Weekly Fantasy Baseball Snapshot (8-25)
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It was another busy week in Major League Baseball as this unprecedented season continues into late August. Here to make sense of all the call-ups, hitting streaks, and closer changes, this is a look around the league following the fourth week of the season:
AL East
Baltimore Orioles
The big news this week in Baltimore was the promotion of one of the club's top prospects Ryan Mountcastle. In three games, Mountcastle has three hits and two runs scored. He is 11 percent owned in Yahoo leagues. Right now he is only shortstop eligible, but he should have outfield eligibility soon...Anthony Santander continued his tear this season with another productive week. He notched three homers and five RBIs to bring his season total to 10 homers and 27 RBIs. He is now the 15th ranked player in Yahoo leagues.
Boston Red Sox
Martin Perez has been the most consistent starting pitcher in Boston this season and is coming off a solid two-start week that brought his season ERA to 3.45. He is only owned in 10 percent of leagues and could be worth keeping an eye on...J.D. Martinez is not producing like he typically does. He hit a homer and drove in three runs this week but was just 4-for-21 at the plate. His season batting average is .228. Hopefully, he can turn things around in this shortened season.
New York Yankees
Luke Voit is red-hot for the Yankees. In a week that was shortened to due a few canceled games, Voit was 7-for-14 with five homers and eight RBIs. He is owned in 83 percent of leagues but he should be rostered in every league...Yankees starter J.A. Happ earned his first win of the season this week with a 5.2 inning outing with three strikeouts. In three starts this year, Happ has a 6.39 ERA.
Tampa Bay Rays
Brandon Lowe is having an excellent season for the Rays and is coming off of a week with two homers and five RBIs. With eligibility at first, second, and outfield, Lowe is turning into one of the most valuable players in fantasy...Seven relievers for the Rays have a save this season. Nick Anderson is now on the IL and Jalen Beeks has been effective this season and he picked up a save this week. However, the closing situation is too murky to pick up Beeks right now.
Toronto Blue Jays
It hasn't been easy for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. this season. The slugger is hitting .245 with four homers and seven RBIs. Those who have rostered Guerrero Jr. are looking for more production from the talented young player...Promising young pitcher Nate Pearson was coming off two disastrous starts and now finds himself on the IL with an elbow issue. Hopefully, he has avoided a serious injury and can work his way back this season.
AL Central
Chicago White Sox
First baseman Jose Abreu is the hottest hitter in baseball right now with seven home runs and 15 RBIs in the past week to go with a .533 average. In three consecutive games this week, he hit six homers with a three-homer game and a two-homer game. He is now the 4th ranked player in Yahoo leagues...Dallas Keuchel continues to roll along with his new club. He pitched 8.0 innings in his most recent start and gave up one run to earn the win. He has a sparkling 2.65 ERA and has been a key addition for the White Sox.
Cleveland Indians
Triston McKenzie had quite the debut in a win over the Tigers this week. The young right-hander struck out 10 over six innings and gave up just one run in his Major League debut. He is owned in 46 percent of leagues and is expected to make at least another start...Franmil Reyes continues to be one of the Indian's best hitters. The slugger has a team-high six homers and 18 RBIs to go with a .293 average.
Detroit Tigers
The story of the past week for the Tigers was the debut of two of the team's prized pitching prospects in Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. Skubal struggled in his first outing and then was better in his Sunday start. He hasn't been stretched out yet, so he only went 2.0 and 2.1 innings respectively in his two starts. He has good pedigree and should have better results as he is able to go deeper in games...Mize gave up three runs in his debut this week. He lasted 4.1 innings and struck out seven White Sox hitters. He will most likely be closely monitored when it comes to his pitch count, but could be a good option moving forward.
Kansas City Royals
Adalberto Mondesi continues to struggle this season and had a week in which he went 4-for-20 with no homers or RBIs. He is hitting just .220 on the season with no homers and two RBIs. He is known for his speed but his 10 runs and six steals have not made up for his lack of production in the other stat categories...Trevor Rosenthal picked up another save this week and now has six on the season. He is having a resurgence this season with a 1.59 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.
Minnesota Twins
Miguel Sano had a nice week, going 12-for-26 with a homer and five RBIs. The big slugger has raised his batting average to .241 on the season and has five homers and 12 RBIs. He is owned in 78 percent of leagues...Kenta Maeda has been an excellent addition to the Twins this season and nearly had a no-hitter against the Brewers this week. He is 3-0 this season with a 2.27 ERA and 0.63 WHIP.
