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You should always have the big picture in mind when it comes to your season-long fantasy baseball leagues. Putting too much stock in a small sample size might cause you to make a decision that hurts you in the long run. That said, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be taking stock of what’s happened in the immediate past. It can be useful when it comes to weekly or especially daily lineup decisions, waiver wire considerations, tracking who might be coming into more playing time, etc.
The Rotoworld Player Rater is a handy tool that’s among the extensive offerings in Season Pass. Each week, I’ll be using the Player Rater to look at the hottest hitters, position by position, over the last week, and providing commentary.[[ad:athena]]
*The following data is based on 5x5 Roto scoring and covers games played from July 29-August 4.
Editor’s Note: Stay ahead of the competition from wire to wire with rankings, customizable projections, trade evaluator, exclusive columns and more in our Season Pass. And start using optimized lineups on Yahoo!, DraftKings and FanDuel with our DFS Toolkit!
Catcher
Rank | Player | Tm | Pos | ||||||
#1 | LA | C | 1.42255 | 2.19803 | -0.40289 | 0.23894 | 0.86896 | 4.33 | |
#2 | NYM | C | 0.29863 | 3.60702 | -0.40289 | 0.90102 | -0.76911 | 3.63 | |
#3 | CLE | C | 2.54646 | 1.25870 | -0.40289 | -0.15955 | 0.32294 | 3.57 | |
#4 | PHI | C | 0.29863 | 0.31937 | -0.40289 | 1.56311 | 1.41498 | 3.19 | |
#5 | TB | C | 0.29863 | 0.78904 | -0.40289 | 1.17696 | 0.86896 | 2.73 | |
#6 | KC | C | 1.42255 | 0.31937 | -0.40289 | 0.91335 | 0.32294 | 2.58 | |
#7 | SD | C | -0.82528 | 0.31937 | 1.27583 | 1.44672 | -0.22309 | 1.99 | |
#8 | ARZ | C | 1.42255 | -0.15029 | -0.40289 | 0.11022 | 0.32294 | 1.30 | |
#9 | LA | C | 1.42255 | 0.31937 | -0.40289 | 0.12255 | -0.22309 | 1.24 | |
#10 | TOR | C | 0.29863 | 0.31937 | -0.40289 | -0.03083 | 0.86896 | 1.05 |
It’s been a relatively disappointing season for Wilson Ramos in his first year with the Mets, and he entered August having batted just .190/.258/.238 over his last 25 games. Hopefully he’s begun to snap out of his funk, though, following a four-hit, six-RBI showing on Saturday. Ramos’ 60.8 percent groundball rate is the highest in baseball among qualifiers, which makes it difficult for him to take advantage of his good raw power. At least he’s trying to make up for it with the best plate discipline of his career, as the catcher sports a career-best 9.8 percent walk rate and 13.2 percent strikeout rate … Cam Gallagher has taken over the primary catching duties with the Royals since they traded Martin Maldonado, and he’s been quite productive since then with an even 1.000 OPS and a couple homers over 11 games. Unfortunately, there’s nothing in his history to suggest it’s anything close to sustainable. Gallagher hasn’t really hit at all at any level before and he bats ninth in a bad Royals lineup … Since being recalled back in mid-June, Francisco Mejia has made 24 starts to Austin Hedges’ 17 starts. He’s been reasonably productive, batting .287/.343/.447 with four home runs over 102 plate appearances during that stretch. Mejia’s Statcast data this season hasn’t been very encouraging, however, as he’s sporting a paltry 28.3 percent hard-hit rate. Still, the playing time is starting to come and few catchers have Mejia’s offensive upside …
First Base
Rank | Player | Tm | Pos | ||||||
#1 | SD | 1B | 2.54646 | 4.07669 | -0.40289 | 0.90102 | 1.96101 | 9.08 | |
#2 | CIN | 1B | 1.42255 | 1.72836 | 1.27583 | 0.75997 | 0.86896 | 6.06 | |
#3 | ATL | 1B | 0.29863 | 1.25870 | 1.27583 | 0.09789 | 2.50703 | 5.44 | |
#4 | CLE | 1B | 1.42255 | 1.72836 | -0.40289 | 0.10405 | 1.41498 | 4.27 | |
#5 | DET | 1B | 0.29863 | 0.78904 | 1.27583 | 0.77231 | -0.22309 | 2.91 | |
