We have made it through another week of the MLB season, and there were some awe-inspiring performances. But, as usual, there were also some rough performances to dig into. This weekly column will help highlight some hot and cold players, and risers and fallers for fantasy purposes. Some players are already rostered in many places, so trades may be in order. Other players may be widely available, making a potential waiver wire claim in the cards. So this week, I will highlight some well-known and lesser-known players
- Weekly Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
- Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Trade Value Chart
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball Risers & Fallers: Week 4
Let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball in Week 4 (4/17-4/23).
Risers
After a slow start to the season, Muncy broke out in a big way this week. He entered Sunday hitting .333 on the week with a 33.3% walk rate and 18.5% strikeout rate. Muncy hit four home runs with five RBI and even stole a base. His contact quality was excellent, with a 23.1% barrel rate and a 46.2% hard-hit rate.
On Sunday, Muncy hit his fifth home run of the week and he has 11 home runs on the season with 21 RBI and a .254 batting average. He now leads the majors in home runs and appears ready for another 30+ home run season. Muncy seems healthy after a rough 2022 season and appears to be a fantasy stud again.
Suwinski had a monster week, hitting four home runs and even throwing in two stolen bases. Entering Sunday, he was hitting .333 with a 23.8% walk rate. He took advantage of Coors Field and an excellent series versus the Reds, but regardless of matchups, a .867 ISO and 1.676 OPS are outstanding. Unfortunately, Suwinski will return to earth, but he should continue to supply decent power as he hits fifth for the NL Central-leading Pirates.
Bellinger’s comeback season is off to a great start. He entered Sunday hitting .391 with two home runs, seven runs, four RBI, and a stolen base. The production was great, but Bellinger’s plate discipline was more impressive, where he walked 10.7% of the time with a 14.3% walk rate. Bellinger added two more hits on Sunday versus his former team, the Dodgers. It’s time we all start believing that Bellinger is back for our fantasy teams.
Heim continues to be a great value at catcher. This past week, he had hit safely in all four games, entering Sunday with a .417 batting average and two home runs. Heim had a 9.1% barrel rate and a 63.6% hard-hit rate. His plate discipline was next level, as he walked 23.5% of the time with an awe-inspiring 5.9% strikeout rate. Heim is now hitting .315 on the season, with four home runs and a 12.5% walk rate. If you took a chance on Heim late in drafts, you have enjoyed a great start to the season.
Rodriguez has been improving as the season continues, and he was next-level good in his two starts this past week. E-Rod threw 15 shutout innings with five hits, zero walks, and 16 strikeouts. Rodriguez now has a 2.32 ERA and 3.80 xFIP with 25 strikeouts and five walks over his five starts. We may be getting the return of the ace-like Rodriguez we saw in his final days in Boston.
Fallers
The struggles for Myers continued this past week as he entered Sunday with one single on the week while striking out 50% of the time. His plate discipline was horrible, with a 52.8% O-Swing and 21.4% SwStr. Myers did collect two singles on Sunday, but he also struck out two more times. He is now hitting .218 on the season with two home runs and a 34.1% strikeout rate. I was optimistic about a good season with Myers entering Cincinnati, but that optimism has dwindled quickly.
The season struggles for Rendon continued this week as he collected two singles and hit .111. He did walk 9.5% of the time with a 19% strikeout rate, so he was putting the ball in play, but the results were not there. Rendon had Sunday off and is hitting .217 on the season with a 15.3% walk rate and 10.2% strikeout rate. The plate discipline is there for Rendon, but the production has yet to happen.
Torres started red-hot this season, but since he suffered a leg injury, production has slowed down tremendously. He entered Sunday hitting .167 with three singles. He did not steal a base, but was caught once. His overall output has struggled, but Torres’s discipline continued as he walked 13.6% of the time while only striking out 4.5%. Torres is now hitting .254 on the season with two home runs and five stolen bases, but most of the success came in the first ten games and things will need to change quickly.
Paredes came out of the gates swinging well, but the production has quickly diminished. This past week, he collected two hits and hit .111. Paredes did not walk once while striking out 21.1% of the time. He did not have a barrel with a 21.4% hard-hit rate. He is now hitting .209 on the season with three home runs and has been so bad versus RHP that he is starting to get platooned with Taylor Walls.
Peterson won the fifth starter spot out of spring training, but his success in spring has yet to carry over into the season. This past week, Peterson made two starts and allowed 13 runs over 11 innings while striking out 14. He has a 7.36 ERA with a 3.42 xFIP and 17.9% K-BB. If Peterson does not improve quickly, he could lose his starting spot to Joey Lucchesi sooner rather than later.
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