MLB Streaks and Trends, Risers and Fallers Week 19: The Emergence of Cole Ragans for the Kansas City Royals
From today until the end of the Major League Baseball season, Saturday is for looking at the various streaks and trends across the MLB, as well as those fantasy baseball players with rising or falling stock. Who should be your priority waiver wire pickups? Who deserves some of your precious FAAB? Are there any potential fantasy baseball buy low trade candidates? As always, we’ll start by talking about some fantasy baseball risers and fallers, highlighted by Chase Silseth and Cole Ragans, a couple of starters who could make a difference down the stretch of this fantasy baseball season. On the other hand, guys like Ezequiel Duran and Reid Detmers are trending in the wrong direction. Let’s take a look at some of the notable hit streaks and current trends across Major League Baseball, as well as fantasy baseball risers and fallers.
| AVG | OBP | SLG | ||||||
| 1 | Luis Arraez | .366 | 1 | Freddie Freeman | .420 | 1 | Shohei Ohtani | .662 |
| 2 | Freddie Freeman | .344 | 2 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | .420 | 2 | Matt Olson | .601 |
| 3 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | .337 | 3 | Juan Soto | .413 | 3 | Freddie Freeman | .597 |
| 4 | Bo Bichette | .321 | 4 | Luis Arraez | .411 | 4 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | .580 |
| 5 | Yandy Diaz | .318 | 5 | Shohei Ohtani | .409 | 5 | Mookie Betts | .579 |
| xBA | xwOBA | Hard Hit% | ||||||
| 1 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | .351 | 1 | Aaron Judge | .491 | 1 | Aaron Judge | 63.4% |
| 2 | Corey Seager | .327 | 2 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | .455 | 2 | Matt Olson | 58.0% |
| 3 | Freddie Freeman | .326 | 3 | Corey Seager | .434 | 3 | Matt Chapman | 57.8% |
| 4 | Bo Bichette | .321 | 4 | Shohei Ohtani | .432 | 4 | Juan Soto | 57.7% |
| 5 | Luis Arraez | .321 | 5 | Yordan Alvarez | .422 | T5 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | 56.7% |
| Hit Streaks | |||||||||
| Streak | Player | AB | R | Hits | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG/OBP/SLG |
| 16 | Ha-seong Kim | 58 | 13 | 24 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 9 | .414/.514/.603 |
| 15 | Maikel Garcia | 60 | 12 | 20 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 11 | .333/.358/.400 |
| 13 | Jose Altuve | 53 | 15 | 23 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 10 | .434/.516/.698 |
| 12 | Nick Castellanos | 52 | 10 | 17 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 12 | .327/.340/.692 |
| 10 | Gleyber Torres | 39 | 7 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 7 | .436/.511/.692 |
| 10 | Ozzie Albies | 46 | 8 | 15 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 11 | .326/.347/.565 |
| 9 | Tom Murphy | 33 | 6 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 7 | .394/.400/.667 |
| 9 | Nolan Arenado | 38 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | .316/.350/.500 |
Fantasy Baseball Risers
Chase Silseth, Los Angeles Angels
I mean, how do we not talk about Silseth here? Two of his last three starts have resulted in double-digit strikeout outings, with his most recent outing putting forth 12 strikeouts against the Mariners across seven innings of work! There hasn’t been anything too drastic with his pitch mix, but a noticeable difference has been with his splitter, which has posted a 38.3 percent whiff rate this season.
Over his last three starts, he has a 17.3 SwStr% and a 35 O-Swing%, so the strikeout upside is tangible with him down the stretch. The Angels aren’t in a spot to mess around too much, and Silseth right now gives them a good chance to win ball games. He’ll be in the rotation moving forward so long as he pitches well, and you can count on that.
Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals
Okay, wins are going to be a bit hard to come by, but Rangs has posted a 19:2 K/BB ratio over his last two starts (12.2 IP). He’s picked up some velocity on his fastball, and he mixes in a slider to left-handed hitters, which has been lethal this year (.091 BAA, 47.1 Whiff%). His expected statistics look even better than his overall numbers, which is encouraging, as there is a profile to build on here. Ragans is still just 25-years-old, and while his recent starts have been better than his ceiling indicates, fantasy managers can strike a bit of gold here down the stretch. If he’s available, he’s worth adding, as the strikeouts have been good of late, and he should help with your ratios, even if he doesn’t give you a bunch of wins, because you know, the Royals.
Honorable Mention: Eury Perez, Steven Matz, Johan Oviedo, Jack Flaherty, Mike Tauchman, Joey Meneses, Triston Casas, Maikel Garcia
Fantasy Baseball Fallers
Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels
While one Angels starter rises, another falls. Demters has allowed 16 earned runs over his last 11 innings pitched, posting a 9:7 K/BB ratio during that span. As the year has gone on, he’s continued to throw his curveball more, which has been pretty good all things considered. However, his four-seam fastball has been rocked of late, dating back to July where his four-seamer was pummeled to the tune of a .333 average, and .744 SLG. Now, the expected statistics aren’t as bad as the raw numbers, but we have to call them out. Rostering Detmers is like a roller coaster, in that it’s fun and scary at the same time, but if you have Detmers on the team, look to start him when he pitches at home, as that is the best side of his splits.
Ezequiel Duran, Texas Rangers
Let’s keep it short and sweet here, shall we? Duran just hasn’t been the same guy of late.
- First 70 Games: .308/.344/.526
- Last 21 Games: .156/.260/.266
Since the All-Star Break, his average exit velocity, barrel rate, and hard hit rate are all down, and he’s seeing less pitches in the zone. It was a great first half for Duran, but post-break, it hasn’t been great. His overall numbers for the year still look quite good, but tread carefully moving forward, especially in the near future, as he’s slumping pretty hard right now in these dog days of summer.
Honorable Mention: Jeremy Pena, Mitch Keller, Braxton Garrett, Lucas Gioltio, Luis Severino, David Roberston, Luke Raley, Henry Davis
Statistical Credits:
baseballsavant.mlb.com
fangraphs.com
baseballmusings.com
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Fantasy Baseball Prospect Report
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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.