Who's Hot
Max Muncy , Los Angeles Dodgers
Hitting .333/.455/.833 his last six games with three home runs and four RBI. He currently owns a .500 isolated power with more walks (four) than strikeouts (two) in this stretch and gets to play San Francisco this weekend against whom he's homered in three straight contests including Thursday night. His last 16 batted ball events yielded three barrels (18.8 percent) with a 50 percent hard hit rate.
Jesse Winker , Cincinnati
Baseballs look like beach balls right now to Winker. He's launched five home runs his last six games scoring eight runs and driving in six with a robust .600 isolated power fueling a 326 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) metric. Of his last 21 recorded batted ball events, he's produced five barrels (23.8 percent) with 14 hard hits (66.7 percent).
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. , Toronto
Over his last seven games he's hitting .360/.467/.960 with six runs, five home runs and nine RBI carrying a .574 weighted on-base average (wOBA) plus a .600 isolated power. Like Winker above, Guerrero Jr.'s also generated 21 batted ball events in this time frame with five barrels (23.8 percent) but two fewer hard hits with 12 (57.1 percent). Remember all those launch angle concerns? He's tied for the league lead in home runs with Adolis García.
Austin Riley easily could be on this list as well but he's the poster boy for this week's Behind the Breakout, so click the link and enjoy the ride.
Who's Not
Jorge Soler , Kansas City
His last seven games resulted in zero hits during 22 plate appearances, or as many as myself in this timeframe. Of more concern, the 54.5 strikeout rate in this stretch with Soler basically swinging at everything. Although the Royals remain committed to getting him going, heed his -91 wRC+ and keep him benched until his average shows a pulse.
Anthony Rendon , Los Angeles Angels
This one hurts many fantasy players due to his draft capital. Rendon's slumping with a .045/.160/.091 slash his last 25 plate appearances with one run and one RBI. Quality of contact and health may be concerns to monitor for him going forward.
Raimel Tapia , Colorado
Many targeted Tapia as batting average insulation on their rosters but he remains in the midst of a prolonged slump hitting .150/.239/.250 his last 12 contests spanning 46 plate appearances. Armed with a wRC+ of 12 and a .203 wOBA, keep him on the bench if possible or hope there's some batting average on balls in play resurgence en route.
Positive Migration to the Mean
Tommy Pham , San Diego
With injuries in the Padres lineup, he's hitting lead-off most nights which benefits his fantasy outlook. Plus, his last 13 games provided hope in his 11 runs, two home runs, seven RBI and three stolen bases with a .418 on-base average. And his expected numbers also hint at hope for future production if he sits on the waiver wire in your league:
.206 batting average versus a .243 expected batting average (xBA) - plus 37 points
.294 slugging versus a .424 expected slugging (xSLG) - plus 130 points
.298 wOBA versus a .357 expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA) - plus 59 points
Jon Berti, Miami
A clear path to playing time may reinvigorate Berti and provide a spark to fantasy players seeking stolen bases. He's slated to take over third base for Brian Anderson and due for better results:
.181 batting average versus a .224 xBA - plus 43 points
.305 slugging versus a .350 xSLG - plus 45 points
.276 wOBA versus a .311 xwOBA - plus 35 points
It's doubtful he can replicate his .284 average over the last 50 games of 2019 but he could provide the stolen base upside flashed in it (16 steals in 19 attempts).
Tyler O'Neill , St. Louis
Fresh off the injured list and launched a home run in Arizona on Thursday night. Much maligned power hitter with swing and miss tendencies due for positive regression? Yes please:
.248 batting average versus a .288 xBA - plus 40 points
.543 slugging percentage versus a .637 xSLG - plus 94 points
.351 wOBA versus a .399 xwOBA - plus 48 points
Statistical Credits
Fangraphs.com
BaseballSavant.com