We have made it through another week of the season, and that means we have another set of players to buy high or sell low based on their recent performances and a full-season outlook.
It is still challenging to get a great feel on a player as many underlying metrics have not had enough time to develop fully, but we are getting closer as we have played a little over a month of baseball. With all of that said, let’s look at a handful of players that you should buy high or sell low.
Buy High
After a slow start to the season, Jose Abreu is heating up. He hit safely in all five games this past week, suitable for a .412 batting average. In addition, Abreu collected four extra-base hits with an impressive 19% walk rate and 269 wRC+. Abreu has now hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games and has a 17% walk rate compared to a 15.1% strikeout rate. He has a 54.9% hard-hit rate on the season, which is the best of his career, and a big final four months of the season should be in store, similar to the last few weeks.
It was another productive week for Julio Rodriguez. He hit safely in four of six games with three home runs and two stolen bases. “JRod” barreled the ball 16.7% of the time with an impressive 50% hard-hit rate. He struck out 26..9% of the time, which seems high but is a constant drop for Rodriguez over the season. With six home runs and 14 stolen bases, there is a potential 20/30 season for the Mariners rookie. One last piece of fantasy goodness is Rodriguez is now hitting third or fourth most days for the Mariners, which brings even more fantasy goodness.
It took some time, but Trea Turner is reminding people why he was one of the top picks in all fantasy drafts. He hit safely in all seven games this past week, suitable for a .333 average. In addition, he collected two home runs and two stolen bases to go with a .296 ISO and 182 wRC+. Turner heads into Wednesday riding a 23-game hitting streak. He has hit for power and used his speed. Hitting in the middle of the Dodgers lineup has led to even more RBI chances than expected. By the end of the season, Turner will once again be one of the top fantasy players in the game.
Sandy Alcantara is locked in right now. He only made one start this past week, but it was a beauty, throwing eight innings, allowing one run, and striking out 14. That gives Alcantara four straight starts of throwing at least seven innings, allowing one earned run or less, and striking out 32 in total. Alcantara has allowed a 68.7% contact rate and 17.3% SwStr over this stretch, and Alcantara is again showing why he was one of the popular picks during the draft season.
The season of Shane McClanahan continued in a big way this past week. He made two starts, throwing six innings in both starts, allowing one total run, and striking out 16. McClanahan allowed a 70.7% contact rate with a 15.4% SwStr. On the season, McClanahan now has a 2.01 ERA, league-leading 30.9% K-BB, and 34.9% CSW. It does not appear he is going to be slowing down anytime soon.
Sell Low
Yuli Gurriel’s tough season continued this past week, racking up hits in only two games for a .174 batting average. Sure, he only struck out 12.5% of the time, but he didn’t collect a barrel and had a 35% hard-hit rate. On the season, Gurriel is only hitting .217 with a 2.2% barrel rate and 33% hard-hit rate to go with an 80 wRC+. Maybe Gurriel is hurt; perhaps age is catching up to him. Regardless, his batting average benefits and occasional power appear to be disappearing for the Astros’ first baseman.
Juan Yepez has been solid in his first run with the Cardinals, but this recent week leaves some concern. He collected three hits. Sure, one was a double, and one was a home run, but still only three hits. Yepez struck out 20% of the time with a 34.6% O-swing and 12.5% SwStr. He also didn’t collect a walk. Over the last 11 games, Yepez is only hitting .172 with a .138 ISO and 69 wRC+. If Yepez can’t adjust soon, he may see less playing time with all of the options the Cardinals have on their roster.
The Alec Bohm hype train has come to a screeching halt of late. This past week, he hit .226 with a double, but that’s about as good as it was for Bohm. After that, he only had a .032 ISO, 61 wRC+, and the most ridiculous 82% strikeout rate. Yes, 82%. Bohm had a 34.1% O-swing with a 66.1% contact and 14.1% SwStr. For May, Bohm only had a .078 ISO and 70 wRC+. It’s time to move on from Bohm if you haven’t already.
Bruce Zimmermann was a great story to start the season, but the concerns about the sustainability of his success may be coming true. This past week, Zimmermann made two starts, allowing 10 runs over 10.1 innings while only striking out seven. The worst part was the long ball, as he allowed nine home runs over the two starts. Zimmermann now has 17 earned runs and 12 home runs over the last four starts. He is not fooling many anymore, and as the summer continues to heat up, so should all the long balls from Zimmermann. It was fun while it lasted, but it is time to move on.
Madison Bumgarner’s struggles continued this past week as he made one start versus the Dodgers, and they took care of business. He did make it six innings but still allowed five runs on three home runs and only struck out three. That gives Bumgarner 14 runs over his last four starts (24.1 IP) while only striking out 16. Bumgarner is mainly an innings eater these days and nothing more, so he should not be a regular on your fantasy roster either.
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Brian Entrekin is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Brian, check out his Twitter @bdentrek.