Hot Hitter Rundown: May 6

Follow @Rotoworld_BB and @RyanPBoyer on Twitter.

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 April 22-May 5.

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!

[[ad:athena]]

Catcher

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	James McCann	CWS	C	0.55456	0.72736	0.78818	2.53238	0.78273	5.39
#2	Gary Sanchez	NYY	C	2.77279	1.59920	-0.57181	0.46505	0.78273	5.05
#3	Willson Contreras	CHC	C	1.29397	1.01797	0.78818	0.65718	1.11914	4.88
#4	Yadier Molina	STL	C	-0.18485	1.88981	2.14817	0.87240	-0.56292	4.16
#5	Jonathan Lucroy	LAA	C	2.03338	0.72736	-0.57181	-0.46101	1.45556	3.18
#6	Josh Phegley	OAK	C	-0.18485	2.18042	-0.57181	0.64564	0.44632	2.52
#7	Jason Castro	MIN	C	1.29397	0.72736	-0.57181	-0.13444	0.44632	1.76
#8	Buster Posey	SF	C	-0.18485	1.01797	-0.57181	0.93962	0.44632	1.65
#9	Kurt Suzuki	WAS	C	1.29397	0.43675	-0.57181	0.81470	-0.56292	1.41
#10	Mike Zunino	TB	C	1.29397	1.01797	-0.57181	-0.47255	-0.22651	1.04

The catching situation with the White Sox has caught me by surprise, as I had assumed Welington Castillo would be the clear No. 1 and James McCann would perhaps make a couple starts per week. However, the playing time has been a dead-even split so far, with each backstop making 16 starts behind the plate and two at designated hitter. McCann has been way more productive of the two at the plate, particularly over the last two weeks during which he’s posted a 1.134 OPS with two homers and seven RBI. I’d still take Castillo over him ROS, though … Gary Sanchez wore a golden sombrero in his first game back from the injured list, but in seven contests since then he’s gone 9-for-28 with five long balls and 10 RBI. Even after missing two weeks, he’s still been the No. 2 fantasy catcher this season … I would’ve bet against us ever seeing a two-homer game from Jonathan Lucroy again, let alone a two-homer game with both bombs coming off of Justin Verlander, but that’s what we got Sunday. All four of Lucroy’s dingers this season have come over the last two weeks, but he’s done next-to-nothing otherwise, sporting just a .206 average and .289 on-base percentage during that span. I remain skeptical that he’ll be of any value in fantasy leagues, even considering the low bar at the catcher position …

First Base

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Jose Abreu	CWS	1B	2.77279	4.79594	-0.57181	3.77549	1.11914	11.89
#2	Anthony Rizzo	CHC	1B	2.77279	2.76165	0.78818	1.15483	1.11914	8.60
#3	Luke Voit	NYY	1B	2.77279	2.18042	-0.57181	1.34697	2.46479	8.19
#4	Rhys Hoskins	PHI	1B	2.77279	2.76165	-0.57181	1.23359	0.78273	6.98
#5	Eric Hosmer	SD	1B	1.29397	1.01797	-0.57181	2.46516	1.79197	6.00
#6	Logan Forsythe	TEX	1B	0.55456	1.88981	0.78818	1.59478	0.10991	4.94
#7	Josh Bell	PIT	1B	2.03338	1.59920	-0.57181	0.42091	0.78273	4.26
#8	Edwin Encarnacion	SEA	1B	2.03338	1.01797	-0.57181	0.00202	1.45556	3.94
#9	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B	2.03338	0.72736	-0.57181	0.52275	0.44632	3.16
#10	Max Muncy	LA	1B	0.55456	1.59920	-0.57181	0.37475	0.44632	2.40

