the time with a .000 ISO and -6 wRC+.
Ward did have a 5.3% barrel rate and 36.8% hard-hit rate, which is not great, but proves Ward is not swinging a major wet noodle. Hopefully, Ward will get things going soon at the plate.
Andy Pages was off to a horrible start to the season, leaving fans whispering for a change in center field. Pages had one single this past week for a .053 batting average and -15 wRC+.
Pages did not collect a barrel with a 28.6% hard-hit rate and a 64.3% fly ball rate. Pages is elevating the ball, so there’s hope he can turn things around before being replaced.
The Pirates have started the season struggling at the plate, and Bryan Reynolds has been a part of the struggles. This past week, he hit safely in two games with a home run and a .154 batting average.
Reynolds had a 6.3% barrel rate and a 56.3% hard-hit rate, but a 50% ground ball rate diminished the production upside. He also struck out 37% of the time, which is uncharacteristic for Reynolds. He can be a streaky hitter. Better days should be ahead.
Michael Toglia was a popular power source during draft season, but that also came with concerns about Toglia’s swing and miss skills. This past week, Toglia collected four hits, including a double, with a .167 batting average.
Toglia did not collect a barrel this past week but did have a 61.5% hard-hit rate with a 61.5% ground ball rate. Toglia also struck out 42.3% of the time with an 18.9% SwStr%. If Toglia continues to swing and miss like this, he could find his way back to Triple-A.
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