We have made it another week through the MLB season with some great and rough performances. This weekly column will help highlight some hot and cold players, risers, and fallers for fantasy purposes. Some players are already rostered in many places so that trades may be in order, and other players may be widely available, making a potential waiver wire claim in the cards. So this week, I am highlighting some lesser rostered players on the rise and some heavily rostered players falling over the past weeks. So let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball Week 10 (6/6-6/12).
Risers
After a horrible start to the season, Semien has found his swing and is producing for those that drafted him. Over the last week, Semien hit .385 with three home runs and two stolen bases. He was barreling the ball 13.6% of the time with a 40.9% hard-hit rate. Semien was locked in, hitting everything hard, but he did it with solid plate discipline even better. Semien walked 10.3% of the time while only striking out 13.8%.
Over the last couple of weeks, Semien has had six home runs and six stolen bases while hitting over .300. Those are Semien’s first home runs of the season, and his great stretch has increased his batting average to .217. Yes, that’s how bad it was to start the season for Semien. Unfortunately, it appears he is back on track, and we won’t see a repeat of last season, but we could see another 15-20 home runs and steals going forward.
Burger is receiving regular playing time for the White Sox, and he is thriving. He hit safely in all six games this past week with three home runs, eight runs scored, and six RBI while hitting .417. Burger was mashing with a 25% barrel rate and 43.8% hard-hit rate. He still struck out nearly 30% of the time, but the power is no joke, and a 280 wRC+ is nothing to shy away from. Burger has shown power in the minors and the ability to hit for a solid batting average, and We shall see if the success sticks, but for now, I am rolling with Burger wherever I can add him at a depleted third base position.
Jurickson Profar (1B, 2B, OF – SD)
Profar started the season strong, then hit the skids, but now he is back and raking. This past week Profar hit .346 with four extra-base hits and a tremendous 16.1% walk rate. The walk rate is extra vital as he is the new leadoff hitter for the Padres, and getting on base ahead of Manny Machado and the red-hot Jake Cronenworth will increase his fantasy value. Profar is now hitting .248 on the season with seven home runs and four stolen bases. More impressively is the 37 runs scored, which have seen a nice boost since he jumped into the leadoff spot. Profar’s positional flexibility makes him even more intriguing for fantasy, so give him a look if you need some counting categories.
Eduardo Escobar (1B, 2B, 3B – NYM)
The Mets have been a pleasant surprise this season regarding fantasy goodness. Escobar was not one of those surprises for the longest time, but that is beginning to change. This past week Escobar hit .360 with five extra-base hits. He scored five runs while driving in six and had an excellent 45% hard-hit rate. Escobar started heating up a few weeks ago, and since May 23, he has been hitting .313 with three home runs. Escobar does not walk much, so he will have to do it with base hits, which is working now. Enjoy the positional flexibility on your fantasy teams.
Brandon Drury (2B, 3B, OF – CIN)
Drury has taken full advantage of playing time due to injuries for the Reds, and he just does not appear to be stopping any time soon. This past week Drury hit safely in all six games with two home runs and a 239 wRC+. Drury was straight crushing with a 12.5% barrel and 62.5% hard-hit rate. Drury is now riding an 11-game hitting streak with three home runs and a stolen base. He plays every day, and even with Jonathan India returning soon, it should not affect Drury. Roster Drury wherever you can.
Fallers
It was not that long ago that Miller was one of the hot new waiver wire adds. After the recent lack of production, he is likely on the waiver wire again. This past week Miller only hit .208 with a near 26% strikeout rate and 25 wRC+. His plate discipline was terrible this past week, with a 46.2% O-swing and 10.6% SwStr. Miller is now hitting .266 this season which is quite a dropoff from the solid start he had, and he has not homered since the middle of May. It is time to move on if you have not already.
The struggles for Moncada continued this past week. He only collected two hits while striking out 26.3% of the time for a horrible -18 wRC+. Moncada had zero barrels with a 25% hard-hit rate and a 12.7% SwStr. Moncada has been lost at the plate all season and continues to worsen. He is losing playing time to Jake Burger, and for now, Moncada is a but in all 12-team and shallower leagues with a potential to be cut in 15-team leagues.
Urias recently returned from an injury and has not been swinging it well since that return. Urias had two hits this past week with a bad 37.5% strikeout rate. He did hit a home run and was walking 12.5% of the time, but a .095 batting average and 30 wRC+ is not going to cut it for your fantasy teams. Urias’s struggles at the plate have not lost him playing time yet, but he could at any moment, especially with Jace Peterson swinging a solid bat.
Wisdom is the ultimate risk/reward fantasy player as he can hit all of the home runs but also have all of the strikeouts, which can cripple a fantasy week. This past week was the latter of the two. Wisdom had two hits this past week but did walk 23.5%, which was good. Sadly, Wisdom also struck out 35.3% of the time. Wisdom is now hitting .221 this season, with 12 home runs and a 35.6% strikeout rate. The risk/reward profile is not for me.
The rookie blues appear to be hitting Torkelson right now. He was heating up last month and seemed ready to rock and roll, but things have slowed down significantly. This past week, Torkelson collected two hits for a .133 batting average. However, there was some positive this past week, as Torkelson walked 11.8% of the time while only striking out 5.9%. In addition, he only had an SwStr of 3.2%, a good 93.5% contact, and 100% Z-contact. Torkelson’s plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills are outstanding, but the current results have scuffled a ton. He’s a faller for now but may also be quite the buy-low target.
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