Top 100 Hitters: Benching Wander

Between the Rays benching Wander France for some immaturity and his recent performance, there are some concerning signs with Mr. Ray.  One of the most challenging parts of rankings is balancing the potential that we want to realize and the reality of a player’s performance.  Wander has been benched in Kevin Cash’s world and unfortunately, while he is actually playing he has been almost less valuable.  Over the last two weeks, Wander has been top five in infield flies, while hitting nearly 60% ground balls.  At least he has been running wild with the steals while he has been scuffling at the plate.  Wander might be one of the most talented hitters in the league, but translating that talent to results is just as important.  He is still a great piece for the rest of the season, but he may be holding himself back.  Let’s jump into the top 100 hitters for the rest of the fantasy baseball season to see who else is shaking up our ranks.

Rising

• Jeimer Candelario – Breaking into the top 100 hitters this week, Candelario has been a consistent contributor this season.  He is squarely in the corner infielder categorization and nothing more.  However, for a guy that might be out of the wire in some leagues, there is solid value.  About halfway through the season, he appears capable of delivering a 20/10 season with a respectable batting average.  Over the last week, he has been even better clocking in at a borderline top 10 hitter profile.
• Lane Thomas – Lane Thomas seems to be a guy that is constantly about to break out or identified as a value on the wire.  Nothing has changed as we look at the rest of the 2023 season.  Each month this season Thomas has gotten better and the results have shown.  Overall, the profile is a slightly above average player for the rest of the season.  Will the value keep rising, I doubt it.  However, for a guy that can come cheap, he might just be the flier that fills that roster gap.
• Luis Robert – Another guy like Wander that had immense talent but the results have not always translated, injuries have held him back.  This year, Robert is looking like a guy that will play in more than 100 games in a season for the first time in his career.  Over the last two weeks, he has homered six times with 20 R + RBI.  He has been hammering the ball as of late and some luck in the HR/FB department has helped him pad those numbers.  The talent is there and it looks like he is finally staying healthy which boosts his value the rest of 2023.

Falling

• Giancarlo Stanton – Every year we are concerned with health for Stanton.  So it only makes sense that when he gets on the field, he crushes the ball to reward the patient manager, right?  Wrong!  This year, Stanton has continued to falter at the plate even when healthy which was a trend that started in 2022.  His exit velocities, launch angle, and barrel rates all appear to be intact.  Despite hitting to ball hard, he is getting fewer line drives and therefore fewer hits evidenced by his xBA (.222).  Ultimately he is still hitting the ball hard, but they are not shooting through for hits but rather groundballs or loud flyouts.  There is still a risky buy low opportunity if you can take the batting average damage.  That said, his value is in being a terrific contributor when healthy and that is just not where he is right now.
• Salvador Perez – Last Monday, Perez underwent an eye procedure due to lingering vision issues.  The Friday before he had been removed from a game because of hamstring tightness which was only a few days prior to being taken out due to a hand contusion.  Perez has been banged up and over that same time frame, across 50 plate appearances, he has been downright dreadful at the plate.  He has a total of seven hits, a 34% strikeout rate, and a nearly 20% infield flyball rate.  He gets a nudge down this week as the correlation between injury and performance is just too obvious.

Watching

• Luke Raley – On pace for a 20/20 season for the Rays, Raley has flown under the radar this season.  With a hard hit rate over 40%, he is arguably on the verge of the top 100.  He hit nearly .350 in June with 19 runs scored.  At the same time, he ran a .476 BABIP on the back of a high twenties strikeout rate during the same timeframe.  There is value here, but with likely regression and playing time potentially being at risk if the Rays ever get to full health, he is firmly in our watch category.
• Dominic Fletcher – Fletcher was recently recalled by the Diamondbacks after a successful debut earlier this season before tailing off.  He was sent down in part due to a crowded outfield situation but is now back with the big club after hitting .300+ and eight extra base hits during his short minors stint.  There is some talent here but he is a better target in OBP leagues due to his limited power/speed profile.