Hot Hitter Rundown: June 24

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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.

*The following data is based on 5x5 Roto scoring and covers games played from June 17-23.

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!

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Catcher

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Gary Sanchez	NYY	C	2.46486	2.89537	-0.44716	1.46368	0.73762	7.11
#2	Pedro Severino	BAL	C	-0.82775	0.68148	1.12228	0.74040	1.25949	2.98
#3	Omar Narvaez	SEA	C	0.26979	0.23871	-0.44716	1.58308	1.25949	2.90
#4	Willson Contreras	CHC	C	1.36732	1.12426	-0.44716	0.61415	0.21575	2.87
#5	Yasmani Grandal	MLW	C	1.36732	1.12426	-0.44716	-0.58332	0.73762	2.20
#6	Christian Vazquez	BOS	C	1.36732	0.23871	-0.44716	0.49474	0.21575	1.87
#7	Austin Hedges	SD	C	-0.82775	0.23871	1.12228	0.73013	-0.30612	.96
#8	Roberto Perez	CLE	C	1.36732	0.23871	-0.44716	-0.34451	-0.30612	.51
#9	Josh Phegley	OAK	C	0.26979	0.23871	-0.44716	0.01370	0.21575	.29
#10	Austin Barnes	LA	C	0.26979	0.23871	-0.44716	0.01370	0.21575	.29

Gary Sanchez knocked three more balls out of the yard last week, giving him an American League-leading 23 bombs on the season (he’s tied with new teammate Edwin Encarnacion). That’s in spite of the fact that he’s spent time on the injured list this season. Sanchez remains among the elite in the game as far as hard contact goes, as his 24.7 percent barrel rate ranks in the top one percent of baseball and his 93.2 mph exit velocity is in the top two percent. It’s difficult to imagine another catcher out-producing him as long as he’s able to stay healthy ... Omar Narvaez was starting to lose some playing time lately to Tom Murphy, who has been quite productive in a relatively limited amount of playing time. However, Narvaez has been in the lineup for each of the Mariners’ last six games and he’s perked back up at the plate with an 1.164 OPS and two dingers across his last 10 tilts. There’s a large gap between Narvaez’s average (.295) and xBA (.243), and he’s never been a guy who’s hit the ball very hard. That said, the backstop has upped his flyball rate (41.7 percent) significantly this season and he remains superb in the plate discipline department with a 17.8 percent strikeout rate and 10.5 percent walk rate. Narvaez has been batting fifth for Seattle following their trades of Encarnacion and Jay Bruce ... Austin Hedges managed to crack this list even though he made just two starts last week, as the Padres gave Francisco Mejia four starts in a row after his recall. This situation certainly bears watching, as fantasy owners will be rooting for the offensively-superior Mejia to see more and more at-bats ...

First Base

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Pete Alonso	NYM	1B	3.56240	2.45259	-0.44716	1.94472	2.30323	9.82
#2	Carlos Santana	CLE	1B	2.46486	1.12426	1.12228	1.10204	2.30323	8.12
#3	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B	1.36732	3.33815	-0.44716	1.46368	1.78136	7.50
#4	Christian Walker	ARZ	1B	0.26979	0.68148	1.12228	1.82189	0.21575	4.11
#5	Matt Beaty	LA	1B	0.26979	0.68148	-0.44716	2.18010	0.21575	2.90
#6	C.J. Cron	MIN	1B	1.36732	0.68148	-0.44716	1.58993	-0.30612	2.89
#7	Joey Votto	CIN	1B	0.26979	0.23871	-0.44716	0.62100	0.73762	1.42
#8	Max Muncy	LA	1B	0.26979	-0.20407	-0.44716	0.37876	1.25949	1.26
#9	Edwin Encarnacion	NYY	1B	1.36732	0.68148	-0.44716	-1.66138	1.25949	1.20
#10	Brandon Dixon	DET	1B	1.36732	0.68148	-0.44716	-0.82555	0.21575	.99

