MLB Streaks and Trends, Risers and Fallers Week 13: Michael Kopech Struggling To Deliver For Chicago White Sox

From today until the end of the Major League Baseball season, Saturday is for looking at the various streaks and trends across the MLB, as well as those fantasy baseball players with rising or falling stock. Who should be your priority waiver wire pickups? Who deserves some of your precious FAAB? Are there any potential fantasy baseball buy low trade candidates? As always, we’ll start by talking about some fantasy baseball risers and fallers, highlighted by some notable performances from budding stars in Jordan Westburg and Emmet Sheehan. Meanwhile, Michael Kopech is trending in the wrong direction and St. Louis Cardinals’ star Jordan Walker has the longest active hit streak in Major League Baseball. Let’s take a look at some of the notable hit streaks and current trends across Major League Baseball, as well as fantasy baseball risers and fallers.

Fantasy Baseball Risers

Jordan Westburg, Baltimore Orioles

I’m very intrigued by Jordan Westburg and what we have seen from him thus far. He hasn’t struck out much, has posted a very high walk rate (13.3 BB%) with a .385/.467/.462 slash line. Sure, he has a 45.5 percent ground ball rate and he hasn’t elevated the ball much yet, but it will come. He showcased good power in the minors (18 HR before the call) and it’s only a matter of time until that comes to fruition, especially if he’s going to experience high contact rates (75.9% Contact, 93.3% Z-Contact%). He’s made starts at second base and third base thus far, so if Baltimore continues moving him around the diamond, he’ll have multi-positional eligibility for fantasy managers to enjoy.

Emmet Sheehan, Los Angeles Dodgers

Through three starts, Sheehan is 2-0 with a 2.65 ERA and 12:4 K/BB ratio across 17 IP. He’s notched a quality start in two of his three outings, and he survived Coors Field in his most recent start. While I am a bit concerned about some of his peripheral numbers and underlying metrics, he’s got a great offense behind him, and I do believe there is some room for growth in the strikeout department. Sure, the 8.7% swinging strike rate isn’t ideal, but with a 36% O-Swing rate, one would think that that mark will increase. Lastly, fantasy managers should take note of the fact that he’s already thrown more this year than any past season in the majors, so they may need to start getting creative with his workload.

Honorable Mention: Jake Fraley, Ezequiel Duran, Brayan Bello, TJ Friedl, Evan Phillips, Scott McGough

Fantasy Baseball Fallers

Michael Kopech, Chicago White Sox

There was some optimism with Kopech after making an adjustment with his arm angle, and some of the early returns were positive. Amidst that adjustment, he had a four-start stretch where he had at least nine strikeouts in each outing, but since then, while his 3.12 ERA may not look too bad at the surface, the underlying metrics are a problem. He has a 5.99 FIP, 6.60 xFIP, and a 18:17 K/BB ratio over his last four starts (17.1 IP). He’s not getting swings out of the zone, his zone percentage sits at 36.9 percent over his last four starts, and the walks are a major, major problem. Albeit few and far between, he’s mixed in his curveball a bit more in recent starts, after not using it much at all in the few starts prior, but he continues to ride his four-seamer and slider primarily.

Orlando Arcia, Atlanta Braves

Arcia was outperforming expectations by quite a margin, but it seems to be catching up to him. If he’s not hitting well, he doesn’t do much for fantasy managers. Over 233 plate appearances, his .298 average is his best fantasy asset, whereas everything else is just pedestrian. Six home runs? Thirty-two runs scored? Twenty-six RBI? One stolen base? That’s it?

Arcia isn’t a guy that you can likely drop at this point, but I’m not sure you can start him either, as he’s not making hard contact whatsoever of late, and over his last eight games, he’s hitting .061 with a 27.3 percent strikeout rate.

Honorable Mention: Francisco Alvarez, Logan Allen, Julio Teheran, Jason Adam, Patrick Sandoval

Statistical Credits:
baseballsavant.mlb.com
fangraphs.com
baseballmusings.com

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