MLB Streaks and Trends, Risers and Fallers Week 24: Michael King Looks Great For The New York Yankees
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 Michael King and Evan Carter of the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers respectively. On the other hand, managers in the fantasy baseball playoffs may want to be careful moving forward with Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Lorenzen. 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 | .349 | 1 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | .418 | 1 | Corey Seager | .663 |
| 2 | Corey Seager | .344 | 2 | Freddie Freeman | .413 | 2 | Shohei Ohtani | .654 |
| 3 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | .337 | 3 | Shohei Ohtani | .412 | 3 | Matt Olson | .612 |
| 4 | Freddie Freeman | .336 | T3 | Mookie Betts | .412 | 4 | Mookie Betts | .604 |
| 5 | Yandy Diaz | .322 | 5 | Corey Seager | .406 | 5 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | .586 |
| xBA | xwOBA | Hard Hit% | ||||||
| 1 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | .356 | 1 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | .464 | 1 | Aaron Judge | 63.7% |
| 2 | Corey Seager | .326 | 2 | Aaron Judge | .453 | 2 | Matt Olson | 57.3% |
| 3 | Freddie Freeman | .321 | 3 | Yordan Alvarez | .436 | 3 | Matt Chapman | 56.7% |
| 4 | Luis Arraez | .319 | 4 | Corey Seager | .434 | 4 | Juan Soto | 55.1% |
| 5 | Bo Bichette | .311 | 5 | Shohei Ohtani | .428 | 5 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | 54.9% |
| Hit Streaks | |||||||||
| Streak | Player | AB | R | Hits | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG/OBP/SLG |
| 14 | Luis Rengifo | 56 | 9 | 25 | 5 | 14 | 5 | 8 | .446/.476/.804 |
| 10 | Nico Hoerner | 43 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .372/.386/.395 |
| 9 | Jarred Kelenic | 32 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 7 | .344/.382/.438 |
| 8 | Elehuris Montero | 28 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | .429/.469/.643 |
| 8 | Oswald Peraza | 34 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | .353/.353/.529 |
| 8 | Danny Jansen | 27 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | .333/.455/.667 |
| 7 | Wander Franco | 29 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | .517/.562/.897 |
| 7 | Julio Rodriguez | 30 | 9 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | .467/.484/.833 |
| 7 | Brandon Nimmo | 29 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | .345/.406/.621 |
| 7 | Ildemaro Vargas | 22 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | .455/.556/.545 |
| 7 | Mauricio Dubon | 28 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .357/.400/.643 |
| 7 | Max Muncy | 27 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 10 | .296/.382/.741 |
| 7 | Ryan Noda | 26 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 12 | .308/.400/.500 |
Fantasy Baseball Risers
Michael King, New York Yankees
The Yankees may have found something in King, the starter. Since moving him to a starter full time and building up his stamina, he’s been great, despite never pitching more than five innings. Over his last five starts, he has a 1.27 ERA, 1.10 FIP and a 29:4 K/BB ratio across 21.1 IP, good for a 12.23 K/9 and 1.69 BB/9. His sweeper and changeup both have 40+ percent whiff rates on the year, while his four-seamer has generated a .221 batting average against and .275 wOBA. The Yankees will continue to use him as a starter, and while nothing past five innings is guaranteed, he has the potential to be dominant over those five innings, making him worthy of a roster spot.
Evan Carter, Texas Rangers
I’d venture to say that Carter has been “as advertised” thus far in his big league career. He’s slashing .300/.423/.500 with one home run and two stolen bases. Now, there are some things that stand out, notably that massive 38.5 percent strikeout rate when he was never a big time strikeout guy in the minor league ranks. The team is protecting him against lefties a bit, which is to be expected with a young prospect, but the talent has been on display, and despite a high strikeout rate, he’s been great at staying inside the strike zone (14.9% O-Swing%). They should see quite a few righties in the coming days, which bodes well for Carter’s playing time.
Honorable Mention: Willi Castro, Tarik Skubal, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Heston Kjerstad, Reid Detmers, Robbie Grossman, Jorge Polanco
Fantasy Baseball Fallers
Michael Lorenzen, Philadelphia Phillies
Lorenzen could see his role change, as he could be the man that is sent to the pen. After his no hitter against the Nationals back on August 9, it’s been a far fall from grace for him. His last five starts have seen him post a 7.96 ERA, 7.45 FIP, 4.85 K/9 and a whopping 37 hits across 26 innings of work. Sure, he’s had to face Atlanta and San Diego in there, but he also had starts against the Nats, Giants, and Angels, so he had his chances. He’s a guy I’m comfortable dropping at this point, especially if it is determined that he’s the one going to the bullpen.
Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers
Ah, a second Ranger makes the list, but this one isn’t for positive reasons. After missing about a month and a half due to injury, he’s been ineffective upon his return, recording more than nine outs in just one appearance. They are being mindful of his pitch count, but he’s also not really giving them a reason to leave him in the game. He has a 7.71 ERA, 9.40 FIP, 3.86 HR/9 and 7:6 K/BB ratio over his last seven innings of work. In the most important stretch of the fantasy baseball season, fantasy managers can’t trust Eovaldi, and at this point, he’s not even going to give you enough innings to warrant taking on the risk. He should face Boston in his next start, and those Boston left-handed bats will have a hefty advantage against the Texas right-hander.
Honorable Mention: Adam Duvall, Ha-Seong Kim, Andrew Abbott, Elly De La Cruz, James Outman
Statistical Credits:
baseballsavant.mlb.com
fangraphs.com
baseballmusings.com
More Fantasy Baseball Content
Fantasy Baseball Closer Report
Fantasy Baseball Prospect Report
Player News
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.