Pete Alonso set a Mets rookie record with his 27^th home run in Sunday’s loss to the Cubs, topping a mark set by Darryl Strawberry back in 1983. The hulking first baseman is also on track to obliterate the team’s single-season home run record of 41, as Alonso is currently on pace for a whopping 56 long balls. Additionally, only three players have a higher barrel/PA rate than Alonso’s 12.4 percent mark. The rookie looked like he might have been selling out for power a little too much in May, as he hit 10 home runs but also had a 31/4 K/BB ratio. However, he’s already got eight bombs in June and has an 18/14 K/BB ratio ... Offense has largely been an issue for the Indians this season, but Carlos Santana has been a consistent force in the middle of their lineup. The veteran first baseman is in the midst of a career-best year in his age-33 season and has gone deep in three of his last four contests. Santana’s 92.7 mph exit velocity ranks in the top four percent of the league, and he’s doing that while walking more than he’s striking out for the second year in a row ... The Rays thought they could get similar production from Ji-Man Choi at first base for a fraction of the price that they could get from C.J. Cron, choosing to non-tender Cron over the offseason. So far it’s looked like a mistake, as Choi has been decent but Cron has been great with a career-high .882 OPS after a week when he went 11-for-31 with a couple dingers. Cron’s 15.8 percent barrel rate ranks in the top five percent of baseball, and he’s hitting the ball much harder while striking out way less with just a 19.4 percent whiff rate. The key has been laying off pitches outside the strike zone, as Cron’s O-Swing percentage (33.1) is by far a career-low rate ...

AL East heating up

After a slow start, Boston's Jackie Bradley Jr. is beginning to heat up for the Red Sox. Rotoworld's DJ Short also explains that despite New York's move for Encarnacion, don't give up on Clint Frazier just yet.

Second Base

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	DJ LeMahieu	NYY	2B	2.46486	3.33815	1.12228	2.06412	3.86885	12.86
#2	Jason Kipnis	CLE	2B	1.36732	3.33815	-0.44716	1.94472	1.78136	7.98
#3	Eric Sogard	TOR	2B	1.36732	1.12426	1.12228	1.95157	1.25949	6.82
#4	Cavan Biggio	TOR	2B	1.36732	1.56704	1.12228	0.01713	1.78136	5.86
#5	Jonathan Villar	BAL	2B	1.36732	0.68148	1.12228	-0.21826	1.78136	4.73
#6	Ozzie Albies	ATL	2B	0.26979	1.12426	1.12228	0.50159	1.25949	4.28
#7	Enrique Hernandez	LA	2B	0.26979	0.68148	2.69171	-0.46392	0.73762	3.92
#8	Harold Castro	DET	2B	0.26979	-0.20407	1.12228	0.85295	0.73762	2.78
#9	Ketel Marte	ARZ	2B	-0.82775	-0.64685	1.12228	3.74263	-0.82800	2.56
#10	Derek Dietrich	CIN	2B	0.26979	0.23871	-0.44716	-0.34794	2.82511	2.54

DJ LeMahieu seemed like an odd signing for the Yankees over the offseason, but he’s been a godsend for them while they’ve battled through so many injuries. The 30-year-old homered three times and drove in 10 runs over six games last week, pushing his season totals to 10 and 51, respectively. It’s just the third time in LeMahieu’s career that he’s reached double digits in home runs, and he’s on pace to crush his previous career high in RBI of 66. LeMahieu still hits a lot of balls on the ground, but he started hitting more in the air last year (29.5 percent flyball rate) and has largely maintained that this season (27.1 percent). He’s also sporting a robust 46.8 percent hard-hit rate while continuing to be one of the most difficult players in baseball to strike out (13.9 percent) ... Jason Kipnis started off June mired in a 4-for-36 slump at the plate, but he’s since gone 13-for-29 with three long balls and 13 RBI over his last eight games. Kipnis has done a great job of making contact even amidst his struggles this season, which is why his xBA sits at a healthy .286. However, his 86.6 mph exit velocity and 35 percent hard-hit rate are both underwhelming, and his flyball rate (38.6 percent) is way down compared to the last couple years. Kipnis’ counting stats are awfully underwhelming this season even as the Indians have often had him batting in the middle of the order ... Journeyman Eric Sogard has taken the reins of the Blue Jays’ second base job and leadoff spot. After a rough May, he’s bounced back in June with 11 multi-hit games already to push his average back up over .300. The 33-year-old’s eight home runs in 2019 are just three shy of his career total coming into the year. Sogard is sporting a career-high 44.1 percent flyball rate this season, but he also has a 21 percent hard-hit rate, which is in the bottom two percent of the league. The bottom will drop out here eventually ...

