We have made it to the fourth week of the MLB season. There were some awe-inspiring performances. As usual, there were some great and rough performances to dig into. This weekly column will help highlight 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. I will highlight some known and lesser-known players this week. So let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball Week 5 (4/15-4/21).
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Fantasy Baseball Risers & Fallers: Week 5
Risers
Jordan Westburg (2B, 3B – BAL)
Jordan Westburg remained hot last week, hitting safely in all six games for a .478 batting average. He collected five extra-base hits, including two home runs, while tossing in a stolen base. Westburg saw it well with a solid 16.7% barrel rate and an insane 72.2% hard-hit rate. Westburg is red-hot right now.
Wilyer Abreu was named the regular centerfielder versus right-handed pitchers last week, and offensive production followed. He hit safely in the final four games of the week for a .333 batting average. Abreu had three doubles and a home run, but more impressively, he stole three steals as he ran wild when on base. Besides hitting .333, Abreu showcased great plate discipline as he walked 20% of the time while striking out 16.7%. Hopefully, this big week jump starts a big season for Abreu.
After a slow start to the season, Daulton Varsho is swinging a very hot bat. This past week was a great example of this hot bat, as Varsho hit safely in four out of six games for a .350 batting average. He collected seven hits, including three doubles and three home runs. Varsho also showcased his speed with two stolen bases. Varsho’s power was earned as he had a 13.3% barrel rate and a 53.3% hard-hit rate. Varsho is red hot and may find the offensive skills we hoped for last season.
Alec Bohm’s bat woke up big time last week. He finished the week hitting safely over his last five games for a .421 average. He hit two doubles and two home runs while walking and striking out 13.6% of the time. Bohm is now hitting .284 on the season with three home runs. He continues to show strong plate skills with a 14.9% walk rate and 18.4% strikeout rate. Bohm is a fixture in the middle of the Phillies lineup. A few more weeks like last week could lead to a tremendous fantasy season.
Kerry Carpenter is coming off an electric week at the plate for the Tigers. He hit safely in all seven games with two doubles, two triples and a home run. He had an outstanding 21.1% barrel rate with an impressive 63.2% hard-hit rate. Carpenter did strike out 32.3% of the time, which is less than ideal, but he flashed the skills that let us know the fantasy appeal is strong.
Fallers
Brendan Donovan (1B, 2B, OF – STL)
Brendan Donovan started the year swinging a good bat but things have slowed down a lot. Last week may have been his worst week yet. Last week, Donovan collected two singles for a .077 batting average. He had a 5.3% barrel rate and 36.8% hard-hit rate while striking out 26.7% of the time. Donovan continues to lead off but his .210 batting average on the season may not allow him to lead off much longer.
Randy Arozarena is off to a slow start. Last week, his bat went ice cold. Arozarena had two singles over seven games for a .074 batting average. He had a 6.3% barrel rate and 43.8% hard-hit rate, which isn’t bad, but his near 37% strikeout rate is not good. Arozarena is hitting .157 on the season with two home runs and four stolen bases. He is a mess at the plate and must turn things around quickly. He’s not a drop yet, but benching him is a good idea for most fantasy teams.
I had high expectations for Anthony Rizzo this year. He was raking last year before playing with a concussion, which eventually ended his season. This season has not been great for Rizzo. This past week was just another example. He collected three singles over six games for a .130 batting average. Rizzo did barrel the ball 11.8% of the time with a 41.2% hard-hit rate, which isn’t bad, but the results were what they were. Rizzo is hitting .235 with one home run on the season. He needs to turn things around quickly or he’ll become waiver-wire fodder.
Jonathan India has picked up where he left off last season, which isn’t good. His offensive production is struggling and he’s once again battling injuries. This past week, India hit .111 with two singles over five games. He struck out 36.8% of the time with a 36.4% hard-hit rate. India is now hitting .174 with two home runs. If it were not for others being injured on the Reds, India might be without a regular role on the team.
Andrew Vaughn’s start to the season has been disappointing. This past week may have been one of the worst. He collected one single over five games for a .056 batting average. He did have a surprising 11.1% barrel rate, but a 33.3% hard-hit rate and 43% strikeout rate were terrible. Vaughn is now hitting .153 on the season without a home run while striking out nearly 30% of the time. Vaughn should be on the waiver wire for the time being.
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