Fantasy Baseball Category Impact: June 21

Well, it’s Tuesday, which means it’s a day closer to Friday. Woot woot! Go team! You’re almost halfway through the work week, but the scoring week isn’t close to ending. Is there ever truly enough time to devote to your fantasy teams? Interesting question nonetheless. In short, Justin Turner is mashing the baseball. Is Edwin Diaz’s right arm actually disguised as a cannon? How long can Doug Fister’s quality start streak last? I guess we’ll find out that and more in this edition!

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Justin Turner, 3B LAD— Turner had an awfully slow start to the season, hitting just .247 in April and a putrid .225 in May. The Los Angeles third baseman already has as many hits through 18 June games than he had in any other month this season. According to ESPN’s Player Rater, Turner is the sixth-best player over the last 15 days, trailing only Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Wil Myers, Justin Upton and Michael Saunders. During that same span, he’s hitting .333 with seven home runs, 15 RBI and nine runs scored. His ownership percentage has skyrocketed over the past week or so, but it still baffles me that he’s owned in just slightly over 50 percent of fantasy leagues. He’s going to continue to move up the ranks at his position, because those early season struggles are behind him. His late power surge has his HR/FB percentage at 25.9 for the month of June, an exceptional number, but certainly not sustainable. If he’s available in your league, go get him.

Edwin Diaz, RP SEA— This guy really isn’t in the competition for saves and has an 0-1 record, but in terms of improving your ratios, it’s hard to look elsewhere. Batters have a high .368 BABIP off Diaz, but his 2.35 ERA is exceptional. Sure, that’s aided by a 94.3 percent strand rate, but there’s a lot to like with Diaz. Before I get to the eye-popping number, let me preface it with a concern. His 4.70 BB/9 isn’t very good, but looking past it is slightly easier when the guy sports a 12.91 K/9. The guy is electrifying, seeing as he sports a fastball that can reach triple digits when he really gets it going. His slider has been unhittable this season, and yes, I can say that because an opposing batter has yet to record a hit off his devastating slider. The walks will stay down, the strikeouts will stay up, and Steve Cishek were to falter, Diaz could eventually see some saves down the line. If you need to improve the ratios, Diaz is your guy.

Doug Fister, SP HOU— In 2014, Fister went 16-6 with the Nationals. The following season, he went 5-7 in 61 fewer innings. This season, Fister has been very successful, going 8-3 and rattling off 12 straight quality starts. How close are his numbers to that magical 2014 season? Let’s look.

The strikeouts, BABIP, GB% are all similar, while the HR/9 is somewhere in the same ball park. The big difference is the increased numbers of walks. If he can limit the amount of walks moving forward, just think how much better he could be. Ride the train while he’s hot and make sure you add him to your team. Good, reliable pitching can sometimes be hard to find, so if you need it, Fister is your guy.