It’s Thursday. You know what that means.
Every week during the fantasy baseball season we do a stock report looking at players whose value is rising or declining. If there are specific players you want me to dive into, feel free to tag me on Twitter.
Now, without any further ado, let’s get to it.
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Fantasy Baseball Stock Report
Stock Up
Bobby Witt Jr. has been on fire to start the 2024 season. Through six games, the Royals shortstop is hitting an even .400 with two homers and an OPS of 1.344.
If it weren’t for Ronald Acuna Jr.‘s 41/73 season last year, Witt’s 30/49 season would have grabbed much more attention.
Witt can also get it done with his glove. Last year he led all American League shortstops in outs above average and defensive runs above average.
The 23-year-old didn’t have much of a supporting cast of players batting around him last season. In 2023, Witt led Kansas City with 61 barrels, 19 more than MJ Melendez in second.
However, as we will soon see, there is reason to be more optimistic about the Royals’ lineup this season.
Stock Down
Anthony Rendon still has not recorded a hit this year (as of this writing).
Rendon made some viral remarks on the Jack Vita Show this offseason about the MLB season being too long, which could suggest he has come into this season with a lack of focus.
The Angels elected to sit Rendon for the final game of their series with Miami on Wednesday and the result was a 10-run outburst by the Halos.
Rendon earns almost $240,000 per game, so it’s tough for the Angels to justify benching or cutting the veteran.
It doesn’t appear Rendon’s head is quite in the game.
Stock Up
Back-to-back Royals in the “Stock Up” category might surprise some people. However, this team has some sneaky good hitters and pitchers.
Bobby Witt is obvious but not as many people know the 23-year-old at the hot corner for Kansas City.
Maikel Garcia already has three homers and seven RBIs through just six games this year. If this early power surge is real, Garcia can boost his paltry .086 ISO from his rookie season.
Garcia also stole 23 bags last year, the third-most on the team, behind Witt and Dairon Blanco.
Stock Down
Joey Gallo finds himself on his fifth team in as many seasons this year.
Known as mainly a power hitter, Gallo has hit only 21 and 19 homers in his last two seasons. This has been a major fall from grace after joining the 40-homer club in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018.
Last year with the Twins, Gallo’s 142 strikeouts led all Minnesota hitters. That says a lot considering the Twins led the league in strikeout percentage as a whole (26.6%).
Like Rendon, Gallo was also held hitless through five games until going 3-for-4 with a homer in Wednesday’s game against Pittsburgh.
Not even the shift-ban can save Gallo.
Stock Up
If you watched any of Garrett Crochet’s starts this season, the first thing you notice is the leg kick in his delivery. That thing is top-tier.
The 11th overall pick in 2020 has looked elite in his first two starts of the year. He struck out eight Tigers on Opening Day but got some attention after striking out eight Braves in his next start.
He’s surrendered just two runs and walked one over 13 innings of work for the White Sox this year.
Crochet is mainly a fastball/slider pitcher, with about two-thirds of his pitches either a fastball or cutter.
With Dylan Cease dealt to the Padres shortly before the season started, this could be Crochet’s rotation.
Stock Down
Ronel Blanco threw a no-hitter in his eighth career start against the Blue Jays on Monday. It was an odd no-hitter as Blanco walked George Springer to lead off the game and then proceeded to record 26 outs before walking Springer again with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then grounded out to secure the first-career no-hitter for the 30-year-old pitcher.
Houston now has four starting pitchers with no-hitters, joining Justin Verlander, Cristian Javier and Framber Valdez.
Why would I list Blanco under “Stock Down” after throwing a no-hitter?
While Blanco has been with Houston since 2017, he has a career xFIP of 4.93 and a strikeout rate of just 23% in the majors.
Monday’s performance reminded me of Domingo German‘s perfect game against Oakland last season. Sometimes a mediocre pitcher can have everything break their way for nine innings.
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