#6 | BAL | 1B | 1.42255 | 0.78904 | -0.40289 | -0.29443 | 0.86896 | 2.38 | |
#7 | ARZ | 1B | 0.29863 | -0.15029 | -0.40289 | 1.17696 | 1.41498 | 2.34 | |
#8 | LA | 1B | 0.29863 | 0.78904 | -0.40289 | 0.63126 | 0.86896 | 2.19 | |
#9 | TB | 1B | 0.29863 | -0.15029 | -0.40289 | 1.18929 | 0.86896 | 1.80 | |
#10 | COL | 1B | -0.82528 | 0.31937 | -0.40289 | 2.36624 | 0.32294 | 1.78 |
Eric Hosmer’s 44.8 percent hard-hit rate this season is his highest mark during the Statcast era. Unfortunately, he’s still shown little inclination and/or ability to hit the ball in the air, with the aforementioned Wilson Ramos being the only qualifier to post a higher groundball rate than Hosmer’s 56.2 percent mark. Hosmer’s value is as an accumulator since he plays so much, as he’s on pace for the second 100-RBI season of his career even as he has a pedestrian .778 OPS … Over his last 58 games, Joey Votto has put up a .300/.373/.462 batting line. Pretty good, right? Sure, but he also has just seven home runs and 28 RBI during that span, so even when his rate stats are good, his counting stats have been lacking. In the first four years of the Statcast era, Votto never had an xBA lower than .290. This year it’s .248 … He’s still mixed in at other positions, but Brandon Dixon has been the Tigers’ primary first baseman for a while now. He’s been pretty productive from a fantasy standpoint and over his last 14 games sports a 1.040 OPS with two home runs and two stolen bases. The 27-year-old has also been a constant in the No. 4-5 spots in the Tigers’ lineup. Dixon’s plate discipline has always been terrible and remains so this year with a 30.6 percent strikeout rate and 4.9 percent walk rate. That said, he’s a flyball hitter with some pop and he also has some wheels with a sprint speed that ranks in the 85th percentile. The multi-position eligibility also doesn’t hurt …
Second Base
Rank | Player | Tm | Pos | ||||||
#1 | CLE | 2B | 2.54646 | 3.13736 | 1.27583 | 1.29951 | 0.86896 | 9.13 | |
#2 | TEX | 2B | 1.42255 | 1.72836 | 1.27583 | 1.44056 | 0.86896 | 6.74 | |
#3 | TOR | 2B | 1.42255 | 0.31937 | 1.27583 | 0.22661 | 3.05306 | 6.30 | |
#4 | HOU | 2B | 1.42255 | 0.78904 | -0.40289 | 1.56311 | 2.50703 | 5.88 | |
#5 | NYM | 2B | 0.29863 | 0.78904 | -0.40289 | 1.96159 | 2.50703 | 5.15 | |
#6 | TB | 2B | 1.42255 | 1.72836 | -0.40289 | 0.91335 | 0.86896 | 4.53 | |
#7 | ATL | 2B | -0.82528 | -0.61996 | 2.95456 | 0.75381 | 1.41498 | 3.68 | |
#8 | NYY | 2B | 1.42255 | 0.78904 | -0.40289 | 1.17696 | 0.32294 | 3.31 | |
#9 | BAL | 2B | 0.29863 | -0.15029 | 2.95456 | -0.70525 | 0.86896 | 3.27 | |
#10 | SF | 2B | 1.42255 | -0.15029 | -0.40289 | 1.04824 | 0.32294 | 2.24 |
Jason Kipnis has gone deep in back-to-back games and has put four over the boards across his last seven contests while driving in 13 runs. The Indians’ additions of Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes has meant a move down in the lineup for Kipnis, who had been batting cleanup but is now the No. 7 hitter. However, Cleveland’s 1-6 batters now look pretty potent, so Kipnis should still have a good number of RBI opportunities … With seven home runs over his last 15 games – including a couple this past weekend – Rougned Odor is now up to an even 20 bombs on the season. He’s also up to eight steals after swiping a bag Sunday, as Odor continues to chip in in that department even as he remains very inefficient at doing so (he’s 20-for-40 in stolen base attempts since the beginning of last season). We all know the drill here: if you can stomach the batting average and the lengthy slumps, Odor should be a solid power and speed source by the end of the season … Speaking of batting averages that can be hard to stomach, Cavan Biggio’s strikeout rate (28.6 percent) and feebleness against left-handed pitching (.599 OPS) means we probably shouldn’t be expecting improvement from the rookie in the average department. However, Craig’s son belted his ninth home run on Sunday and is a perfect 8-for-8 so far in stolen base attempts. The 24-year-old also boasts a 16.7 percent walk rate and has been the Blue Jays’ No. 2 hitter versus righties, so even with the low average he can still get on base at a good clip and score a decent number of runs …
