.jpg)
Who's Hot
Kyle Tucker , OF - Houston: Starting to surge after a slow start, he's logged 29 plate appearances in his last seven games with eight runs, three home runs, eight RBI and a .360/.448/.880 slash line. Teaser alert, he may appear again in this column.
Jesús Aguilar , 1B - Miami: Quite the anomaly since he only hits home runs on the road. This will be tested with his team heading to face the Dodgers in Los Angeles this weekend. But, over his last seven games he's slashing .423/.444/.923 with four runs, three home runs and eight RBI. Pretty, pretty good.
Teoscar Hernández , OF - Toronto: A slow start and time on the injured list made him a headache for those with him on their fantasy roster. But, he's turning the corner of late including a multiple home run performance in Atlanta. HIs last six games yielded five runs, three home runs and seven RBI with a .435/.480/.870 slash plus a .435 isolated power. More power may be on tap.
Who's Not
Hunter Dozier , 3B - Kansas City: A popular target in the preseason due to the power with a little bit of speed along with multi-positional eligibility. However, he's hitless over his last six games spanning 25 plate appearances with a 40 percent strikeout rate and negative 75 weighted runs created plus metric (wRC+). Better days may lie ahead but he's likely on fantasy benches this weekend if possible.
Eddie Rosario , OF - Cleveland: Maybe Minnesota knows something fantasy players do not, resulting in his non-tender in the off-season. Rosario's struggling of late carrying a .056/.105/.111 slash line his last 19 plate appearances with a 31.6 strikeout percentage into Seattle. A .056 isolated power does not bode well for a player who relies on power to produce. Stay tuned.
Manuel Margot , OF - Tampa Bay: Guessing streakiness will be a part of his game going forward. Right now, it's a cold spell. Margot's hitting .083 with a matching on-base percentage his last 24 plate appearances with only a run scored in them. Not quite the power and speed combination fantasy players hoped for in drafts.
Positive Movement to the Mean
Kyle Tucker , OF - Houston: Wait, so he's hot and it could remain this way? Why, yes it certainly could:
.214 batting average vs. a .287 expected batting average (xBA), plus 73 points
.450 slugging percentage vs. a .548 expected slugging (xSLG), plus 98 points
.310 weighted on-base average (wOBA) vs. a .377 expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA), plus 67 points
Cesar Hernandez , 2B - Cleveland: Hitting atop one of the weaker lineups in the majors, maybe a hot streak could spark the squad. Remember, Cleveland's been no-hit twice already this year. Still, signs of hope for the plucky second baseman:
.211 batting average vs. a .284 xBA, plus 73 points
.346 slugging percentage vs. a .489 xSLG, plus 143 points
.292 wOBA vs. a .372 xwOBA, plus 80 points
Alec Bohm, 3B - Philadelphia: Second seasons can be tough on rookies and Bohm's off to a slow start. However, with some luck and migration to the mean, things may be improving soon for the talented line drive hitter:
.216 batting average vs. a .267 xBA, plus 51 points
.331 slugging percentage vs. a .452 xSLG, plus 121 points
.251 wOBA vs. a .323 xwOBA, plus 72 points
Statistical Credits:
Fangraphs.com
MLB.com
BaseballSavant.com