6 Fantasy Baseball Players Trending Up & Down (Week 24)

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.

6 Fantasy Baseball Players Trending Up & Down (Week 24)

Stock Up

Eugenio Suarez (3B – ARI)

Suarez has eight homers over his last ten games. He’s been among the hottest players in September, leading the league in wRC+ (350) and wOBA (.685). He is also second to Kyle Schwarber in ISO (.632) this month.

The Diamondbacks look primed to make another run at the World Series this season, as their 82-64 record puts them at the top of the NL Wild Card race. Suarez offers tremendous power while batting towards the bottom of this Arizona lineup that is loaded from top to bottom. I’d be taking a hard look at Suarez in all fantasy formats for the rest of this season and the postseason.

Pablo Lopez (SP – MIN)

Lopez always had those big starts in him this year, but it took until the end of the season for them to really come out. His xFIP consistently remained well below his ERA all season. Currently, he has a 3.88 ERA and an xFIP of 3.24.

Lopez has been dominant over his last five starts, recording zero runs in four of them. He also had at least nine strikeouts in three of those starts. On the season, the 28-year-old is 12th among qualified starters with a 9.73 K/9. With the Twins barely holding on to the last AL Wild Card slot, they will need everything they can get from Lopez down the stretch.

Lane Thomas (OF – CLE)

Not long ago, Thomas was featured in the “Stock Down” section of this article. After being traded from the Nationals to the Guardians at the trade deadline, the 29-year-old struggled to find his stride with his new team. However since the calendar turned to September, he’s been one of the hottest hitters in baseball, scoring fantasy points in several different ways.

Over his last ten games, Thomas has recorded 15 hits, including three homers and four doubles. In September he is fifth in wRC+ (233), sixth in wOBA (.498), and 13th in ISO (.351). Cleveland holds the top spot in the AL Central and the addition of Thomas is shaping up to be a success story.

Stock Down

Brendan Rodgers (2B – COL)

It’s been a long season for the Rockies. They’ve had one of the worst rotations in the league, their lone All-Star Ryan McMahon hasn’t looked like an All-Star in the second half, and they haven’t seen much come out of their younger players.

Rodgers has been particularly cold lately, posting a -23 wRC+ in September, followed by just a .031 ISO and a paltry .149 wOBA. He’s recorded just three hits over his last six games, but his most glaring issue is his 46.9% strikeout rate since the beginning of September. That leads all hitters. He and the rest of the Colorado bats can be safely avoided for the rest of the season.

Valente Bellozo (RP, SP – MIA)

Bellozo probably isn’t too recognizable of a player, but it’s worth noting his struggles for the Marlins of late. He has a 6.38 xFIP this month, second to only last week’s “Stock Down” selection, Bradley Blalock.

Although unsustainable, his K/9 over his last two starts is just 2.38, showing his inability to get batters out via the strikeout. His 5.94 K/9 on the year isn’t much better. At just 24 years of age, there could still be time for Bellozo to grow into a serviceable pitcher, but right now I’d be looking to target hitters against the right-hander.

Masyn Winn (SS – STL)

Speaking of young players, Winn is one of the youngest in MLB at just 22. I do think Winn has some upside, as he was selected in the second round of the 2020 MLB draft, but his cold streak should be alarming for fantasy players.

His strikeout rate in September is north of 30%, and he has just a .153 wOBA and a -6 wRC+. The Cardinals have one of the least exciting offenses this year, despite technically still being in the playoff hunt (although I’d consider that a long shot). Winn can be avoided this year in fantasy, but St. Louis’ willingness to bat him at the top of the order shows confidence in the youngster for the future.

Articles MLB Uncategorized Eugenio Suarez Kyle Schwarber Pablo Lopez Lane Thomas Brendan Rodgers Ryan McMahon Valente Bellozo Bradley Blalock Masyn Winn