We have made it through another week of the MLB season, and there were some awe-inspiring performances. 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 that trades may be in order. Other players may be widely available, making a potential waiver wire claim in the cards. So, this week, I will highlight some known and lesser-known players. So, let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball Week 9 (5/13-5/19).
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Fantasy Baseball Risers & Fallers: Week 9
Fantasy Baseball Risers
Fantasy managers have been waiting for Ortiz to get consistent playing time, and that is finally happening. This past week, the playing time has paid off, as he hit safely in all six games for a .455 batting average. Ortiz hit three doubles and two home runs out of his ten hits with a 42.9% hard-hit rate. He also made a ton of contact, only striking out 4% of the time. Let’s hope Ortiz is locked into regular playing time going forward.
It’s been a nice season for Burleson, but he blew up this past week. He ended the week on a five-game hitting streak, hitting .435 with two doubles, two home runs and a stolen base. He hit fifth most games with a 5% barrel rate and 50% hard-hit rate. The Cardinals’ offense woke up this past week, and Burleson was a significant part of their success.
There are always some crazy weeks of production throughout a baseball season, but the Kevin Pillar production has been a crazy one. He hit safely in all five games this past week for a .529 average with a home run and three stolen bases. Pillar drove in seven, scoring five runs and racking up a 270 wRC+. Since joining the Angels on May 1, Pillar is hitting .447 with three home runs, ten runs scored, 16 RBI, and four stolen bases. The production will end eventually, but this streak has been one for the ages.
Raley is finally healthy and playing every day for the Mariners. This past week, he hit safely in all six games with two doubles and two home runs for a .458 batting average. Raley even stole two bases while barreling the ball 10% of the time. Raley is now hitting .386 in May with three home runs and two steals with a 216 wRC+.
Matos exploded this past week, with ten hits in five games, two home runs, three doubles and an insane 16 RBI. His 8% barrel rate and 40% hard-hit rate are nice, but the fact that Matos only struck out 3.8% of the time may be the most impressive part of his past week. This was likely a career week for Matos, but his hit tool is real, and he should provide fantasy upside throughout the season.
Fantasy Baseball Fallers
Spencer Steer (1B,3B,2B,OF – CIN)
Steer’s bat has gone ice-cold this past week. He collected one hit while going hitless over the final five games. Steer struck out 22.7% of the time with zero barrels and a 20% hard-hit rate. Steer is now hitting .224 on the season with four home runs and 11 steals. Few options exist to take Steer’s spot in the lineup, but a potential platoon could begin if the struggles continue.
Burger returned from the IL recently; the production has not picked up. This past week, Burger had three hits and an RBI while hitting .130. Burger had a 25% hard-hit rate without collecting a walk and striking out 30.4% of the time. Since returning from the IL on May 6, Burger is hitting .104 with one double, no walks, and a 27.1% strikeout rate. Burger may still be hurt as the production is quite concerning.
Suarez has seen his production diminish in recent weeks, and this past week was a rough one. He collected two singles with an RBI while striking out 31.6% of the time. Suarez did not barrel a ball while only making hard contact 16.7% of the time. Suarez is now hitting .211 on the season with three home runs. He’ll need to start producing quickly to avoid a potential platoon.
Smith is playing daily for the Red Sox, but his production is lacking. He collected five singles this past week for a .208 average while driving in six runs. Smith struck out 26.9% of the time with a .083 ISO and zero barrels. Since joining the Red Sox on May 1, he has hit .184 with a .061 ISO and a 2.8% barrel rate. This is not the type of production any team wants from their DH.
Melendez’s struggles have been ongoing all season, and this past week, he hit .111 with two doubles. He struck out 31.6% of the time and had a 25% hard-hit rate. He is now hitting .182 on the season with four home runs and two stolen bases while slowly losing playing time to a platoon. Melendez is tough to roster in most formats right now, as his production is not improving.
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