AL West
Houston Astros
Martin Maldonado has turned in a nice season so far from the catcher position with a .232 batting average and three homers and 17 RBIs. At 34 percent owned, Maldonado is a catcher that should be on some rosters in deep leagues...Framber Valdez has been a revelation in the Astros rotation with a 1.72 ERA and 1.09 WHIP and two wins. He is coming off a win at Colorado this week in which he went 7.2 innings giving up one run with five strikeouts. He should be picked up in all leagues.
Los Angeles Angels
It has been a rough year so far for Shohei Ohtani. The two-way star is injured and unable to pitch and has really struggled at the plate as well. He is coming off a week in which he was 2-for-19 at the plate and has seen his batting average plummet to .181 on the season... Ty Buttrey picked up a save this week and has put up good numbers this year out of the bullpen. He has a 2.70 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP. Those searching for saves should scoop him up as he is just 20 percent owned.
Oakland A's
Stephen Piscotty's 21 RBIs are second on the team and the outfielder is adding four homers and 10 runs scored to go with a .253 batting average. He could be a sneaky value in deep leagues if injuries are plaguing your outfield...Chris Bassitt is having a good season with two wins and a 2.97 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. He is owned in 65 percent of leagues and could be worth a waiver wire add.
Seattle Mariners
Austin Nola is catcher eligible and putting up stats that make him a valuable commodity at the position. He hit .345 this week with two homers and eight RBIs. He is rostered in 49 percent of leagues and is definitely worth adding to a catcher-needy team...It's been rough sledding for Justin Dunn this season, but he is coming off a promising outing in which he shut out the Rangers over six innings with six strikeouts.
Texas Rangers
Lance Lynn has been dominant this season with a 3-0 record and a 1.37 ERA and 0.81 WHIP. He is coming off a no-decision against the Padres this week and has turned into one of the best starting pitchers in the league...On the opposite end of the spectrum from Lynn is Mike Minor who has an 0-5 record with a 6.75 ERA. The lefty had a breakout season last year and will look to turn things around quickly.
NL East
Atlanta Braves
Marcell Ozuna has been a great addition to the Braves and with Ronald Acuna Jr. on the IL, he has been a key cog in the Braves lineup. Last week, Ozuna was 8-for-22 with two homers and six RBIs. He's up to seven homers and 19 RBIs and is one of the top outfield options...Max Fried is carrying a rotation that has been besieged by injuries lately. Fried is 4-0 this season with a 1.32 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. He is a great fantasy option moving forward.
Miami Marlins
Marlins top prospect Sixto Sanchez debuted this week and gave up three runs in a win over the Nationals with four strikeouts in five innings. He is likely to stick in the Marlins rotation and at 32 percent owned is worth a speculative pick up...Jonathan Villar had a big week with a homer, two RBIs and a stolen base with a .379 average. Villar is now hitting .289 on the season with seven steals. He should be a good source of steals and batting average moving forward.
New York Mets
Dominic Smith continues to be the Mets best hitter. The outfielder has six homers and 21 RBIs on the season and is hitting .323. His 70 percent ownership is lower than it needs to be. Smith is a must add...Robinson Cano is having a resurgent season with a .373 batting average. Cano turned in a great week with a .333 average and two homers and four RBIs. He is looking like a player that should be on a majority of rosters.
Philadelphia Phillies
Third baseman Alec Bohm's bat came alive this week with a 7-for-18 mark at the plate with a homer and two RBIs. The youngster is showing good power with one homer and three doubles in 10 games this season. He is worth a look at 21 percent owned...Brandon Workman got his first save with the Phillies this week after coming over in a trade from Boston. He gave up a run in each of his first two appearances with Philadelphia, but should continue to get save chances.
Washington Nationals
Young infielder Luis Garcia has been excellent for the Nationals since being called up to the big leagues. He is hitting .357 with a homer and four RBIs. He was 8-for-20 at the plate this week and is eligible at second and shortstop. He is only owned in 5 percent of leagues and should be monitored closely for a potential waiver wire add...Stephen Strasburg is having surgery and will miss the rest of the season. He returned briefly for one start this year, but will now look to get healthy prior to next spring training.
