What is up party people? Elly De La Cruz is on one heck of a tear right now and I regret not getting more shares of him. I will be the first to admit that I thought his ADP was too rich for my blood going into the season mainly due to his strikeouts. I will also be the first to admit that despite a 36% strikeout rate, he has still been amazing. That is truly impressive. He’s got the power (8) and he’s got the speed (18) to be a star. Honestly, it’s surprising that he only has 5 doubles with those kind of wheels. I still have some concerns there will be some rough patches from the Ks but he’s good enough to be productive in spite of that. Consider this my apology to Elly for ever doubting him.
Alec Bohm – I love to say “Bohms Away!” but that’s not really his style with a high of 20 set last season and only 4 this year. While he may not hit bombs, he does drive in runs and has a top 5 OPS. Those are both very good and explain why he finds himself near the top of the hitter leaderboard. He’s been hot the past week but there is big time potential that he can keep this rolling all season. Bohms Away!
Carlos Santana – Here’s a blast from the past, but at least for one week, he’s been great. Enjoy it while it lasts because it won’t last long.
Willi Castro – You may have heard his name tossed around as a potential sleeper before the season, mostly for his speed, after swiping 33 bags last season. Power has been nothing to write home about but he can run into a few. He’s interesting in deeper leagues if he can hold onto his regular playing time afforded by injuries. Multi position eligibility is a nice bonus for fantasy but the fact that he can play a few different positions should help him find his way into the lineup even as other guys get healthy. I’ve got my eye on him just in case this hot streak turns into something more.
Jurickson Profar – Looks like he definitely took that “irrelevant” talk to heart as he has been quite relevant for fantasy purposes this season. A .342 average with 4 home runs and only 20 strikeouts will do that. How long can he keep it up? Who knows but for the time being, he looks like one of the better hitters in San Diego.
Luis Rengifo – Qualifying everywhere but catcher and first base, Rengifo is perfect for short benches. That’s not news. What is news is that he has continued to hit and seems to have forced into regular playing time. That’s great for anyone who already scooped him up and it’s great if you’ve been on the fence since he’s still roughly 50% available. That number should drop in a hurry.
Ceddanne Rafaela – After a very slow start, he is finally starting to turn things around. His season numbers still aren’t great, still batting under .200 with not nearly enough power to make up for it. He also strikes out too much and doesn’t walk much. Like I said, the season numbers aren’t pretty. However, the team views him as their everyday shortstop going forward so at least he will be getting at bats. Over the past week he has actually been doing something with those at bats and has started to show off his speed with 4 doubles. Defense should keep him in the lineup but he needs to build on what he did at the plate last week.
Steven Kwan – He keeps chugging along, hitting for average and not striking out. Points league hero.
Nick Senzel – Maybe a change of scenery is just what he needed after never quite being able to deliver on his hype in Cincy. You can’t be thrilled that he started the season on the injured list given his history but the power has been on full display since his season debut with 5 in only 13 games. That more than makes up for his sub .240 batting average. I know it’s just a hot streak but part of me wants to believe he figured some things out and this is the start of a breakout. Either way, he’s worth a speculative add.
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