Third Base

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Manny Machado	SD	3B	2.46486	2.45259	1.12228	2.54859	1.25949	9.85
#2	Matt Chapman	OAK	3B	1.36732	1.56704	-0.44716	1.34427	2.30323	6.13
#3	Jose Ramirez	CLE	3B	0.26979	1.12426	2.69171	0.50502	1.25949	5.85
#4	Brian Anderson	MIA	3B	2.46486	1.56704	-0.44716	1.46710	0.73762	5.79
#5	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	1.36732	1.12426	-0.44716	1.09861	1.25949	4.40
#6	Josh Donaldson	ATL	3B	2.46486	0.68148	-0.44716	1.46368	0.21575	4.38
#7	Todd Frazier	NYM	3B	1.36732	1.56704	-0.44716	0.85981	0.21575	3.56
#8	Matt Carpenter	STL	3B	0.26979	-0.64685	2.69171	-0.45707	1.25949	3.12
#9	David Bote	CHC	3B	0.26979	-0.64685	4.26115	-0.47077	-0.30612	3.11
#10	Cheslor Cuthbert	KC	3B	0.26979	1.12426	-0.44716	1.22829	0.21575	2.39

Manny Machado has been the top-scoring shortstop and third baseman each of the last two weeks. The $300 million man has put together an 11-game hitting streak, during which he’s posted an utterly ridiculous 1.459 OPS with six home runs, 14 RBI, 16 runs scored and one stolen base. Machado’s 20.6 percent strikeout rate for the season is easily a career high, but he’s whiffing at just a 15.4 percent rate during the aforementioned streak. The 26-year-old’s steals totals have fluctuated during his career, so we can’t count on a bounce-back in that department, but aside from that Machado is starting to look like the guy fantasy owners invested heavily in ... Jose Ramirez managed to come in at No. 3 on this list but did so largely on the strength of a couple stolen bases, which has been the theme for him this season. He’s 18-for-20 in stolen base attempts in 2019, as only Adalberto Mondesi and Mallex Smith have swiped more bags than Ramirez. While Ramirez’s xBA (.248), xSLG (.403) and xwOBA (.323) all say he’s been a bit unlucky, they’re all still a far cry away from what we were expecting ... Brian Anderson is just one home run shy of last year’s total following a three-homer week last week. The 26-year-old’s 49.5 percent hard-hit rate ranks in the top eight percent of the league, and his expected stats are all a bit higher than his actual stats. Still, there’s little to get excited about here from a fantasy perspective, especially with his supporting cast weighing him down. Anderson is on just a 72-RBI, 58-run pace even as he’s batting in the middle of the lineup ...

Shortstop

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	J.P. Crawford	SEA	SS	0.26979	2.00982	1.12228	1.58651	1.78136	6.77
#2	Gleyber Torres	NYY	SS	2.46486	2.89537	-0.44716	0.01713	1.78136	6.71
#3	Javier Baez	CHC	SS	1.36732	1.12426	2.69171	0.01713	1.25949	6.46
#4	Amed Rosario	NYM	SS	-0.82775	-0.20407	4.26115	2.06412	0.73762	6.03
#5	Elvis Andrus	TEX	SS	0.26979	0.68148	2.69171	0.86666	1.25949	5.77
#6	Jose Iglesias	CIN	SS	0.26979	1.56704	1.12228	0.97921	0.21575	4.15
#7	Francisco Lindor	CLE	SS	0.26979	-0.20407	2.69171	-0.21483	1.25949	3.80
#8	Orlando Arcia	MLW	SS	1.36732	0.68148	1.12228	-0.46049	-0.30612	2.40
#9	Tim Anderson	CWS	SS	0.26979	1.12426	-0.44716	1.22144	0.21575	2.38
#10	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SD	SS	-0.82775	0.23871	1.12228	-0.22168	1.78136	2.09

