BY: SOME GUY NAMED STEVE
Folks, we are now a month into the fantasy baseball season, and it’s time to give out the players of the week for the 4th time this year. This week we have a few guys who are popular names who are bouncing back after struggling the past few seasons, as well as a player on the Angels who is quietly turning into an All-Star.
AL Batter: Jared Walsh (Los Angeles Angels 1B/OF)
Week Statistics: .522 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI, .870 SLG
When you think of the Los Angeles Angels, the first two names that pop in your head are Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. And why shouldn’t they? Trout is one of the greatest baseball players of all time, and Ohtani is doing something we have never seen before in baseball, perfecting the two-way player role. However, another guy on the Angels has flown under the radar and is having a fantastic season. That player is Jared Walsh, and he is this week’s AL Batter of the week.
After finishing 7th in AL Rookie of the Year last season, Jared Walsh has exploded this year and has been a great source of power and average for all of his fantasy owners. In just 32 games last year, Walsh slashed .293/.324/.646 with 9 home runs over 108 plate appearances, but due to such a small sample size, many people were concerned if he could continue that production in a full season. Well, so far, so good for all of those who had faith in Walsh. This year Walsh has a slash line of .356/.422/.622 with 6 home runs, and this past week had his best week of the entire season. Jared Walsh batted a ridiculous .522 on the week that included a hit in every game and a four-hit performance against the Mariners, where he hit multiple home runs. Walsh has become a force in the heart of the Angels lineup and now ranks as the 2nd best first basemen in all ESPN leagues. Walsh also has OF eligibility making him even more valuable, and looks to be evolving into one of those rare power hitters that can supply your lineup with home runs and also a high batting average.
Honorable Mention: Jose Ramirez (Cleveland Indians 3B)
AL Pitcher: Corey Kluber (New York Yankees SP)
Week Statistics: 2 GS, 2-0, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0.61 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 15 Ks
A few weeks ago, we mentioned Corey Kluber as a popular “buy low” candidate to help your rotations. After a sluggish start to the season, it looks like that ship has sailed as Kluber looks like an ace once again. This past week Corey Kluber went 2-0 with a 0.61 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts across 14.2 innings. Kluber started the week on Tuesday with a quality start win against the Orioles. Kluber allowed just one run in this game and struck out 5 batters while only giving up 2 walks. It was his first start all season where he pitched more than 5 innings, and it gave the Yankees a lot of hope that Kluber might be over his early season struggles. On Sunday, Kluber defeated the Tigers for his second win of the week and did so in a dominant fashion. Kluber was lights out in this start allowing just 2 hits and 1 walk over 8 scoreless innings. He also struck out a season-high 10 batters and lowered his season ERA to 3.03 and WHIP to 1.35. It may have taken a few starts, but it appears that 35-year old Corey Kluber has found the “fountain of youth” and should be a very reliable starter for the New York Yankees.
Honorable Mention: Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees SP)
NL Batter: Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs 3B)
Week Statistics: .417 AVG, 6 Runs, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 1.042 SLG
It feels like years ago when Kris Bryant was projected to be one of the best players in baseball. He stormed into the league, winning Rookie of the Year and then MVP in back-to-back seasons, but the past few years have been somewhat disappointing. This year, Bryant has completely turned his career around and appears to be back to the dominant hitter he once was. This past week Kris Bryant exploded with a .417 AVG, 4 Home Runs, 3 Doubles, 10 RBIs, and an MLB best 1.042 SLG. Bryant had 4 multi-hit games that included a three-hit, two-home run game on Sunday vs. the Cincinnati Reds. Part of the success can be credited to Bryant’s hard-hit rate, which has jumped up to 45.1% after being below 40% the previous 3 seasons. Bryant has a share in the MLB lead for doubles (10), home runs (9), and slugging percentage (.708). Bryant is the number 1 ranked 3rd basemen in ESPN leagues, and just like Walsh, he also has outfield eligibility which makes him even more valuable. After a couple of disappointing seasons, it looks like Kris Bryant has overcome his struggles and became “Kris Bryant” once again.
Honorable Mention: Nick Castellanos (Cincinnati Reds OF)
NL Pitcher: Carlos Martinez (St. Louis Cardinals SP)
Week Statistics: 2 GS, 2-0, 15.1 IP, 7 Hits, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 Ks, 0.59 ERA, 0.72 WHIP
Just like the previous two names this week, our final player of the week is another guy who is starting to play like his old self again. That player is Carlos Martinez, starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. Martinez is a two time all-star that has had to deal with a plethora of injuries over the past few seasons. He started this year somewhat slow but this past week Martinez show flashes of being an ace once again. This past week Martinez made two starts and won both of them. Martinez threw 15.1 innings and allowed just seven hits and one run. He had a 0.59 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP on the week and did not allow a home run in either game. It was Martinez’s third consecutive quality start and lowered his season ERA to 3.72 and WHIP to 1.02. Martinez is owned in only 29.5% of ESPN leagues and has the potential to continue to give your teams good pitching performances in front of a solid Cardinals lineup.
Honorable Mention: Anthony DeSclafani (San Francisco Giants SP)
In case you missed it make sure to check out last week’s Fantasy Baseball Podcast – TWS Fantasy Baseball Episode 3
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