Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch 2024: Francisco Lindor, Logan O'Hoppe, More
With just one month left in the fantasy baseball season, adjusting your rosters and playing the hot hand is vital to your success, so it’s time to check in with this week’s Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch.
As we’ve mentioned before, MLB player stock is always relative to your league. That’s not to say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but actual player values vary when you play in a 10-team league versus a 14-team league.
MLB player stock can rise and fall with the tides, but if it doesn’t jibe with the size or style of the league in which you play, then you could be missing the mark sometimes. Not every September call-up is worthy of a roster spot and not every veteran should be bypassed for a “flavor of the week.” Just something to take into consideration when you see my Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch.
Hopefully, you’ve been paying close attention to your league’s add/drops. Your trade deadline has likely passed which means your fantasy baseball waiver wire is the only place to find a new player. The Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch will help guide you towards which MLB player stocks are rising enough to warrant the addition to your roster and which is so far down in the toilet, you’ll need to flush them down.
So, let’s get to some ‘3 Up, 3 Down.’
Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Risers
- Francisco Lindor, SS New York Mets
- Lawrence Butler, OF Oakland Athletics
- Taylor Ward, OF Los Angeles Angels
Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Fallers
- Logan O'Hoppe, C Los Angeles Angels
- Kyle Schwarber, OF Philadelphia Phillies
- Jorge Soler, OF Atlanta Braves
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Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.