Jose Abreu has put his fantasy owners on quite a roller coaster ride this season. After posting a .939 OPS with three homers and nine RBI over his first eight games, he then went 3-for-36 with no bombs across his next 10 contests. He’s rebounded with another hot stretch, though, hitting a blistering .431/.484/.793 with five dingers and a whopping 23 RBI over his last 14 tilts. Abreu now leads the American League with his 33 RBI and the Statcast data backs him up with a 92.9 mph exit velocity and 13.3 percent barrel rate … Anthony Rizzo got off to a slow start for the second year in a row, but he hasn’t been too far off from Abreu over his last 14 games with a .340/.438/.774 line and five bombs. Rizzo has always been mediocre when it comes to hard-hit rate, but that’s been up this season at 42.3 percent and he continues to have fantastic plate discipline with a 12.1 percent walk rate and 14.2 percent strikeout rate … It’s been said that Luke Voit’s opposite-field power stroke is the perfect fit for Yankee Stadium, but the hulking slugger has done virtually all of his damage on the road this season with a 1.125 OPS and eight of his nine home runs. On the Yanks’ recent road trip, Voit went 14-for-36 with five long balls and 11 RBI across 11 contests. Voit has been pulling the ball more this season and not hitting it in the air as much, but his 32.2 percent line drive rate ranks fourth in baseball. Expect him to do plenty of damage in the Bronx when all is said and done … Josh Bell has changed his approach this season after a power drop-off last year, and boy, has it worked. Bell has been way more aggressive at pitches in the strike zone with a 76.4 percent swing rate, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than the 67.3 percent rate he had pre-2019. He’s also upped his flyball rate significantly to 41.2 percent and is hitting the ball with authority with an average exit velocity of 94.2 mph that ranks 10^th in baseball. Upping the aggressiveness has meant a lot more strikeouts (24.2 percent strikeout rate versus the 17.7 percent rate he had coming into the season), but fantasy owners are gladly accepting this trade-off …

Second Base

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Michael Chavis	BOS	2B	3.51220	2.47104	2.14817	1.81000	2.80121	12.74
#2	Ketel Marte	ARZ	2B	2.77279	1.88981	0.78818	1.24513	3.13762	9.83
#3	Ozzie Albies	ATL	2B	2.77279	1.88981	-0.57181	0.90702	2.46479	7.46
#4	Danny Santana	TEX	2B	0.55456	0.43675	2.14817	1.61786	1.45556	6.21
#5	Eric Sogard	TOR	2B	2.03338	0.72736	-0.57181	1.40265	1.79197	5.38
#6	Derek Dietrich	CIN	2B	2.03338	1.30858	0.78818	0.73594	0.10991	4.98
#7	Mike Moustakas	MLW	2B	0.55456	1.59920	0.78818	1.23359	0.44632	4.62
#8	Whit Merrifield	KC	2B	0.55456	-0.14448	0.78818	0.33061	2.12838	3.66
#9	DJ LeMahieu	NYY	2B	-0.92426	0.72736	2.14817	1.22205	0.44632	3.62
#10	Brandon Lowe	TB	2B	-0.18485	-0.14448	0.78818	1.68508	1.45556	3.60

The Red Sox indicated when Michael Chavis was promoted that they would try to find some at-bats for him at the corner infield spots and maybe work him in sporadically at second base. Well, it didn’t take long for that plan to go out the window. Chavis has assumed everyday second baseman duties for Boston and has been superb at the dish, batting .333/.460/.725 with six homers, 13 RBI and two stolen bases over his first 15 games. He’s walking at a 17.5 percent clip and his barrel rate of 12.7 percent ranks 10^th in baseball. Also, while we can’t glean much, if anything, from 15 games of defensive data, the numbers say he’s been solid at the keystone. Chavis’ minor league track record suggests that he could start striking out more and surely will walk a lot less, but the power is legitimate. Dustin Pedroia (knee) seems poised to return soon, but it’s difficult to imagine the Red Sox turning away from Chavis, not when he’s now their No. 5 hitter … Ketel Marte started hitting for more power and showing a much better hard-hit rate last season, and he’s taken another step forward in 2019. The 25-year-old already has three multi-homer games this season and has gone deep nine times overall, which is just five shy of last year’s career-high total. Marte has continued to be much better against lefties (.972 OPS), but he’s doing damage versus righties (.814 OPS), too. Also, just a 17.5 percent strikeout rate and .265 BABIP says that the average should come up … It remains perplexing that Derek Dietrich had to settle for a minor league contract this winter, but the Reds are happy that he fell into their laps. Dietrich went deep four times this past weekend against the Giants, which included a two-homer, six-RBI showing on Friday when he also added a stolen base. The 29-year-old is already up to nine long balls for the season and has become a staple in the middle of the lineup against righties. Scooter Gennett (groin) isn’t close to returning and even when he does, the versatile Dietrich can be mixed in at other positions …

