Three Up:
1. Seattle Mariners Outfielder Julio Rodriguez — In March 2023, there’s a strong chance we’re talking about Rodriguez not only as a first-round pick but a top-five option. Through 81 games, the 21-year-old is batting .275 with 15 home runs, 43 RBIs, 47 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. The rookie is on pace to hit 30 home runs and steal 40 bags while driving in and scoring more than 90 runs. That is elite status and I believe we’re just scratching the surface. Rodriguez is everything we want a fantasy player to be and he’s only getting better.
2. Texas Rangers Infielder Marcus Semien — It was a struggle for Semien at the beginning of the season as he was routinely featured in our “Three Down” portion. The infielder signed a seven-year, $175 million contract last offseason and only had one home run through the month of May. However, the 31-year-old has found his groove, as he hit seven home runs in June and already has two in the month of July. During the past 28 days, the infielder is batting .324 with seven home runs. For the season, Semien is batting .238 with 10 home runs, 34 RBIs, 43 runs scored and 14 stolen bases.
3. Seattle Mariners Starting Pitcher Robbie Ray — It’s not a coincidence that the Mariners started playing better when one of their prized offseason acquisitions started to pitch better. Ray had a 4.97 ERA after his June 6 start but has turned his season around since. The 2021 American League Cy Young winner has not allowed more than one earned run since that start, which spans five appearances. During the past week, Ray pitched 13.2 innings allowing only one earned run while striking out 20. I had my doubts about Ray heading into the season and for two months I was proven correct. But the veteran seems to have figured things out and should continue to help fantasy owners.
Three Down:
1. Detroit Tigers Shortstop Javier Baez — The struggles continue for Baez as the infielder struck out 10 times and only collected five hits this past week. For the season, Baez is batting .209 with only seven home runs. The .357 slugging percentage would be the lowest since his rookie season but the second time in the last three seasons that he has a slugging percentage under .400. This is not good, as Baez was signed to help the Tigers take the next step in their rebuild and at the age of 29, the slick-fielding shortstop needs to snap out of it quickly.
2. Los Angeles Center Fielder Mike Trout — It’s been a wild ride for Trout this season. The good news is he has stayed healthy. The bad news is that Trout has some of the most prolonged slumps of his career despite playing very well overall. The latest slump involves the star outfielder collecting only two hits in the past week while striking out nine times. Trout is still on pace to hit 40 home runs, but his .272 batting average would be a career low.
3. San Diego Padres Starting Pitcher Sean Manaea — It’s been a rough stretch for the left-hander, as Manaea has allowed 14 earned runs over his last four starts. The recent struggles have ballooned Manaea’s ERA to 4.18. The strikeouts are still there, as he’s averaging 9.4 per nine innings. Manaea only has three wins and pitching on a good team like the Padres, that’s unacceptable at this point in the year.
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