Nearly three weeks into the season, we are starting to get an idea of who’s who. Remember to look beyond surface stats when evaluating a player’s performance, as you may find reasons why that performance is good or bad and whether it is sustainable over the course of a full season.
Here are this week’s fantasy baseball risers and fallers.
Three Up:
Baltimore Orioles SS Jorge Mateo — After bouncing around a few organizations early in his career, Mateo has solidified himself as the Orioles’ regular shortstop thanks to his blistering speed and stellar defense. The bat had been an issue, but it appears something has changed in that regard. Mateo has recorded five of the seven hardest-hit balls of his career in his last four starts. He’s hitting .429 in the last seven days with a home run, three doubles and three stolen bases. Not only is he smoking the ball seemingly out of nowhere, his whiff and chase rates are down substantially. There’s reason to believe his hot start is sustainable, and if that ends up being the case, Mateo would be a legitimate weapon.
Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuña Jr. — A popular pick to win National League MVP, Acuña has lived up to the hype. In the past week, he has put together a trio of three-hit games and has lifted his average to .373. The power isn’t quite there yet as he has just three long balls to his name thus far, but everything else looks like the Acuña we’re accustomed to. He appears to be on his way to an easy top-five MVP finish if he stays healthy.
Minnesota Twins RHP Pablo López — The introduction of a sweeper to his arsenal has done López wonders. The pitch boasts a 50 percent whiff rate and is a big reason why the righty has found success during the young season, enough that he has just agreed to a four-year extension to stay in Minnesota. Though he hasn’t recorded a win since Opening Day, his other three outings have been quality starts, including a 10-strikeout performance early last week. All in all, López has a 1.73 ERA in 26.0 innings pitched, with a 33.7 percent strikeout rate that is easily a career high in this small sample.
Three Down:
St. Louis Cardinals OF Jordan Walker — After a record-setting 12-game hitting streak to begin his major league career, Walker has cooled off a lot. He has just four hits in the past week, all singles, and fewer hard-hit balls overall. He has been set down on strikes 10 times during that span as well. The 20-year-old is going to be just fine, but he needs to get past his bout with the expected growing pains, which appear to be upon us.
Boston Red Sox LHP Chris Sale — The good news is that Sale is finally healthy and getting consistent starts again. The bad news is that those starts have been, well, bad. He has yet to pitch into the sixth inning and his lone start last week was a four-inning effort in which he surrendered seven hits and five earned runs. He still exceeds at racking up strikeouts, but his 11.25 ERA leaves much to be desired.
Chicago White Sox RHP Michael Kopech — The righty took a tough-luck loss after a good outing in Pittsburgh, but that start is flanked by two miserable ones. Kopech has surrendered at least three walks in each of his starts and an astounding seven home runs in total so far this season. His contact numbers are among the worst of baseball’s starting pitchers, and it certainly doesn’t help his case that he’s allowing too many free passes in addition to the hard contact. His next start will likely be against the Rays, who boast baseball’s best offense so far. I’m avoiding him at all costs.
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