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.
Without any further ado, let’s get to it. Here are a few fantasy baseball players trending up and others on the way down.
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Fantasy Baseball Stock Report (Week 18)
Stock Up
Anthony Santander (1B, OF, DH – BAL)
Over the last three weeks, Anthony Santander ranks fifth in ISO (.383), 13th in wOBA (.445) and 12th in wRC+ (195). He is now tied with Marcell Ozuna for the third-most homers in all of baseball (31). In that category, he recently surpassed his teammate Gunnar Henderson, who has been in a relative slump since the All-Star break.
Everything else in Santander’s profile checks out right now. He’s walking at a healthy 7.5% rate and striking out at a clip of 18.1%. He’s been a key part of this Baltimore offense that leads the league in homers (171) and is second in RBI (536).
Blake Snell (SP – SF)
“Snellzilla” is back from the injured list (IL) and it took him no time to return to his dominant ways. Blake Snell had one of the best outings of any pitcher this season in his last start against the Rockies. He had a career-high 15 strikeouts over just six innings and allowed only two hits and two walks. He also had a start against Minnesota where pitched a one-hitter over seven innings while striking out eight.
His K/9 sits at 11.52, which ranks sixth in MLB amongst pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched. His xFIP sits at 3.46, which ranks 28th in the league amongst pitchers using that same filter. He wasn’t dealt by the Giants at the deadline, so he will continue to play half his games at one of the best pitcher parks in baseball.
Gavin Lux (2B, OF – LAD)
Gavin Lux was recently moved up in the Dodgers’ order and he’s taken advantage of his new position. Since July 7, Lux ranks 19th in ISO (.321), ninth in wOBA (.476) and eighth in wRC+ (215). He’s recorded a hit in eight of his last 10 games, including four doubles. Batting behind Shohei Ohtani gives him ample RBI opportunities, and he’s taken advantage of that with 13 over the last three weeks.
He may move back down in the order once Freddie Freeman returns from the family emergency list, but he’s proven he is deserving of a higher spot in the lineup.
Stock Down
Adley Rutschman (C, DH – BAL)
Baltimore’s offense has been hot, but Adley Rutschman has been the exception. Since July 20, he has gone just 4-for-32 with one extra-base hit. Since July 7, he has the fourth-worst wRC+ (33), fourth-worst wOBA (.209) and 13th-worst in ISO (.065).
He has an impressive 9.4% walk rate on the year and a 16.8% strikeout rate, so this cold slump could be nothing more than a blip on the radar. Fortunately for Baltimore, they have ample other options on offense even if Rutschman or Gunnar Henderson have been colder than usual.
Jonathan Cannon (SP – CWS)
Jonathan Cannon’s team is 0-17 in their last 17 games. They decided not to deal Garrett Crochet or Luis Robert. They remain the worst team in MLB. Outside of Crochet, Erick Fedde had been a solid option for Chicago, but he was dealt to St. Louis. The rest of the starting rotation, including Cannon, have struggled mightily.
Since July 7, Cannon has the second-highest xFIP (5.30) and the lowest K/9 (4.06). He’s done a decent job of keeping the ball in the yard, but the walks and hits have slowly been destroying him since the start of July. He, along with Chicago’s bullpen, is something I want to target with hitters in fantasy.
Joey Ortiz (2B, 3B – MIL)
Joey Ortiz hasn’t been living up to the last name he shares with one of the all-time greats. The 26-year-old was playing well for Milwaukee to the point where he was batting lead-off for the Brew Crew, but his poor play has sent him sliding down the starting lineup.
Over the last three weeks, Ortiz ranks fifth-worst in wRC+ (34) and wOBA (.215). He’s been recording singles but only recorded two RBI and two extra-base hits over his last 10 games. Milwaukee’s lineup looks a lot uglier without Christian Yelich and they haven’t been getting much assistance from their supporting cast.
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