Another week gone in April, another week of overreactions in the fantasy baseball community. Clayton Kershaw’s ERA is currently 4.42, so he’s past his prime now, right? Should I drop him for Aaron Harang? What should I do with Andrew McCutchen, he’s only hitting .211? The answer is: Don’t panic. Every player has hot and cold streaks. Here is a list of some that are hot and some that are not.

Week 2 Fantasy Baseball Stock Report

WEEK TWO PLAYERS’ STOCK ON THE RISE:

Adam Ottavino, RP, Colorado Rockies

A preseason personal favorite of mine, Ottavino has taken over closing duties for the Rockies. It was only a matter of time before Hawkins was demoted, but for a few days there was some speculation that Rafael Betancourt might jump Ottavino in the pecking order. The Rockies have informed Ottavino that he is the closer moving forward, so unless he struggles badly, the job is his to lose. So far he is 2/2 in save opportunities, and in 6.1 innings pitched, he’s allowed 0 ER, 1 H, and 1 BB while striking out 12. He’s a must own in all formats, due to his ability to pile up strikeouts.

Odubel Hererra, SS/OF, Philadelphia Phillies

Hererra came out of nowhere as a Rule 5 pick to nab the starting CF job for the Phillies on Opening Day. He impressed them enough that they put him in in the lead-off spot and moved Ben Revere to left field. He has done well so far, hitting .302 with 3 SB over the first 2 weeks despite missing a few games with a minor injury. He could be a good source of speed going forward. The dual eligibility is a plus.

Danny Salazar, SP, Cleveland Indians

In a brief major league career spanning 31 major league starts, Danny Salazar has been both dazzling and dismal at times. He has electric stuff and has dominated AAA, but command and control issues have plagued him during his stints with the big league club. He had some great games last year, but the aforementioned command and control issues have kept him from locking down a spot in the rotation. The Indians have decided to give him another shot, and on Saturday they recalled him from AAA to make his first MLB start of 2015, to which he responded by throwing 6 innings of 2-run ball with 10 strikeouts. However, he still allowed 6 H and 2 BB for a total of 8 base runners. If he has fixed his issues, you could be looking at the “Corey Kluber” breakout pitcher of 2015.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B/DH, New York Yankees

This young up-and-comer seems to be making a name for himself in an aging Yankees lineup. Who is this guy? Why, he reminds me of a young Alex Rodriguez!

All jokes aside, Rodriguez seems like a rejuvenated man. Say what you want about one of the most hated figures in sports, but he looks like he can still hit– even though he is not getting any younger and he missed an entire season due to suspension. So far he’s hitting .316 with 4 HR, 10 R, and 11 RBI. If you drafted him, you’re probably pretty happy since he did not cost much. If he’s still available in your league, go ahead and scoop him up.

Bartolo Colon, SP, New York Mets

Bartolo Colon gets no love. People might think that because he’s old and fat, he’s not a good pitcher anymore, yet he keeps going out there and producing. He was not drafted in many leagues this year partly because of that “old and fat” perception and his ugly 4.09 ERA of 2014, but that number is a bit deceiving. His two worst games last year, which both occurred in April, came against the Angels and Rockies, two of baseball’s best offenses, on the road. We all know what Coors Field can do to a man. Take out those two starts and suddenly his ERA drops to 3.55. Not so bad, right? Thus far in 2015, he’s off to another solid start, and has 3 quality starts in 3 games to go with a 2.25 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 20 IP. Plus, he can rake, apparently.

Also keep an eye on:

Caleb Joseph, C, Baltimore Orioles

Zack Cozart, SS, Cincinnati Reds

Archie Bradley, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

A.J. Burnett, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Brandon Morrow, SP, San Diego Padres

WEEK TWO PLAYERS’ STOCK ON THE FALL:

Brandon Belt, 1B, San Francisco Giants

Brandon Belt has been a breakout candidate for a few years now, but injuries have frequently kept him off the field. In 2015, he’s already missed 4 games due to injury. In addition to that, he just has not hit well so far. Recently, manager Bruce Bochy started Belt in LF because he wanted to rest C Buster Posey’s legs at 1B, but still keep both Belt and Posey in the lineup. Considering Bochy’s caution with Posey’s legs (he often rests the stud C by playing him at 1B), the hot-hitting Nori Aoki in the outfield, and the impending return of right fielder Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt could have a hard time finding consistent plate appearances in the near future.

Steve Cishek, RP, Miami Marlins

Since taking the full-time closer job for the Marlins in 2013, Steve Cishek has been one of the most dependable relievers in baseball. He’s also been a dependable source of saves in fantasy, racking up a total of 73 saves in 79 opportunities from 2013-2014. With the Marlins looking like an improved team and a sleeper playoff pick coming into 2015, many thought Cishek might take the next step towards the “elite” class of closers, but so far, he has underwhelmed. So far, in three appearances (3.1 total innings), he has allowed 4 H, 2 BB, 5 ER, and has struck out only two batters. While his last appearance, against Atlanta, was a clean one, he has yet to record a save. His track record should give you reason to believe that he’ll right the ship, but some owners are already bailing.

Jedd Gyorko, 2B, San Diego Padres

Jedd Gyorko burst onto the scene in 2013 when he hit 23 HR as a rookie for the Padres. In 2014, he couldn’t get over a bad start (that might have been injury-related) and finished with just 10 HR and a .210 AVG. He was a nice bounce back candidate coming into 2015, but his stock is currently in a free fall, as another poor start has him being platooned with Yangervis Solarte at 2B. With Solarte’s ability to switch hit and make good contact, Gyorko could lose even more playing time in the future.

Jose Quintana, SP, Chicago White Sox

After three straight seasons in which he made improvements in virtually every pitching category, Jose Quintana was a popular breakout candidate coming into 2015. He has looked horrendous in two out of three starts so far, and his ERA currently stands at 8.40. Meanwhile, he has given up 22 H (including 3 HRs) and 4 BB in just 15 IP. His work over the past three years suggests that he will eventually get it going, or that he is pitching through an injury (though at the time of this writing, there are no reports of an injury). Still, his struggles are worrisome, and at this point it would be best to leave him out of your lineup until he gets things back on track.

Oswaldo Arcia, OF, Minnesota Twins

Arcia has the power to hit 30+ HR, but he struggles mightily against lefties. He has a measly .602 career OPS against southpaws, compared to a very respectable .807 career OPS against righties. The Twins have apparently taken notice of this and have taken to benching him when an opposing lefty takes the mound. If this trend continues, it might actually improve his batting average, but his counting stats (R, HR, RBI) would likely take a hit. It does not help that he has  not done much against righties so far, either.

Also keep an eye on:

Arismendy Alcantarra, 2B/OF, Chicago Cubs

LaTroy Hawkins (no longer closing), RP, Colorado Rockies

Scooter Gennett, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers

Dellin Betances, RP, New York Yankees

Taijuan Walker, SP, Seattle Mariners

Main Photo