Third Base
Rank | Player | Tm | Pos | ||||||
#1 | TOR | 3B | 2.54646 | 4.07669 | -0.40289 | 3.42681 | 1.41498 | 11.06 | |
#2 | MIA | 3B | 2.54646 | 2.19803 | 1.27583 | -0.30060 | 0.86896 | 6.59 | |
#3 | COL | 3B | 1.42255 | 1.72836 | -0.40289 | 1.42822 | 1.96101 | 6.14 | |
#4 | PIT | 3B | 1.42255 | 1.72836 | -0.40289 | 2.24986 | 0.86896 | 5.87 | |
#5 | WAS | 3B | 1.42255 | 3.13736 | -0.40289 | 0.63126 | 0.86896 | 5.66 | |
#6 | SEA | 3B | 1.42255 | 1.25870 | -0.40289 | 1.30567 | 0.86896 | 4.45 | |
#7 | ATL | 3B | 2.54646 | 1.25870 | -0.40289 | 0.49021 | 0.32294 | 4.22 | |
#8 | SD | 3B | 0.29863 | 0.31937 | -0.40289 | 1.69183 | 1.96101 | 3.87 | |
#9 | MIA | 3B | -0.82528 | 0.31937 | 2.95456 | 0.90719 | 0.32294 | 3.68 | |
#10 | CIN | 3B | 0.29863 | -0.15029 | 1.27583 | 1.56311 | 0.32294 | 3.31 |
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has his OPS up over .800 for the first time following a ridiculous 15-game stretch that’s seen him put up a .450/.500/.800 batting line with five long balls and 23 RBI. The rookie also has a 7/6 K/BB ratio over that span and now boasts a 17.1 percent strikeout rate and 10 percent walk rate in his first 82 games in the majors. Not bad for a 20-year-old, huh? Vlad Jr. looks to have secured the cleanup spot in a Blue Jays batting order that’s been red-hot lately … Brian Anderson is up to 17 dingers on the season after ripping four home runs and plating eight runs across his previous seven contests. After posting a sub-.700 OPS in each of his first two months of the season, the 26-year-old has an .876 OPS with 12 of his 17 bombs since the beginning of June. He’s also sporting a hard-hit rate that ranks in the 86th percentile … Among players with at least 100 plate appearances, guess who leads the Pirates in OPS this season? Nope, it’s not Josh Bell. It’s Jose Osuna, who has put together a 1.022 OPS and banged out eight homers over 104 plate appearances. That said, while Jung Ho Kang being cut loose does free up more playing time for Osuna at third base (he can also play first and the corner outfield spots), most of the playing time for the 26-year-old still figures to come against left-handed pitching.
Shortstop
Rank | Player | Tm | Pos | ||||||
#1 | CLE | SS | 1.42255 | 1.25870 | 1.27583 | 1.69799 | 1.96101 | 7.62 | |
#2 | COL | SS | 2.54646 | 1.25870 | 1.27583 | 0.23277 | 1.96101 | 7.27 | |
#3 | TOR | SS | 2.54646 | 1.72836 | -0.40289 | 1.43439 | 1.96101 | 7.27 | |
#4 | CHC | SS | 0.29863 | 1.25870 | 2.95456 | 1.02974 | 1.41498 | 6.96 | |
#5 | CIN | SS | 1.42255 | 1.25870 | -0.40289 | 1.29951 | 1.96101 | 5.54 | |
#6 | PIT | SS | -0.82528 | -0.15029 | 6.31201 | 0.23277 | -0.22309 | 5.35 | |
#7 | NYY | SS | 2.54646 | 2.19803 | -0.40289 | -0.57036 | 1.41498 | 5.19 | |
#8 | TOR | SS | 1.42255 | 0.31937 | -0.40289 | 2.61751 | 0.86896 | 4.83 | |
#9 | NYM | SS | -0.82528 | -1.08962 | 2.95456 | 2.36008 | 0.32294 | 3.72 | |
#10 | HOU | SS | 1.42255 | 0.78904 | -0.40289 | 0.90102 | 0.86896 | 3.58 |