Third Base

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	3.51220	3.05226	-0.57181	2.77067	3.13762	11.90
#2	Eduardo Escobar	ARZ	3B	2.77279	2.18042	-0.57181	3.30092	2.46479	10.15
#3	Rafael Devers	BOS	3B	-0.18485	1.88981	0.78818	2.37486	2.12838	7.00
#4	Alex Bregman	HOU	3B	2.77279	2.76165	-0.57181	-0.23425	1.45556	6.18
#5	Hunter Dozier	KC	3B	0.55456	0.72736	0.78818	2.44208	0.44632	4.96
#6	Kris Bryant	CHC	3B	1.29397	1.88981	-0.57181	0.38629	1.79197	4.79
#7	Jose Ramirez	CLE	3B	-0.18485	-0.14448	4.86815	0.77056	-0.89933	4.41
#8	Manny Machado	SD	3B	2.03338	1.59920	-0.57181	-0.60698	1.11914	3.57
#9	Matt Chapman	OAK	3B	1.29397	0.72736	-0.57181	0.60151	1.45556	3.51
#10	Kelvin Gutierrez	KC	3B	-0.18485	1.59920	0.78818	1.22205	-0.22651	3.20

It’s been an interesting season so far for Rafael Devers. He has cut his strikeout rate all the way down to 15.4 percent and upped his walk rate to 11.2 percent, which are both substantial improvements and obviously a major reason why he’s hitting over .300. However, his flyball rate has cratered to 25.2 percent and it took him until this past weekend to finally hit his first home run. The good news is his flyball rate has been on the upswing during his recent red-hot 10-game stretch at 37.1 percent, and he’s actually striking out a little less (15.2 percent) over that span. Whether Devers can consistently hit for power and maintain a high contact rate remains to be seen, but there are certainly encouraging signs here … Hey, maybe Kris Bryant can still hit home runs! After a 21-game homerless stretch, Bryant has hit three over the boards in his last eight contests, including a grand slam Sunday night. I do still have concerns that he might never post the consistently big power numbers we all figured he would. His 89.6 mph exit velocity is mediocre, and so is his 6.6 percent barrel rate. That said, Bryant remains a flyball hitter (40.2 percent), and his strikeout (18.2 percent) and walk (14.6 percent) rates have never been better … Jose Ramirez is batting .293/.396/.439 across his last 11 tilts, which is certainly encouraging even as he’s homered just one time during that stretch. The 26-year-old has four steals in that span, as he continues to be a consistent stolen base threat even as his bat has been slow to come around. I still remain bullish on Ramirez over the long haul. His 15.3 percent strikeout rate and 10.2 percent walk rate remain elite, his 44.4 percent flyball rate is virtual the same as last year and his 41 percent hard-hit rate is a career-high …

Shortstop

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Adalberto Mondesi	KC	SS	0.55456	2.76165	3.50816	1.17791	1.79197	9.79
#2	Trevor Story	COL	SS	1.29397	1.30858	2.14817	0.52275	3.13762	8.41
#3	Javier Baez	CHC	SS	2.77279	1.30858	-0.57181	1.71970	2.46479	7.69
#4	Gleyber Torres	NYY	SS	-0.18485	1.01797	3.50816	1.07607	0.44632	5.86
#5	Carlos Correa	HOU	SS	2.03338	1.88981	-0.57181	1.62940	0.78273	5.76
#6	Xander Bogaerts	BOS	SS	2.03338	2.18042	-0.57181	0.04818	1.79197	5.48
#7	Ronny Rodriguez	DET	SS	1.29397	0.72736	0.78818	1.32389	1.11914	5.25
#8	Elvis Andrus	TEX	SS	0.55456	1.01797	2.14817	0.69180	0.78273	5.20
#9	Paul DeJong	STL	SS	0.55456	-0.14448	0.78818	2.00213	1.79197	4.99
#10	Andrelton Simmons	LAA	SS	0.55456	0.43675	0.78818	1.16637	0.44632	3.39

