The MLB season is already off to a roaring start and with that roaring start we have seen some players carry over hot springs into the regular season as well as some players who are still trying to find their way at the plate or on the mound.  So, let’s take a look at whose fantasy stock is rising or falling after the first five days of the regular season.

Rising Stock

Yonder Alonso 1B, CLE- After hitting a career best 28 home runs in 2017 and hitting .375 with seven home runs during this past spring training Alonso finds himself available in nearly 50-percent of standard leagues.  He is off to a fast start with his new ball club the Cleveland Indians who have ranked among the league leaders in runs scored over the past few seasons.  Alonso has already homered twice this season lending evidence that his power surge last season was no fluke. Hitting in the middle of the Indians lineup should provide plenty of RBI opportunities and fantasy owners should think about what Mike Napoli did for Cleveland a few years ago as the ceiling for Alonso this year.

Brian Anderson 3B, MIA- The expectations for the Marlins were pretty low to enter the season but they have shown some signs of life to open the year and that is largely due to their cleanup hitter in Anderson who is hitting .333 with five runs, one home run and six RBI so far this season.  Anderson hit .275 with 22 home runs, 81 RBI and an OPS of .853 last season between Double-A and Triple-A.  Somebody on the Marlins needs to drive in runs and early on it is looking like Anderson.  If you just lost Jake Lamb to the DL and need slot somebody in at third base I would give Anderson a look.

Jose Berrios SP, MIN- There were certainly some questions surrounding Berrios heading into this season after he struggled in the second half of 2017. The Twins are hoping he takes that next step to be their “Ace” and he has shown flashes of that potential so far during his young career.  Berrios had an average ADP of 106 heading into the season and he rewarded fantasy owners who drafted him by tossing a complete game shutout against the Orioles to open his season.  He takes the mound next against the Mariners on Saturday where he will look to continue his strong start.

Falling Stock

Kevin Gausman SP, BAL- Feels like déjà vu here with Gausman after he posted a miserable 5.85 ERA over his first 19 starts last season but rebounded in the second half with a 3.41 ERA over his final 15 trips to the mound.  Fantasy owners who drafted Gausman were obviously hoping he would continue to build off his second half of last season but instead he got hammered by the Twins to the tune of six runs on seven hits which included three home runs over four innings of work.  Things are not going to get any easier for Gausman as he is slated to face the Yankees in his next outing. 


Evan Longoria 3B, SF- Longoria was a big-name acquisition by the Giants this offseason and he had a solid spring training, hitting .317 over 15 games but he has been ICE COLD to begin the regular season going 0-for-15 through the first four games of the season.  He might be starting to come around after homering in today’s contest, but some owners are already starting to cut bait as his ownership sits around 80-percent in standard leagues.

Ian Happ OF, CHC- Happ got the 2018 MLB season started with a bang as he took the first pitch of the year and hit it for a home run.  Unfortunately, since then he has just one other hit and has struck out 10 times in 16 at bats this season.  Happ was a very popular sleeper candidate heading into the year thanks to his role as the Cubs leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching but if he continues to struggle there is a real chance his playing time decreases, or he finds himself back in Triple-A.  Happ did strikeout in 31-percent of his at bats last season so this could be a real problem.