It’s the second week in a row that Francisco Lindor has been on the top of this list. The week before that he was all the way down in the No. 3 spot. Since the beginning of July, the stud shortstop is sporting a .341/.374/.618 batting line with eight dingers, 21 RBI, 22 runs scored and five stolen bases. Even after missing the first few weeks of the season because of injury, Lindor is nearly on pace for his second straight year with 30+ home runs and 20+ steals. The Indians improving their offense at the trade deadline only enhances his outlook … Freddy Galvis has been bumped off shortstop with Bo Bichette’s arrival, but he’s still been in the lineup regularly between second base and the designated hitter spot. I do wonder whether Galvis could eventually be phased out down the stretch, as the 29-year-old will be a free agent this offseason and the Blue Jays probably need to find out whether Cavan Biggio can be their everyday second baseman … Speaking of Bichette, he’s made quite a first impression in the big leagues following his promotion a week ago, going 13-for-32 (.406) with a pair of long balls as he starts off his career with a seven-game hitting streak. The rookie has batted leadoff for the Jays in each of his last six contests and his hard-hit rate in the early going is sitting at a healthy 51.9 percent. Bichette has yet to attempt a stolen base in the majors, although he had one wiped out Sunday due to umpire’s interference. With 16 steals this season before his call-up and 32 steals last year, it still figures to be part of his game …
Outfield
Rank | Player | Tm | Pos | ||||||
#1 | PIT | OF | 2.54646 | 2.19803 | 4.63328 | 1.02974 | 3.05306 | 13.46 | |
#2 | ATL | OF | 3.67037 | 1.72836 | -0.40289 | 1.82671 | 1.96101 | 8.78 | |
#3 | NYM | OF | 2.54646 | 1.25870 | -0.40289 | 1.02974 | 3.59908 | 8.03 | |
#4 | ARZ | OF | 1.42255 | 0.78904 | 1.27583 | 0.90102 | 2.50703 | 6.90 | |
#5 | PHI | OF | 2.54646 | 2.66769 | -0.40289 | 1.18312 | 0.32294 | 6.32 | |
#6 | PHI | OF | 1.42255 | -0.15029 | 2.95456 | 1.04824 | 0.32294 | 5.60 | |
#7 | TB | OF | 2.54646 | 1.72836 | -0.40289 | 0.23894 | 1.41498 | 5.53 | |
#8 | BAL | OF | 1.42255 | 3.13736 | -0.40289 | 0.49637 | 0.86896 | 5.52 | |
#9 | WAS | OF | 2.54646 | 1.25870 | 1.27583 | 0.09789 | 0.32294 | 5.50 | |
#10 | TEX | OF | 1.42255 | 0.78904 | -0.40289 | 1.16462 | 2.50703 | 5.48 |
Starling Marte has been a monster for his fantasy owners so far during the second half, posting a 1.006 OPS with eight home runs, 22 RBI, 23 runs and four stolen bases covering 22 tilts. He’s already matched a career high with his 20 homers, and he’s on pace to cruise to new career bests in RBI and runs, as well. Marte’s 87 mph exit velocity ranks in just the 19th percentile, but with an xBA of .304 he’s actually underperforming from an average standpoint. It helps when you have elite speed and don’t strike out … Adam Duvall has been a well-paid minor leaguer for most of this season, but he was pressed into duty after Nick Markakis fractured his wrist. The 30-year-old has reminded everyone that he’s a two-time 30-home run guy, as Duvall has slugged five bombs already in his first nine games following his recall. Duvall is fanning at a 34.2 percent clip thus far, and strikeouts have been a problem for him in the past. However, he’s and extreme flyball hitter and has been crushing the ball with a ridiculous 26.1 percent barrel rate. He’s certainly capable of going ice-cold at any moment, but Duvall is also capable of being a pretty potent power bat down the stretch … After belting just two home runs in the first two months of the season, Jeff McNeil has popped 11 dingers since the start of June, which includes homers in back-to-back games over the weekend. The 27-year-old’s counting stats are starting to catch up to his rate stats … Roman Quinn has gotten more of an opportunity with the Phillies lately and has responded by going 9-for-27 (.333) with three dingers and two steals over his last nine tilts. With Scott Kingery slated to focus more on third base following the demotion of Maikel Franco, Quinn should get plenty of run in center field. He can be a difference-maker in the speed department and has shown a little pop, as well …
