6 Fantasy Baseball Players Trending Up & Down (Week 20)

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.

Fantasy Baseball Stock Report (Week 20)

Stock Up

Jackson Merrill (SS, OF – SD)

The Padres have been the hottest team since the All-Star break and Jackson Merrill has been one of the biggest reasons why. In August, he is ranked 16th in wRC+ (190), 18th in wOBA (.438) and sixth in ISO (.429). Merrill was the 20th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, and one of the top prospects in baseball coming into this season.

He quietly made his first All-Star appearance this year and has been doing just about everything for the Friars. The 21-year-old is one of the youngest stars in the game and someone I would be looking to buy everywhere for next season.

Spencer Arrighetti (SP – HOU)

Spencer Arrighetti is coming off two of the best games of his young career. Against Tampa Bay, he recorded 12 strikeouts over six innings while allowing one run. Against Boston, he struck out 13 over seven innings while allowing two runs. His 1.07 xFIP ranks first in all of baseball since August 1st and he’s looked dominant on the bump.

The 24-year-old has had his fair share of blow-ups this season, including a seven-run outing to Detroit and a six-run outing to Toronto. But he’s proven the upside is there, even against powerful lineups like the Red Sox. I’d look to buy him for next year.

Jake McCarthy (OF – ARI)

Similar to the Padres, the Diamondbacks have been on fire since the All-Star break. They have a 19-5 record since the Mid-Summer Classic and look like the team we saw make the World Series last season.

Jake McCarthy has started to pick it up for the Snakes and has been one of the hottest hitters in August. The 27-year-old ranks sixth in wOBA (.484) and seventh in wRC+ (216) since August 1st. He’s moved up in Arizona’s batting order and has recorded 15 RBI over his last seven games.

He’s not as young as Merrill, but I would be looking to buy the talent for McCarthy for the next several seasons.

Stock Down

Luis Robert (OF – CWS)

Luis Robert has been scuffling along with the entire White Sox, who have a 2-21 record since the All-Star break. Robert is one of the best hitters in the game when he’s playing well, but it could be difficult to stay motivated on the 30th-ranked team in MLB.

Since August 1st, Robert has ranked second-to-last in wRC+ (-52) and wOBA (.091), and 13th-worst in ISO (.023). He is also striking out at an alarming rate. He has the second-highest K% at a whopping 41.9% in August. If we could get Robert on a different team I’d be much more interested, but right now I would avoid the 27-year-old outfielder.

Seth Lugo (SP – KC)

Seth Lugo was one of the best pitchers in the league in the first half of the year. He was a strong candidate to start the All-Star game for the American League. However, the 34-year-old was playing a bit over his head. Whether hitters have figured him out, or he has regressed a bit, something hasn’t been right for Lugo over the past month.

He hasn’t topped four strikeouts over his last four games and has allowed 18 runs over that span. He has the eighth-highest xFIP (5.48) in August and has just a 5.71 K/9. Selling Lugo high in June was likely the smart move. I would go elsewhere for starting pitchers in fantasy baseball for next year and beyond.

Ezequiel Tovar (SS – COL)

The Rockies are all but out of the playoffs and there isn’t much to be hopeful about this team at the moment. Even their lone All-Star, Ryan McMahon, has been one of the coldest hitters since the All-Star break.

Ezequiel Tovar has been especially cold, though, and not just because he plays in the Denver mountains. He has the fourth-worst wRC+ (-12) and ninth-worst wOBA (.166) since the start of this month. From an age perspective, I like Tovar as a long-term play that could hold value in the years to come. But for now, I would stay away from the 23-year-old on the bottom-ranked Rockies.