NL Central
Cincinnati Reds
Eugenio Suarez is hitting just .149 this season, but he showed some signs of life this week with a 5-for-22 mark at the plate with two homers, three RBIs, and a stolen base. He is coming off a 49-homer and 103-RBI season, but it's been a sluggish start for the third baseman...Jesse Winker cooled off a bit this week (3-for-18) but he is still hitting .314 on the season with six homers and 10 RBIs. He is owned in 61 percent of leagues and is a good waiver wire add if available.
Chicago Cubs
Ian Happ filled the stat sheet this week with three homers and four RBIs even though he was just 6-for-26 at the plate. Happ is hitting .286 on the season with six homers and 15 RBIs. He is owned in 74 percent of leagues...Yu Darvish has been pitching like an ace for the Cubs this season with a 5-1 record and 1.70 ERA. He picked up two wins this week with 17 strikeouts in 13 innings to go with a 1.38 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. He is the 9th ranked player on the season.
Milwaukee Brewers
Josh Hader has five saves this season and has yet to give up a run in his 7.1 innings pitched. This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise as Hader is one of the top relievers in the game...Keston Hiura is coming off a week in which he hit .292 with two homers and five RBIs. Hiura is only hitting .240 but his production is starting to come around. He is still one of the best second basemen to own.
Pittsburgh Pirates
With Keone Kela injured, Richard Rodriguez earned his first save of the season for the Pirates this week. He has a 3.09 ERA and 0.51 WHIP on the season and if he continues to get the ninth inning work could be worth an add...Bryan Reynolds hasn't been great this season, but he had a nice week with a homer and six RBIs while notching seven hits in 22 at-bats. Hopefully, Reynolds can build on his productive week as he is hitting just .220 this season.
St. Louis Cardinals
It hasn't been a smooth start for Dylan Carlson with the Cardinals, but the highly-rated prospect hit his first career home run on Sunday. Hopefully, that will spark the young outfielder moving forward...Adam Wainwright has turned back the clock this season with the Cardinals, posting a 2-0 record and 2.00 ERA in three starts. He is owned in 53 percent of leagues and could be worth a look.
NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks
David Peralta leads Arizona with 20 RBIs on the season and has raised his batting average to .301. He is a solid outfield option that is owned in 67 percent of leagues. He is not a huge asset in the power department as he only has two homers on the season but he should help in other categories...In six starts this season, Zac Gallen strangely has not recorded a decision yet. But he has been good with a 2.25 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched. Despite the lack of wins, Gallen is a top-tier starting pitcher.
Colorado Rockies
Charlie Blackmon is hitting .405 this season with three homers and 24 RBIs. He was 8-for-28 at the plate this week with no homers and two RBIs. The homers haven't been huge, but Blackmon has been the best pure hitter in the league this year...The Rockies have been going without a designated closer or the past few weeks. Jairo Diaz leads the way with three saves, but three other Rockies relievers have recorded a save with Wade Davis on the IL. This is a situation that is best to avoid when searching for saves.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Walker Buehler earned his first win of the season with a dominant effort against the Rockies. He struck out 11 in six innings of one-run ball. That brought Buehler's ERA down to 4.32 on the season and for Dodgers fans and his fantasy owners, hopefully it is the start of his return to solid form...Julio Urias has been good for the Dodgers all season with a 2.74 ERA and a 2-0 record in five starts even though he is coming off a short start (1.2 innings) this week. Look for the talented southpaw to return to form in a start versus the Giants this week.
San Diego Padres
Fernando Tatis Jr. continues to dominate the league with 12 homers and 29 RBIs on the season to go with a .314 average. He is quickly becoming a fantasy star as he also is emerging as one of the faces of baseball... Jake Cronenworth continued his red-hot play with a week of a homer and seven RBIs to go with a .423 average. He hit one of the Padres' five grand slams this week and is quickly becoming a priority waiver wire add.
San Francisco Giants
Mike Yastrzemski is emerging as one of the top outfielders in the league with 28 runs scored, seven homers and 23 RBIs on the season to go with a .309 batting average. He hit .321 this week with two homers and seven RBIs...Tyler Anderson had two good starts this week with 12 strikeouts in 14 innings. While he is currently one of the top starting options for the Giants, fantasy owners should wait and see some more results before an add.
Brian Buckey
Brian Buckey is an avid fantasy sports player dating back to his first fantasy baseball league in junior high school, with fantasy experience in all four of the major sports. Brian currently is a sports writer for The Toledo Blade newspaper in Toledo, Ohio where he grew up. Brian is a proud Indiana University graduate, with a degree in journalism and is excited to provide fantasy analysis for FantasyData.