There are just over five weeks left in the fantasy baseball season, which means every move and performance is critical. The finish line is in sight, but we still need to remain focused since the start of fantasy football season is quickly approaching. There are a lot of distractions that can happen in the next month with sports betting, fantasy football and watching our favorite NFL teams, so it remains important that we keep fantasy baseball near the top of the list in order to win a championship.
Three Up:
Los Angeles Dodgers Outfielder Mookie Betts — We need our stars to perform down the stretch and Betts continues to do that for fantasy owners. The outfielder hit four home runs in the past week with seven RBIs, nine runs scored and a stolen base. Betts is having an amazing August, as he’s hitting .333 with eight home runs, 17 RBIs, 28 runs scored and five stolen bases. Betts has 31 home runs this season and could push 40 by the end of the year. If it weren’t for St. Louis Cardinals Paul Goldschmidt’s amazing season, Betts could be in the National League MVP discussion.
Texas Rangers First Baseman Nathaniel Lowe — The 27-year-old is quietly having a strong season and this past week he collected four home runs and 11 RBIs. Lowe is hitting .300 with 22 home runs, 65 RBIs and 60 runs scored in 122 games. Those are just solid numbers across the board. He has been providing stability for fantasy owners in 2022.
Baltimore Orioles Reliever Félix Bautista — I’m giving shine to a reliever this week, as Bautista has become a lockdown closer for fantasy owners. Bautista took over the ninth inning for the Orioles after Jorge López was traded to the Minnesota Twins and the team hasn’t missed a beat. The right-hander has converted seven saves, picked up a win and struck out 20 in 13.2 August innings. I have stressed throughout the years that the MLB trade deadline can have huge fantasy implications, and there’s no better example than Bautista. He was a prized waiver-wire target and has come through in a big way.
Three Down:
Philadelphia Phillies Outfielder Kyle Schwarber — The inconsistencies of Schwarber are extremely frustrating. The slugger finished this past week collecting only four hits while striking out 13 times. The batting average has not been good all season — he’s only hitting .212 — but at least he has gone on power surges that have helped sustain his fantasy status. Schwarber hit 12 home runs in June and 10 in July, but only has two in the month of August. There’s another streak coming, but we’re running out of time and it needs to happen quickly. Schwarber is not providing any value right now.
Seattle Mariners Outfielder Julio Rodríguez — The 21-year-old experienced the highs and lows this week as he signed an extension with the Mariners that guarantees the outfielder $210 million and could max out at $470 million. However, his play on the field this week was brutal as he only collected two hits while striking out eight times. At least those two hits were home runs, but still not a lot of production for the rookie. For the season, Rodriguez is having an amazing season, as he’s hitting .264 with 21 home runs, 65 RBIs, 65 runs scored and 23 stolen bases. I still believe Rodriguez wins American League Rookie of the Year, but Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman is making a hard push. It will be interesting to see where Rodriguez is drafted in 2023. I believe he should be a first-round pick.
Baltimore Orioles First Baseman Ryan Mountcastle — It’s been a rough couple of months for Mountcastle and his struggles continued this week. The first baseman struck out 11 times while only collecting four hits. Mountcastle hit .195 in July and is currently hitting .202 in August. Mountcastle’s value comes from hitting home runs, but he only has 18 this year. We’re going to hope Mountcastle has a September like his month of June when he slugged seven home runs and hit .297.
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