Adalberto Mondesi’s plate discipline remains terrible, and he’s been more aggressive than ever this season with a 56.6 percent swing rate. However, it just hasn’t really mattered for the dynamic athlete as far as his fantasy prospects go. He’s already up to 30 RBI on the season after plating 14 over the past two weeks and is on pace for 19 home runs, 46 stolen bases and 97 runs scored. I count myself among those who focused too much this spring on what Mondesi doesn’t do well rather than what he does do well. There are sure to be rough patches, but he’s a fantasy stud … Speaking of studs, Trevor Story is showing that last year’s speed breakout was no fluke, as he’s tied for the National League lead with his seven stolen bases to go along with eight long balls. That puts him on a 30-30 pace, and I wouldn’t bet against him getting there … Xander Bogaerts hasn’t run at all this season – quite literally – after falling off to eight steals last year. It’s unfortunate for his fantasy prospects, but the good news is Bogaerts’ power might take off if he’s able to maintain what is easily a career-high 48.5 percent flyball rate. The shortstop has gone deep in back-to-back contests … Paul DeJong’s plate discipline has been a bugaboo, but after showing incremental improvement last season, he’s really taken strides this year with an impressive 16.8 percent strikeout rate and 8.7 percent walk rate. He’s accomplished it while posting a robust 47.7 percent hard-hit rate and maintaining a 43.1 percent flyball rate that’s right as his career mark. DeJong has driven in only 15 runs so far even as he’s crushing the ball, but that’s largely a reflection of him hitting directly behind Matt Carpenter and Paul Goldschmidt, both of whom are off to slow starts …

Outfield

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Victor Robles	WAS	OF	1.29397	0.43675	4.86815	-0.40331	1.45556	7.65
#2	Michael Brantley	HOU	OF	2.03338	1.59920	-0.57181	2.75913	1.79197	7.61
#3	George Springer	HOU	OF	1.29397	1.30858	2.14817	0.79364	1.79197	7.34
#4	Cody Bellinger	LA	OF	1.29397	1.59920	2.14817	1.77538	0.44632	7.26
#5	Kole Calhoun	LAA	OF	2.03338	1.30858	0.78818	0.40937	1.79197	6.33
#6	Charlie Blackmon	COL	OF	0.55456	1.59920	0.78818	1.17791	2.12838	6.25
#7	Yasiel Puig	CIN	OF	1.29397	1.01797	2.14817	0.33061	1.11914	5.91
#8	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF	0.55456	1.88981	-0.57181	2.55546	1.45556	5.88
#9	Marcell Ozuna	STL	OF	1.29397	2.47104	-0.57181	0.33061	2.12838	5.65
#10	Franmil Reyes	SD	OF	2.77279	1.01797	-0.57181	1.33543	0.78273	5.34

If you just looked at Victor Robles’ batted ball data (80.1 mph average exit velocity and 20.9 percent hard-hit rate) and plate discipline (30.1 percent strikeout rate and 3.8 percent walk rate), you’d think the young outfielder was off to a terrible start this season. And yet, here he is with six home runs and seven stolen bases in early May, which is good enough to nearly make him a top-10 outfielder. His minor league numbers say that his contact rate should improve, and Robles should continue to hit his fair share of home runs if he keeps up that 46.2 percent flyball rate … Michael Brantley now has five dingers in his last 13 tilts after going deep in back-to-back games over the weekend. The contact rate (11.3 percent strikeout rate) remains elite, as the veteran outfielder is virtually assured of being a .300 hitter. He will also drive in plenty of runs as the Astros’ cleanup hitter even if his home run pace tapers off … Yasiel Puig has started getting going slowly but surely with three home runs and a couple stolen bases over the last two weeks. His strikeout rate being way up (24.8 percent) and walk rate being way down (four percent), but I’m maintaining faith that the impending free agent is in for a big season. He’s just in too good of a situation hitting in the middle of the Reds’ lineup and at Great American Ball Park … Franmil Reyes slugged his nine home run Sunday and also has a pair of two-homer games over the last two weeks. Seven of the bombs have been solo shots and the other two were two-run home runs, which isn’t really surprising since he’s mostly batted behind a pitcher and the .173/.239/.337-hitting Ian Kinsler. Still, Reyes has kept his strikeouts down at a reasonable rate (23.9 percent) and he’s absolutely crushing the ball (93.7 mph average exit velocity). His future is bright …