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 for fantasy baseball Week 4 (4/8-4/14).
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Start/Sit Lineup Advice
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball Risers: Week 4
After starting the season in a platoon and seeing very few at-bats, things changed quite a bit for Colton Cowser last week, starting and hitting safely in all six games. Cowser hit .435 with four doubles, four home runs, 12 RBIs and two stolen bases. Cowser was crushing everything with a 27.8% barrel rate and 66.7% hard-hit rate. Outside of all the offensive production, Cowser even got a start versus a left-handed pitcher to end the week. This may have been Cowser’s best week of the season. Solid production and regular playing time should be in store for the Orioles rookie.
Josh Naylor has been on fire to start the season. This past week, Naylor hit safely in five of his six games, with multiple hits in four. He hit .450 with two doubles and three home runs with a 25% barrel rate and 62.5% hard-hit rate. When he wasn’t making loud contact, Naylor showcased great plate discipline as he walked 23.1% of the time while striking out 15.4%. Naylor has proven to be a vital fantasy asset when healthy.
Jordan Westburg (2B, 3B – BAL)
With Cowser dominating the Orioles’ highlights this past week, Jordan Westburg’s production may have been slightly overshadowed. Westburg hit safely in four games for a .389 batting average with two home runs and two stolen bases. He barreled the ball 7.7% of the time with a 46.2% hard-hit rate. Westburg plays daily and hits at the bottom of the Orioles lineup, allowing plenty of fantasy production.
Michael Busch had an outstanding week for the Cubs and fantasy managers. He finished the week on a five-game hitting streak with multiple hits in the last three games. He also homered in four straight games to end the week. Busch saw the ball well — 33% barrel rate and 60% hard-hit rate. Busch started the season in a platoon at first base but has earned regular at-bats and a ton of fantasy appeal.
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