We have made it through another week of the MLB season. Like every other week, there were some awe-inspiring performances. But, as usual, there were some great and rough performances to dig into. 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 trades may be in order. Other players may be widely available, making a potential waiver wire claim in the cards. Let’s look at some of the risers and fallers for Week 22 (8/21-8/27).
Risers
Adam Duvall (OF – BOS)
Duvall was off to a slow start when he returned from his broken wrist. He has shaken off the rust and is mashing. Duvall hit safely in all seven games this past week for a .483 batting average. Duvall had five doubles and five home runs to go with 12 RBI while still striking out less than 20% of the time. Duvall barreled the ball 17.4% of the time with a 40% hard-hit rate. This production level won’t continue forever, but ride the hot wave with Duvall.
Marcell Ozuna (OF – ATL)
Ozuna continued his solid second half of the season with his best week, hitting safely in all six games. Ozuna hit .524 with two doubles and five home runs. He hit four home runs in three games versus the Mets to start the red-hot week. Whatever Ozuna hit, he hit with authority, as he had a 29.4% barrel rate and 52.9% hard-hit rate. The plate discipline was also solid, for Ozuna has walked 12.5% of the time with a 16.7% strikeout rate. Ozuna is an outfielder to roster going forward as he hits 5th in the best lineup in baseball.
DJ LeMahieu (1B, 2B, 3B – NYY)
LeMahieu has been a forgotten man this season, but this past week, he showcased some of the production we were used to in previous seasons. LeMahieu finished the week riding a five-game hitting streak with a .381 batting average. The batting average was excellent, but a 19.2% walk and 11.5% strikeout rates were also fantastic. But wait, there’s more as LeMahieu hit four home runs to highlight his fabulous week. With all the struggles the Yankees are having, maybe LeMahieu can see some playing time down the stretch and provide some fantasy production.
Josh Rojas (2B, 3B – SEA)
Rojas joined the Mariners in early August, and he has been quite a surprise to many fantasy managers who had given up on him. This past week, Rojas hit safely in five games for a .417 batting average. He provided two home runs and two stolen bases with eight runs scored. Rojas is hitting at the bottom of the order but can give some power with his speed and a lot of run production, with the Mariners’ offense clicking over the last couple of months.
Kerry Carpenter (OF – DET)
Carpenter continued his strong season with hits in five of six games this past week for a .421 batting average. He provided two home runs with seven RBI and a stolen base. Carpenter barreled the ball 8.3% of the time with an incredible 66.7% hard-hit rate. He still struck out over 30% of the time, which is less than ideal, but his overall production continues to be great, making him very valuable on fantasy teams.
Fallers
Oswald Peraza (2B, SS, 3B – NYY)
The Yankees’ struggles have been well discussed, and many of the struggles have surrounded their young players. Peraza is one of those players that has struggled, and this last week, he collected two singles for a .100 batting average. He struck out 36.4% of the time without a barrel while having a 33.3% hard-hit rate. Peraza has been solid at AAA but has yet to put together consistent production at the big league level to be fantasy-viable.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (1B, 3B – CIN)
Encarnacion-Strand’s first trip to the big leagues has been an up-and-down ride, this past week being a down part of that ride. He collected three hits for a .120 batting average while striking out 37.9% of the time. Encarnacion-Strand did not collect a barrel but did have a 57.1% hard-hit rate. He needs to improve on the plate discipline to become a consistent fantasy asset, which may not come till next season.
Mike Tauchman (OF – CHC)
Tauchman was a must-start fantasy asset for weeks while the Cubs were surging, but his production has been dwindling lately. This past week, he collected three hits over seven games while hitting .130. He still walked nearly 12% of the time but also struck out 30.8% with zero barrels. Tauchman still leads off most games but has also been at the bottom of the order during these struggles. Tauchman can go back to the waiver wires.
Jordan Walker (3B, OF – STL)
It has been a disappointing rookie season for Walker, and this past week was no exception. He collected two hits over five games for a .125 batting average. He did walk 15.8% of the time but struck out an absurd 42.1%. Walker did barrel the ball 12.5% with a 50% hard-hit rate, but the contact quality does not matter as much with the high strikeout rate. Walker is also hitting at the bottom of the Cardinals’ lineup, limiting his overall production.
Randal Grichuk (OF – LAA)
Grichuk was supposed to be a significant boost to the Angels offense at the trade deadline, but that has yet to happen. This past week, Grichuk had two hits while hitting .087. He did walk 11.5% of the time while striking out 23.1%, but no RBI and one run scored aren’t what the Angels offense is looking for from Grichuk.
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