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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6 Fantasy Baseball Players Trending Up & Down (Week 22)
Stock Up
If you were to look at Carroll’s 2024 stats without knowing they were his, you wouldn’t think anything of this player. He started the year as one of the most disappointing fantasy assets, totaling just a .225 average with 17 homers and 21 stolen bases up to this point in the season.
That being said, Arizona has been the hottest team in baseball since the All-Star break, and Carroll himself has been one of the best hitters in August. This month, he has the second-highest ISO (.389), the 17th-highest wOBA (.405) and the 21st-highest wRC+ (162). His team has the fourth-best record in the National League, and I’d expect him to continue his hot stretch into the playoffs.
Spencer Schwellenbach (SP – ATL)
We didn’t get Spencer Strider in fantasy baseball this year, but we did get Spencer Schwellenbach. The 24-year-old has carried an impressive floor into late August, and he’s also flashed upside in favorable matchups. He has a full toolkit of pitches, with a fastball being his most-used pitch at just 26.7%.
He has the third-highest K/9 (12.89) and second-highest xFIP (2.26) in August. The xFIP is second only to his teammate Chris Sale. The Braves have been a disappointment overall this year, but they are still in the playoff hunt and will need to maximize production from their rotation.
I’m writing this the morning after Alvarez hit three homers against the Phillies. It doesn’t get much hotter than that. Even if you exclude the huge day at the dish, the 27-year-old has been one of the hottest hitters in August.
In the month he is second in wRC+ (239), seventh in ISO (.359) and second in wOBA (.506). Similar to Arizona, Houston started as one of the coldest teams in the league but has surged to a four-game lead in the AL West. I’d be buying the big left-hander for the rest of the year and the playoffs.
Stock Down
McMahon was Colorado’s lone representative at the All-Star game but has been cold ever since earning his spot in the Midsummer Classic. In August, he has the third-worst wRC+ among qualified hitters with just a 26. He is also 13th-worst in ISO (.073), fifth-worst in wOBA (.222) and striking out over 30% of the time at the dish.
Colorado has been out of the playoff hunt for quite some time, and I’d rather be buying some younger Rockies who are trying to prove their worth before the regular season ends.
Ortiz has been giving up homers in bunches of late. He has allowed nine long balls over his last six games, good for the fourth-highest HR/9 (2.54) since August 1st. His xFIP is in the basement over that same time frame (5.60), ahead of just Valente Bellozo and last week’s Stock Down representative, Jose Quintana.
Pittsburgh doesn’t have any playoff hopes for this season, and Ortiz would be someone I’d want to target with batters for the rest of the year.
Morel is another example of a player who was traded at the deadline but hasn’t been able to get things clicking with a new team. In August, he has the fifth-worst wRC+ (43), seventh-worst ISO (.060) and fourth-worst wOBA (.220).
The team he was traded to doesn’t have much of a playoff chance and has essentially waived the white flag on the season. Perhaps Morel can have another one of those insane stretches with the Rays like we saw from him with the Cubs last year, but I would be fading him for the rest of 2024.
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