Ranger Suarez (SP – PHI) 

The Phillies’ entire starting rotation has been lights-out this season. Collectively, they are leading the league in xFIP (3.31) and are fourth in K/9 (9.42). Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola are typically the two starters you think of when looking at this rotation, but Ranger Suarez is leading this team in most metrics. Suarez has the fourth-lowest ERA in MLB at 1.26, but his advanced stats back up the success he has seen. His xFIP of 2.51 is tied with Tarik Skubal for third in the league.

Suarez has tweaked his arsenal a bit over the last couple of seasons. He’s been throwing his slider less than one percent of the time this season, a major contrast from the 19.2% frequency from 2018 to 2020. He has ramped up his cutter and curveball usage significantly during that time, throwing the pitches 10.8% and 19.7% of the time, respectively. It’s unlikely he will maintain his pristine win/loss ratio for the whole season, but Suarez’s numbers show he is legit.

Stock Down

Andrew Abbott (SP – CIN)

People might remember the Andrew Abbott of last season who refused to give up any runs for some time at the beginning of the year. He has not surrendered more than two runs in any outing this year, but there is reason to think the wheels could fall off at any moment. Abbott has a 2.60 ERA through five starts this year, but his xFIP currently sits at 5.14, the sixth-highest among qualified pitchers.

One thing Abbott has going for him is that he induces a solid amount of soft contact (18.5%), but he is also one of the biggest fly ball pitchers in the league. His FB% is 54.4%, second in the majors behind only Dylan Cease. Abbott may be able to keep hitters at bay with his ability to generate soft contact, but he’s not someone who can be trusted to deliver big outings.

Stock Up

Elly De La Cruz (SS – CIN)

Elly De La Cruz has been a fantasy baseball scoring machine over the last week. Over his last eight games, he has recorded three homers, eight runs batted in, eight runs, eight walks and nine steals. He ranks fourth in wOBA (.457), fourth in ISO (.337) and seventh in wRC+ (186). He’s also arguably the most fun player to watch.

After a slow start to the year that saw him batting toward the bottom of the Reds’ lineup, De La Cruz has moved up to the two-hole and shown no signs of slowing down. De La Cruz has the second-highest batting average on balls in play (BABIP) in the league (.422), but you would be foolish to think this hot streak over the last eight days will last the rest of the season. He will regress but still hold immense fantasy value with all the different ways he can generate points.

Stock Down

Nolan Jones (OF – COL)

Like most Rockies this season, Nolan Jones is struggling to start the year. The lefty slugger showed some signs of promise last season, but this year Jones has been striking out a whopping 37.5% of the time, the fourth-highest mark in the league. It would be one thing if he was offsetting that number by delivering with his bat when he makes contact, but his wOBA is sixth-worst in the league (.211), his wRC+ is a measly 16 and he currently has a -0.8 WAR.

There are some signs of hope with Jones, however. He hit 20 homers for Colorado last season and led the team in ISO (.245). The strikeout rate is the most concerning part of Jones’ profile this year. He hasn’t seen the ball well, and in just his third season in the majors, he may find himself back in the minors to correct the issues he’s been facing. But it’s also the entirety of this team that has been struggling at the moment. Colorado has given up 135 runs as a team and only scored 90 runs themselves.

Stock Up

Josh Naylor (1B – CLE)

Josh Naylor is another fun player to watch. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man get as fired up as him after hitting a home run. He’s also been one of the sneaky-best hitters this season and a big reason for the Guardians’ 17-7 record.

Naylor ranks 10th in ISO (.271) while striking out at the 11th-lowest rate in the league (11.3%). He’s right up there with Mookie Betts in those two categories. However, Betts walks at double the rate of Naylor (16.1%) and drives in more runs (205 wRC+). Let’s not get carried away here.

I see this half of the Naylor brothers as someone who should be looked at in fantasy baseball. Batting behind two on-base machines in Steven Kwan and Andres Gimenez, there should be plenty of room for Naylor to plate some runs this season.

Stock Down

Andrew Vaughn (1B – CWS)

Andrew Vaughn has struggled mightily at the dish this season. He leads the White Sox in plate appearances but only has a .036 ISO, .214 wOBA and a 34 wRC+. He’s also been striking out in 29% of his at-bats.

This entire offense has been atrocious but I select Vaughn here because he at least showed some promise as a fantasy asset last year. He was behind only Jake Burger and Luis Robert Jr. in many offensive metrics last season. Perhaps there is still something left in Vaughn’s tank, but it may require leaving the 3-21 White Sox to ignite it.


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