Wild, wild west, baby. This week’s edition of the Fantasy Baseball Stock Report features 12 total players from both of the MLB’s Western divisions: 8 from the NL West and 4 from the AL West. That’s not to say that all of these guys are on fire though–in fact some have gone ice cold– but needless to say, there’s a lot happening on the left side of the MLB.
Without further hullabaloo, here’s the Week 7 LWOS Fantasy Baseball Stock Report.
WEEK 7 FANTASY BASEBALL STOCK REPORT
WEEK SEVEN PLAYERS’ STOCK ON THE RISE:
Brandon Crawford, SS, San Francisco Giants
Guess who the #1 fantasy shortstop is right now according to ESPN’s Player Rater? Yep, it’s the guy whose name is in bold letters above this sentence. Brandon Crawford is generally classified among the “glove only” shortstops, but he has had his hot streaks with the bat here and there throughout his career. He is currently slashing .301/.382/.514 with 6 homeruns, 23 runs scored, 31 RBI, and 2 stolen bases. Don’t get too excited though, as nothing has really changed about him. He is just being helped by a .345 BABIP that is about 50 points higher than his career average and a 15.8% HR/FB% (career high= 7%). Still, he can be serviceable as a middle infielder or utility man the rest of the way in most formats.
Mike Bolsinger, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
So far, Bolsinger has been the most impressive candidate for the “replace Brandon McCarthy” contest. After being dumped by the Diamondbacks last season, he has looked solid so far in Los Angeles, posting a minuscule .071 ERA to go with a .079 WHIP and a 22/6 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 25.1 innings pitched (4 starts).
He doesn’t have devastating stuff, but he’s not as bad as his 5.50 ERA with the D-backs in 2014 might suggest. Look a little closer and you’ll find that his xFIP and SIERA were 3.31 and 3.49, respectively, with decent strikeout and walk numbers. He might not be a long-term option for you or the Dodgers, but he should stick in the rotation for a few more weeks at the very least. He could be a useful pickup in a deeper league, or he could be a good streamer in a shallower league, with his biggest asset being the probability of getting wins pitching for one of the best teams in baseball.
Yasmany Tomas, OF/3B, Arizona Diamondbacks
After signing with the D-backs out of Cuba and joining the club in Spring Training, scouts’ reports on Yasmany Tomas were less than glowing. He didn’t look skilled enough defensively to handle an outfield spot, much less third base, and the only offensive skill he offered was the ability to hit for power. 107 PAs in, and it seems he’s out to prove the naysayers wrong, as he is hitting everything in sight right now. Plus, he looks competent at third base.
Since being recalled from the minors on April 15th, Tomas is slashing .347/.383/.426 with 10 runs and 14 RBI but just one homerun. So far he’s been the opposite of what we thought he was: a power hitter who won’t hit for much average. A closer look at the numbers shows that 29 of his 35 hits have gone for singles, and his BABIP currently rests at .420, so it appears that he’s dinking and dunking his way to these numbers. Ride the hot streak for now, but keep in mind that his current production isn’t stable, and know that he hasn’t displayed the power we thought he had yet. The situation with will be further muddled when Jake Lamb returns from the DL and inevitably cuts in to Tomas’ playing time. Both are decent stashes for dynasty or deep keeper leagues.
Chris Young, SP, Kansas City Royals
Chris Young has been unreal for the defending AL champs in 2015 thus far. After making 6 appearances out of the bullpen in which he gave up 2 total earned runs over 12 innings, he has made four brilliant starts for Kansas City. In those starts, he has given up just one earned run over 22.1 innings pitched while only allowing 13 hits and posting a 16/7 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
There are concerns, however, besides the fact that at age 34, he owns a career 4.83 xFIP over 1090.1 innings (granted, he’s found ways to outperform that xFIP over his career). He’s not striking anyone out (9 of those 16 Ks as a starter came in one outing), and he’s a flyball pitcher, meaning there will be days when he gets rocked, but similar to the aforementioned Mike Bolsinger, he appears to have a rotation spot locked down for a very good team.
Also keep an eye on:
Rusney Castillo, OF, Boston Red Sox
Brandon Belt, 1B, San Francisco Giants
Wilin Rosario, C/1B, Colorado Rockies
Mike Wright, SP, Baltimore Orioles
Rubby De La Rosa, Arizona Diamondbacks
Hector Santiago, SP, Los Angeles Angels
WEEK SEVEN PLAYERS’ STOCK ON THE FALL:
Jake Marisnick, OF, Houston Astros
This hurts, it really does. Just a few weeks ago I wrote about how great Marisinick was playing and how happy I was to have drafted him in my 19-team LWOS league. But now, it appears, he has come back down to Earth. After a spectacular month of April, Marisinick is slashing .189/.212/.257 and is striking out in a third of his PAs. He’s always had plate discipline issues, so he is going to be a streaky player, but the potential for 10/30 HR/SB is still there. For now, he’s droppable in all but the deepest leagues.
Anibal Sanchez, SP, Detroit Tigers
Sanchez has looked downright horrid lately. He has given up 7 earned runs in each of his past two starts (9.1 total innings) and his ERA for the season currently sits at a robust 6.12. He did strike out 11 in the last game though, so there’s that. This followed up a game in which he threw 8 innings of one-run ball and struck out 9. This is what Sanchez has always been. At times, he is just plain filthy, and at times he’s just plain forgettable. If he stays healthy, at the end of the day, he’s going to end up with an ERA in the mid-threes, a K/9 of a little less than a batter an inning, and a good win total.
Jimmy Rollins, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
Jimmy Rollins has not looked great so far in his first year with the Dodgers. His slash line looks ugly (.201/.275/.348), but nothing really looks out of whack except a .214 BABIP. His K%, BB%, batted ball splits, and plate discipline are all about on-par with the rest of his 15-year career, so it appears he is getting a bit unlucky. I’m not talking anything like his 30/30 days, but he should come around sooner than later.
Archie Bradley, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Bradley has not looked good since his return from getting hit in the face by a line drive. He’s given up a total of 8 runs over 7 innings between two starts, and has struck out only 5 while issuing 5 walks and 14 hits. He showed flashes of his immense upside in his first three starts, but has struggled with command issues both before and after the injury. You should definitely hold on to him in keeper and dynasty formats, but in deeper redraft leagues, it might be best to bench him and play the matchups until he figures it out. In shallow redraft leagues, he’s streamer-worthy.
Also keep an eye on:
Kevin Pillar, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Leonys Martin, OF, Texas Rangers
Adam LaRoche, 1B/DH, Chicago White Sox
Mike Leake, SP, Cincinnati Reds
Jonathon Niese, SP, New York Mets
C.J. Wilson, Los Angeles Angels
