We are now nearly two weeks into the fantasy baseball season and there are already plenty of players making quite an impressive for both good (Shohei Ohtani ) and bad (Giancarlo Stanton ) reasons.   While those two players have seen their stocks rise and fall they would be tough to pry away from their current owners.  With that said let’s take a look at some players who find their stocks on the way up or on the way down.

 

Rising Stock

Hanley Ramírez 1B, BOS- I was a big fan of Ramirez this offseason as he came into camp rejuvenated and more importantly healthy after an injury plagued 2017 season.  New Red Sox manager Alex Cora has gotten maximum effort from HanRam through the first few weeks of the season as he is hitting .359 with six runs, one home run, 11 RBI and three stolen bases.  Ramirez is owned in just over 50-percent of standard leagues but that should be on the rise as he hits in the middle of a Red Sox lineup that figures to score a ton of runs this season.

Dansby Swanson SS, ATL- Last season was a struggle for Swanson who entered the year with N.L. Rookie of the Year hype that just did not come to fruition.  2018 is a new season however and Swanson is looking much more comfortable at the plate and as a result the production has been there as he is hitting .366 with five runs, four doubles, one triple, one home run, eight RBI and one stolen base over the first 10 games of the season.  Swanson has the hit tool to flirt with a .300 average while providing the potential for 10+ home runs and 10+ stolen bases.

Sean Manaea SP, OAK- Manaea was a popular sleeper candidate heading into last season after a making a strong impression as a rookie in 2016 which saw him go 7-9 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.  Unfortunately, Manaea took a step back last season and had yet to show the strikeout rate that he had during the minors.  His 2017 performance lead him to an average ADP of 260 heading into the season in standard league formats, but he has rewarded those who drafted him with two strong starts to begin the year.  The strikeout numbers are still not where they should be as he has struck out just 11 over 15.2 innings but he has also only walked one batter over the two starts which is a great sign.  Manaea is available in over 40-percent of standard leagues and if that strikeout rate eventually comes around he could be in for a huge season.

 

Falling Stock

Logan Morrison 1B, MIN- Morrison was a late signing by the Twins this offseason as many had to wonder if his 38-home run outburst from 2017 was repeatable or not.  Unfortunately for Morrison and those who drafted him the answer through seven games this season is not about whether or not he can repeat the 38 home runs, which doesn’t look likely, but if he is actually going to make contact at all this season in general as Morrison is just 1-for-23 to begin the year.  His ownership percentage has dropped nearly 20 points since last week and that figures to continue to be on the down swing until he finally puts a ball over the fence.

Jason Kipnis 2B, CLE- The Indians offense is off to a slow start in general but given how well he hit during spring training it is a bit surprising to see Kipnis hitting as poorly as he is to begin the year as he is just 4-for-41 (.098) with two runs and one RBI though 11 games.  Kipnis was going very late in drafts after having a poor season in 2017 which saw him hit a career low .232 with a .705 OPS over 90 games. His strong spring had many calling him a great late round sleeper but his ownership levels are now below 50-percent and figure to keep on dropping as he is in an 0-for-18 skid.

Corey Knebel RP, MIL- Knebel had an average ADP of 82 in standard league formats heading into the season after coming off a dominate 2017 season where he saved 39 games and struck out 126 over 76 innings.  Unfortunately, Knebel had already gotten off to a slow start, allowing three earned runs over three appearances with one blown save and then he finds himself on the DL for at least six weeks due to a hamstring injury.  I always say you should wait on closers given how agro the position and this is just another example of why any other player would have been a better choice around pick No.82 of your standard league draft.