The Mariners have moved J.P. Crawford up to the No. 2 spot in their batting order and the young shortstop has hit .324/.429/.441 in nine contests since the move, which includes a 4-for-4 showing on Sunday. Unfortunately, Crawford continues to strike out too much (26.3 percent) for a guy without much power, and he really hasn’t been much of a stolen base threat since his early days in the minors. Crawford does take his fair share of walks (11.4 percent), but it’s hard to envision much fantasy appeal here even with his ascension up the batting order ... It turns out that Gleyber Torres can hit home runs against teams not named the Orioles, as he went deep in three straight tilts last week versus the Rays and Astros and is now up to 18 bombs for the season. Torres’ xBA of .255 points to some regression in the batting average department, but as a flyball hitter at Yankee Stadium and in that lethal lineup, his power numbers will be there ... Amed Rosario had himself a nice week, going 10-for-23 at the dish while stealing three bases. The three pilfers in particular was nice to see, as that’s the area fantasy owners figured they could count on Rosario contributing in but he thus far really hadn’t much. The Mets are talking about the possibility of using Rosario some in center field, and fantasy owners wouldn’t complain about the additional eligibility ...

Outfield

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	2.46486	3.33815	1.12228	3.27187	2.30323	12.50
#2	Danny Santana	TEX	OF	3.56240	2.00982	2.69171	1.34085	1.78136	11.39
#3	Domingo Santana	SEA	OF	3.56240	3.33815	-0.44716	1.58651	2.30323	10.34
#4	Jeff McNeil	NYM	OF	1.36732	2.00982	2.69171	2.06755	1.78136	9.92
#5	Chris Taylor	LA	OF	2.46486	3.78093	-0.44716	1.94472	1.78136	9.52
#6	Yasiel Puig	CIN	OF	2.46486	2.00982	2.69171	0.86323	1.25949	9.29
#7	Christian Yelich	MLW	OF	2.46486	1.56704	1.12228	1.22829	2.30323	8.69
#8	Juan Soto	WAS	OF	0.26979	2.00982	2.69171	2.30293	0.73762	8.01
#9	Cameron Maybin	NYY	OF	1.36732	0.68148	1.12228	2.17668	2.30323	7.65
#10	Mallex Smith	SEA	OF	-0.82775	0.23871	4.26115	0.86666	2.82511	7.36

After batting “only” .284 in the first two months of the season, Mike Trout is hitting .358 so far in June and has already slugged nine home runs and driven in 22 runs. It’s fair to categorize Trout’s eight stolen bases so far as a disappointment, as he’s on pace for just 16 after averaging over 25 across the previous three campaigns. He’s certainly capable of turning things around in that department, though, as Trout remains one of the more efficient base stealers in baseball and he ranks in the 96^th percentile in sprint speed ... Admittedly, I didn’t foresee Danny Santana sustaining fantasy value this deep into the season, but the 28-year-old has done just that and had a monster showing this past week with four home runs and a couple stolen bases. Santana’s plate discipline remains awful with a 26.9 percent strikeout rate and 4.6 percent walk rate. However, he’s making more solid contact than he ever has with a 42.7 percent hard-hit rate and he’s also raised his launch angle (12.8 degrees) and pull rate (46.6 percent). I remain skeptical, but he’s been hitting second for the Rangers lately and has multi-position eligibility, so there are things to like ... Domingo Santana is the only player in baseball to strike out 100 times already this season, and all that swinging and missing is naturally going to lead to inconsistency, like when he hit just .237/.297/.452 in May. However, Santana has bounced back with a .315/.380/.584 line so far in June and is coming off a four-homer week. He looks locked into the No. 3 spot in the Mariners’ batting order ... The counting stats for Jeff McNeil this season have been fairly pedestrian, but the 27-year-old did hit a couple homers and steal two bases last week (while also going 11-for-23 at the plate). McNeil is one of the elite contact hitters in the game with just a 10.6 percent strikeout rate and the left-handed swinger has no issues with southpaws (.373 average), so he’s about as good of a bet as they come to continue hitting for average. Also, while I’d be nice to see him walk more (6.5 percent), the fact that he doesn’t means his high average will be even more impactful ...