MLB Hot Streaks to Watch

Keeping tabs on every hitter in MLB can be a daunting task at times given the vast depth of the overall player pool. Obviously, it’s not a problem if this is what you do for a living, but for those who love the game but find themselves in a time crunch, it can be difficult to keep tabs on players who aren’t on your roster. When a trade offer comes your way you can quickly look up players, see how they’re performing right now, what their playing time situation is and whether or not their batted ball profile indicates sustainability, but if you’re in need of making a deal and looking for players to acquire, you may need a little help being pointed in the right direction. You can look at the stats for the past week or two and see who’s hot, but you’re still in need of sifting through the data to look for everything else.

With that, here’s a list, by position, of some of baseball’s hottest hitters you might not know about and whether or not they make for good trade targets as you look ahead to the rest of the season. For the sake of not being completely obvious, we’ll leave off the big marquee names. For those players, you know the price is going to be high. For these, you might find their owners to be a little more amenable to trade without costing you or your team an arm and a leg.

C: Mike Zunino, SEA – He’s actually the hottest hitting catcher not named Gary Sanchez or Buster Posey over the past week with a .318 average, three home runs and five RBI. Most tend to overlook him though simply because of his batting average. Is a .233 mark on the season good? No. Of course not, but haven’t we moved on from sweating average so much as a category? We accept lousy averages from a number of different players so long as they hit for power, so why not do so at a position which, in many cases can be considered a throwaway? Zunino’s current .180 ISO mark is real and it’s on its way north as he continues to heat up. His .364 average in June is strictly gravy here, but it smothers and covers four home runs and 15 RBI through just 33 plate appearances. Expect obvious ebb and flow with the rate stats, but enjoy the power.

1B: Matt Adams, ATL – Some people scoffed when they were told all Adams needed was regular playing time, but his .270/.323/.607 slash line with four doubles, one triple, eight home runs and 19 RBI since coming over to Atlanta has stifled many of his critics. He went for the infamous double-dong during Monday’s slugfest with the Nationals to give him three homers and seven RBI over the past week and is about to embark on a 10-game home stand at the end of this week. If you haven’t been paying attention, left-handed power hitters are absolutely loving Sun Trust Park and Adams is about to pad his numbers big time. If you can negotiate a deal sooner than later, you can benefit from 18 home games for the Braves over their next 30 and then try to pitch him off before Freddie Freeman returns. Of course, keep tabs on what the Braves are looking to do when they do get Freeman back. If Adams continues to hit well, they’re going to want to try and keep his bat in the lineup. Anyone know if he can play third base?

2B: Josh Harrison, PIT – In the spirit of transparency, I actually turned to Nick Berns on Monday and had to ask him why he was so on Harrison for his cash lineups in DFS because I obviously missed something in my research. I felt a little silly when he pointed out Harrison’s now 10-game hit streak and while he hasn’t hit for much power recently, he’s batting .333 with a home run, four RBI and one stolen base over the past seven days. A look at his splits shows he’s hitting lefties and righties about the same, but dig a little deeper and find that .417 wOBA against southpaws with a 10.1-percent walk rate. Look at those numbers at home and get ready to push your eyeballs back in their sockets. That’s why Nick had him in the lineup yesterday. Throw down some multi-position eligibility and you’ve got one of the most unheralded assets in the infield on your hands. The power uptick may not last the whole way, but the batting average and speed numbers certainly will.

3B: Mike Moustakas, KC – The season he’s having puts him on everyone’s radar, but there are still some out there who hear the name and flinch. Last year was a lost season and while 2015 was solid, the two seasons prior were filled with more disappointment than elation. This season the power is intense as he’s already sitting on 17 home runs, but I’m a little concerned about the sustainability here. Based on his swing rates, he’s been a lot more aggressive at the plate. You tend to trade strikeout rate for increased power, but with him swinging at so many pitches, particularly outside the zone, it’s hard not to worry about a prolonged slump. His K-rate is the highest it’s been in four years and if pitchers start making the right adjustments and he does start to struggle, his track record indicates a propensity towards pressing and over-swinging to try and get back on track. You can ride this wave until it breaks, but if someone is looking to trade you Moustakas as if he’s Kris Bryant, you should walk away from the negotiation table.

