Happy Stock Watch day FANation! We are nearing fantasy baseball playoffs in head-to-head leagues and roto leagues are in the stretch run. We have September call-ups like Gavin Lux and Kyle Tucker , but I didn’t include any of them because we aren’t exactly sure what their playing time is going to look like and having guys that play is crucial at this point. Deeper leagues and keeper leagues can scoop them if they are there, but shallow leagues should focus on guys who are a lock to play.
Stock up
Andrew Heaney , SP LAA – Heaney wasn’t dominant against Boston in his last start, but he pitched fine, considering the matchup. He was, however, dominant in his previous two starts before that and has pitched pretty well for a while now. Over his last seven starts, he has a 3.00 ERA and 48 strikeouts across 39.0 innings pitched. He has a strong 10.9 K/9 this year and that’s a big factor into what makes him interesting for fantasy. His biggest issue was limiting the damage, but he has been doing that lately, so with the strikeouts and solid ratios he is someone with a rising stock. One thing we would like to see him do a bit better is limit hard contact against, as his current rate of 46.9-percent is a bit high. Injuries are also a big issue with Heaney and they seem to strike him frequently, but he is worth owning in fantasy as long as he keeps taking the mound every fifth day.
Wilson Ramos , C NYM – Ramos extended his hitting streak to 25 games and in that span he is hitting .438 with three home runs and 17 RBI. This hitting streak has seen his batting average for the year go from .256 to his current .298 mark. Ramos has always been a good hitter, so this strong run isn’t the big surprise, but very impressive nonetheless. Over the last month Ramos is the number two fantasy catcher, only behind Realmuto. Remarkably, despite a 60.2-percent ground ball rate and being one of the slowest players in the league, he is consistently finding holes for base hits. It becomes even more impressive when you consider the fact that his hard contact rate of 32.8-percent is not a very high mark. He should remain a strong fantasy asset for the remainder of the year.
Jurickson Profar , 2B OAK – This isn’t the first hot streak we have seen from Profar this year and usually he comes crumbling right back down, but we have to at least take a look at him. Over his last 10 games, he is slashing .333/.535/.767 with three home runs, 12 runs, and eight RBI. He has walked 11 times in that span while striking out six. It’s been an extremely unlucky year for Profar, as his .213 BABIP is a very low number and his batting average is well below his xBA. Maybe, just maybe, his luck has turned around a bit and he can finish out the year on a high note. He offers position flexibility and he has a little bit of pop and speed, which can make him useful to any deep league roster. His stock is certainly up, but again, we have seen this a few times this year from him. With the A’s having some middle infield prospects who are ready for the show it will be interesting to see if he gets traded in the offseason. Nearly any trade would be good for him, as Oakland is a pitchers park.
Stock down
Trevor Bauer , SP CIN – Bauer has flat-out been a dumpster fire since joining the Reds. Through 24 starts for the Indians, he had a 3.79 ERA and 185 strikeouts across 156.2 innings. In six starts for the Reds, he has an 8.40 ERA and 37 strikeouts across 30.0 innings pitched. Many will be quick to say “well he moved to a team with a hitter’s park, so that is probably the cause.” Well, those people would be wrong. His only two good starts for the Reds were both at home, compiling 14.0 innings with just three earned runs against and 22 strikeouts. In his four road starts he has totaled just 16.0 innings and has given up 25 earned runs while striking out 15. It’s a very puzzling case. To make matters further confusing is the fact that he has three good matchups in his last three outings and has pitched to a 9.64 ERA in that span. I am not entirely sure what is wrong with him right now, but you almost have to leave him on your bench at this point.
Yasiel Puig , OF CLE – Puig is hitting .135 with zero home runs, two RBI, and one stolen base over his last 14 games. Overall in 28 games for the Indians, he is hitting .255 with two home runs. The trade has not improved his fantasy value and it’s starting to appear like it was detrimental. It’s also worth noting that he didn’t exactly start off his Reds career to great either. He is still playing every day and continues to slot in at cleanup in their lineup, so there is not really a reason to be concerned at this point. He is known as a very streaky hitter and this cold streak could turn into a hot streak at any point, but this is an awfully bad time to be running cold, as fantasy owners need their players at their best right now.
Rougned Odor , 2B TEX – Over his last 29 games, Odor is hitting .124 with one home run, one steal, and six RBI. He has struck out 37 times across 97 at-bats in that span. His average for the year is back under the Mendoza line at .193 and he is playing his way right out of a starting job. The Rangers plan to continue to play him everyday still, but they stated that if he doesn’t show signs of improvement this month that he will no longer be the starting second baseman going into next year. Even more pressure is on him when considering that Nick Solak is slashing .333/.451/.524 through his first 13 games and can slot right in at second base. Odor’s 31.2-percent strikeout rate is abysmal as is his 14.7-percent infield fly ball rate. That means that 45.9-percent, or nearly half, of his at-bats, end in either a strikeout or infield fly ball. Yikes. He is not worth owning in any format really.
Stocks to watch
Sean Manaea , SP OAK – Manaea made his season debut and he pitched well in a tough environment against a tough lineup (Yankees, in Yankee Stadium). He held them to just one hit and no runs across five innings of work while striking out five. He was pulled at 82 pitches. He looked good and confident too, which is a great sign for a guy coming back from injury. He posted a 3.59 ERA across 160.2 innings pitched last year, so he should have already been on your fantasy radar before this strong outing. Deep leaguers should go ahead and pick him up, while shallow leagues may want to do the same, depending on league setup. His next start is a juicy one, pitching at home against the Tigers. He should be able to pitch well in that one, making him worthy of an immediate add.
José Berríos , SP MIN – Berrios had a horrendous month of August, pitching to a 7.57 ERA across five starts (27.1 innings). He gave up at least six hits and three earned runs in every start. It gets even worse when you consider his last three opponents were the Rangers, Tigers, and White Sox, all of which should have been good matchups. His ERA for the year is still rock solid at 3.57 and I am not willing to put him in the stock down, but it is starting to become concerning. Considering that he is supposed to be a fantasy ace (or SP2), despite a low K/9 of 8.7, this type of performance is the last thing that fantasy owners need in the stretch run. His 3.87 FIP and 4.39 xFIP don’t really inspire a lot of confidence either. He should be able to turn it around, but given his low strikeout rate it would not surprise me if we see him going later in drafts next year.