Happy Wednesday! I’ll be honest with ya, I’m struggling to write an opener for this article. I’ve been struggling with a lot of things lately. Maybe we’ll call it a mid-life crisis, but at 38-years old, I still don’t feel like an adult. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as adult as you can get – mortgage, bills, a career that I’ve been at for 16 years, kids, coaching those kids – but I just feel like I’m faking it. Yes, I will pay my mortgage on time, but I’d much rather hit the slip n slide that my kids are on (I do). Sure, I’ll work from home, but you better believe I’m playing Warzone on my lunch break. It’s a strange time in my life and I guess the same applies to fantasy. We’re not even halfway through the season and I’m already spent. I’ve placed 169 players on my IL while trying to find replacements for them and it’s been tough. Every time I grab a hot Evan Longoria, he gets hurt. My “Man of the Moment” is Jonathan India, who slid into the back of this list, but boy are my options dwindling. Let’s get to the list and then we’ll talk about some movers.
| Rank | Player | Position | Team | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Ramirez | 3B | Indians | – |
| 2 | Rafael Devers | 3B | Red Sox | – |
| 3 | Alex Bregman | 3B | Astros | – |
| 4 | Manny Machado | 3B | Padres | +1 |
| 5 | Kris Bryant | 1B/3B/OF | Cubs | +1 |
| 6 | Nolan Arenado | 3B | Cardinals | -2 |
| 7 | Yoan Moncada | 3B | White Sox | +3 |
| 8 | DJ LeMahieu | 1B/2B/3B | Yankees | -1 |
| 9 | Max Muncy | 1B/2B/3B | Dodgers | -1 |
| 10 | Anthony Rendon | 3B | Angels | -1 |
| 11 | Tommy Edman | 3B/SS/OF | Cardinals | – |
| 12 | Justin Turner | 3B | Dodgers | – |
| 13 | Josh Donaldson | 3B | Twins | +2 |
| 14 | Eugenio Suarez | 3B/SS | Reds | – |
| 15 | Matt Chapman | 3B | Athletics | -2 |
| 16 | Ryan McMahon | 1B/2B/3B | Rockies | +1 |
| 17 | Eduardo Escobar | 2B/3B | Diamondbacks | +1 |
| 18 | Ke’Bryan Hayes | 3B | Pirates | NR |
| 19 | Austin Riley | 3B | Braves | -3 |
| 20 | Isiah Kiner-Falefa | 3B/SS | Rangers | – |
| 21 | Jean Segura | 2B/3B | Phillies | +2 |
| 22 | Gio Urshela | 3B | Yankees | -3 |
| 23 | Kyle Seager | 3B | Mariners | -2 |
| 24 | Joey Wendle | 2B/3B/SS | Rays | +1 |
| 25 | Jonathan India | 3B | Reds | NR |
Not a ton going on up top. Manny Machado is healthy, so he slides up slightly. Nolan Arenado slides back a little. I still like him, but he’s doing essentially what we thought he would outside of Coors. Slightly lower batting average and power, but the counting stats are still nice and if he finishes batting .285 with 30 homers, you’re going to be happy.
I’m not completely positive that it was the correct thing to do, but I slid Yoan Moncada up above DJ LeMahieu and Max Muncy. If Moncada was running, literally at all, this would’ve been an easy decision, but he’s not. No stolen bases this year and just one attempted steal. Steamer has him projected for a modest 5 stolen bases for the rest of the season, but given his track record so far this year, I’m inclined to take the under. However, when I look at LeMahieu, I’m not really that impressed either. A little more speed (2) with a little less pop (2) and you have a similar player with fewer counting stats and a lower batting average. So, for now, I like Moncada a little more than LeMahieu.
Matt Chapman has just not turned that corner at the dish to prove to me that he’s 100% recovered from his hip injury. The strikeout rate remains high and while the walk rate looks decent, the .200 batting average does not have me inspired. When we dive in a little more, the hard-hit rate is at a career-low, as is his max exit velocity. He’s just not hitting the ball with authority. All that to come full circle and say that I just don’t think he’s fully recovered.
Ke’Bryan Hayes is back baby AND he picked up right where he left off by coming off the IL and raking. Hayes has 7 hits in his four games back including 3 extra-base hits and 3 multi-hit games. I was so tempted to jump him up higher on this list, but I didn’t want a four-game sample size to completely skew my judgment. However, if he continues to flash his hit tool, don’t be surprised if he lands just outside of the top 10 in my next update.
The bottom of this list is so underwhelming. After weeks of holding out hope for Mike Moustakas, I decided to give him the boot. Word is he’ll begin a rehab stint in about a week, but I want to see him healthy before I shoot him up the list. After Jean Segura, I just don’t have a ton of confidence in the Kyle Seager and Joey Wendle range. Frankly, I wasn’t even that excited about the guys that just missed like Jeimer Candelario and Hunter Dozier.
I did bump Jonathan India onto the back end of this list. He’s strung along a nice little hot streak and has been batting towards the top of the Reds lineup and has chipped in some power and speed. He’s currently just rostered in 30% of leagues, so if you’re tired of waiting on Seager or Wendle to turn it around, churn and burn.
