We’ve looked at rankings the past couple weeks so now it’s time to see who took advantage of the break and is ready to come out strong. Now is the time to take an honest look at your team and figure out what you need to climb to the top of the mountain. One of the best things you can do this time of year is be honest about who has been helping and who has been hurting your team. I get it, you overvalue the guys that you drafted because they are your guys. I get it, I’ve done it too, everyone tends to value the guys on their roster higher than guys that aren’t. This is one of the reasons trades can be difficult to pull off. However, taking a rational look at your roster can help show you what moves you need to make. You want to keep working the wire, looking for that next piece. Now obviously that doesn’t mean drop a stud just because he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations but you can add the next hot schmotato for the guy at the end of your bench. So without further ado, lets check out the noteworthy performances.
Juan Soto said he would use the homerun derby as a way to fix his swing and well it looks like he knows more than we do. He has come out of the break firing on all cylinders. He had a disappointing first half, especially in the home run category so it’s great to see him smash 5 already. He was the number one hitter in my second half ranks and for at least one week, he’s making me look good. If you’ve held on to him all season, Sexy Dr Pepper is back. For the rest of us, the window to buy may have just slammed shut.
Jose Abreu may not have come in as highly in the second half ranks but he would like to remind everyone that he was the MVP last season. He’s come out scorching hot, batting over .300 with 3 big boys. That’s exactly what you wanted to see if you have him rostered.
Mitch Haniger had himself a nice week and it’s great to see. The rest of his team has not done too well in the box but Mitch has been getting it done for ya all season. A trio of bug flies in a week will bump you to the top of the list but don’t let that take away from the strong season he’s enjoying.
Willy Adames seems to be enjoying his new home with the Brew Crew and it was more of the same this past week. Batting .400 on the nose with a pair of bombs, yep that’s the stuff.
Josh Rojas reminded us why there was hype surrounding him coming into the season. No bombs, but he did rack up 4 doubles and batted .450. Sadly his great week came at a price in the form of a dislocated finger. His status is unclear at the moment but he’s available in about half of leagues and I would be looking to add.
Josh Harrison should really be on more rosters than he is. He’s a points league hero. Ok, maybe he’s not a league winner but he can be a very valuable piece for your team. He is way under owned for his performance. The projections may not love him but he’s better than the worst player on your roster.
Akil Baddoo has one of the coolest names in baseball and you can’t convince me otherwise. Also he’s back after taking the league by storm early on and then fading. He’s been hanging around on the wire since his hot start we could be looking at a gem. Grab him now, while you still can.
Jose Ramirez only managed a single point week coming out of the break He’s battling through an elbow injury which could definitely explain some of his struggles. He’s among the elite batters and once that’s in the tearview, he;ll get right back on track.
Mookie Betts is having a down year and he’s still better than most. We can blame injury for his down week post break but I still like him this season. The injury is something to keep an eye on but I’m still checking in to see what it would take to add him to my roster.
Cody Bellinger has not helped your team out this year since he’s missed most of it. Since returning he looks rusty and his numbers are pretty bad. I’m not ready to panic yet, he missed so much time that there’s bound to be a warm up period. Basically he needs another spring training. Once he gets acclimated, look out.
Jonathan India has a Rookie of the Year race to win, looking like a young Joey Votto with 47 walks. A walk is just as good as a hit in points and we’ll take is any way we can get it.
Randy Arozarena is starting to find his power stroke with 3 this past week. If he can do that, the points will start piling up.
Miguel Rojas has been a solid contributor, especially in deeper leagues, all season and came out strong. He doesn’t quite have the power for massive point totals but he has the ability to hit doubles and that’s very valuable,
Question? Comments? Concerns? Find me below or on Twitter @deltaxi1842