SS: Didi Gregorius, NYY – What does this guy have to do to get some love and respect here? We are all very much aware that when the Yankees picked him up to replace Derek Jeter, they were looking at his glove and not his bat. But after making the proper adjustments following the 2015 season, the lefty-swinging Gregorius has learned how to take advantage of that short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium and has seen, not just an uptick, but a sustainable uptick in his isolated power numbers. His level of play in the field and his improvements at the plate have the Yankees thinking long-term with the 27-year old and while he doesn’t hit high up in the order, it’s a ridiculously strong batting order from top to bottom. He’s definitely someone you want to lock in for the duration of the season and beyond.

OF: Justin Upton, DET – Well look who’s finally awake? It only took until June, but over the last seven days, J-Up is batting .367 with three home runs and 13 RBI to finally put his totals into the tier of outfielders many expected Upton to reside all season after his insane second half last year. He’s going to need an improvement on his contact rates and swinging-strike rates to ensure he sustains a strong level of production, but how do you not love that 42.5-percent hard contact rate he’s got? The guy has all the talent in the world, but seems to have trouble putting it together for a full season. If he’s clicked now and can at least maintain a similar level of production the rest of the way, he’ll prove to be All Star material again. You may have to deal with a few slumps here and there, but the good times should easily outweigh the bad.

OF: Howie Kendrick, PHI – There was a question as to how much playing time Kendrick would receive once he returned from the DL, but with the coinciding return-to-normal for Aaron Altherr and now the injury to Cesar Hernandez, Kendrick has a clear shot towards playing time and is taking full advantage. Over the years, he’s been a batting average guy but the speed had dropped off…until now. He’s got five stolen bases to go with his .435 average, one home run and three RBI over the past seven days and is expected to see the green light regularly while on the base paths. With a career .333 OBP and a current .409 mark, that should bode well for anyone looking for cheap steals. He’s a major trade candidate come the second half, so be careful he doesn’t land somewhere else as a utility man. That will obviously cut any value he currently possesses.

OF: Kole Calhoun, LAA – Yes, the Angels appear to be a barren wasteland for offense right now, but things seem to have turned a corner as they’ve adjusted to the loss of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols is back on-track from his post-600 home run slump. Calhoun has caught fire recently and owns a .360 average with two home runs and 10 RBI over just the last seven days. Both his walk and strikeout rates have improved dramatically here in June and, offensively, he’s surging across the board right now. He still needs to improve his work against lefties here, but again, numbers are trending in the right direction. If people are down on him because of the Angels situation, he should be an easy acquisition and subsequent solid fourth outfielder for your fantasy squad moving forward.

SP: Chase Anderson, MIL – Regretfully, he might be one of the biggest candidates for regression as we head into the second half of the season. For now, however, you still might be able to grab him and take advantage of what he’s doing right now. After going 2-1 with a 0.44 ERA, a 0.77 WHIP and 19:3 K:BB over his last three starts (20.2 IP), Anderson is now sitting on a 2.53 ERA and 1.17 WHIP for the season. What’s the reason for this sudden turnaround? Well, first off, there’s the uptick in his fastball velocity which has gone from 91 mph to 93 mph and subsequently increased his ability to miss bats, as evidenced by his improved 10.5-percent swinging-strike rate. He’s also started using his cutter a whole lot more which has helped push his ground ball rate up above the 40-percent mark. Combined, Anderson looks like a totally different pitcher and he’s doing a much better job at fooling hitters. Now obviously you have to worry about hitters making appropriate adjustments, but until that time, you have to roll with him as a legit starter in all formats. Worry about the second half once we get there. If there’s additional concern, he’ll be an easy guy to trade given the improvements he’s shown.

RP: Roberto Osuna, TOR – He was hurt to start the season, struggled in his return, but is now back with a vengeance here as the Blue Jays start to regroup and surge with a healthy roster. Osuna is 11-for-11 in save chances since May 21 and has picked up five of those saves here in June. He’s allowed just two runs in that span and he’ll continue to have hiccups just as any ninth-inning specialist does, but the Blue Jays are playing great, competitive ball and Osuna has the trust of manager John Gibbons. Expect him to continue as one of the more reliable closers the rest of the way.

The All-Honorable Mention Team