You should always have the big picture in mind when it comes to your season-long fantasy baseball leagues. Putting too much stock in a small sample size might cause you to make a decision that hurts you in the long run. That said, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be taking stock of what’s happened in the immediate past. It can be useful when it comes to weekly or especially daily lineup decisions, waiver wire considerations, tracking who might be coming into more playing time, etc.
The Rotoworld Player Rater is a handy tool that’s among the extensive offerings in Season pass. Each week, I’ll be using the Player Rater to look at the hottest hitters, position by position, over the last week, and providing commentary.
*The following data is based on 5x5 Roto scoring and cover games played from May 8-14.
Catcher
Rank |
Player |
Tm |
Pos |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
R |
VAL |
#1 |
Buster Posey |
SF |
C |
3.93155 |
1.35806 |
-0.45701 |
1.86370 |
3.00300 |
9.70 |
#2 |
Yadier Molina |
STL |
C |
1.59423 |
0.87031 |
2.77375 |
0.81657 |
1.41003 |
7.46 |
#3 |
Yasmani Grandal |
LA |
C |
0.42557 |
2.82133 |
-0.45701 |
3.79735 |
0.34804 |
6.94 |
#4 |
Caleb Joseph |
BAL |
C |
0.42557 |
1.84582 |
-0.45701 |
2.89685 |
0.34804 |
5.06 |
#5 |
Austin Hedges |
SD |
C |
1.59423 |
1.35806 |
-0.45701 |
1.08185 |
1.41003 |
4.99 |
#6 |
Drew Butera |
KC |
C |
1.59423 |
0.87031 |
-0.45701 |
1.90567 |
0.87903 |
4.79 |
#7 |
Salvador Perez |
KC |
C |
0.42557 |
1.84582 |
-0.45701 |
2.38027 |
0.34804 |
4.54 |
#8 |
Willson Contreras |
CHC |
C |
1.59423 |
0.38255 |
-0.45701 |
0.59326 |
0.34804 |
2.46 |
#9 |
Gary Sanchez |
NYY |
C |
0.42557 |
0.87031 |
-0.45701 |
0.83056 |
0.34804 |
2.02 |
#10 |
Austin Barnes |
LA |
C |
-0.74309 |
0.38255 |
1.15837 |
0.62123 |
-0.18295 |
1.24 |
Buster Posey’s home run totals have been in a decline the last few seasons, and he popped just one longball in April. However, he’s now gone deep in four of his last six games and has five dingers already in May. His six home runs is tied for fourth among catchers … Speaking of declining power, Yadier Molina hasn’t had much home run pop the last few years, but he hit two over the boards on Sunday, including a long blast off of Jake Arrieta. You obviously can’t count on many days like that, but Molina is so good at making contact that he remains one of the better bets for average among catchers … Austin Hedges hit two more homers this past week and actually picked up eight hits among his 23 at-bats. He’s hitting just .209 with a .258 on-base percentage, but Hedges leads all backstops with his eight longballs. Essentially, he’s given fantasy owners what they thought they’d get out of Mike Zunino … It hasn’t been a great
First Base
Rank |
Player |
Tm |
Pos |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
R |
VAL |
#1 |
Paul Goldschmidt |
ARZ |
1B |
2.76289 |
1.84582 |
1.15837 |
0.56528 |
1.94102 |
8.27 |
#2 |
Tommy Joseph |
PHI |
1B |
2.76289 |
0.87031 |
-0.45701 |
1.75904 |
2.47201 |
7.41 |
#3 |
Eric Hosmer |
KC |
1B |
-0.74309 |
-0.10520 |
4.38913 |
2.35230 |
0.87903 |
6.77 |
#4 |
Mark Reynolds |
COL |
1B |
0.42557 |
1.84582 |
1.15837 |
1.08185 |
1.94102 |
6.45 |
#5 |
Justin Smoak |
TOR |
1B |
1.59423 |
2.82133 |
-0.45701 |
0.94921 |
0.87903 |
5.79 |
#6 |
Justin Bour |
MIA |
1B |
2.76289 |
1.84582 |
-0.45701 |
0.44663 |
0.34804 |
4.95 |
#7 |
Wil Myers |
SD |
1B |
2.76289 |
0.87031 |
1.15837 |
-0.21657 |
0.34804 |
4.92 |
#8 |
Eric Thames |
MLW |
1B |
0.42557 |
0.38255 |
1.15837 |
0.06270 |
1.94102 |
3.97 |
#9 |
Logan Morrison |
TB |
1B |
2.76289 |
1.84582 |
-0.45701 |
-1.26370 |
0.87903 |
3.77 |
#10 |
Yonder Alonso |
OAK |
1B |
2.76289 |
1.35806 |
-0.45701 |
-0.58652 |
0.34804 |
3.43 |
Tommy Joseph was one of the worst-hitting regulars in baseball in April with a .476 OPS and just one home run, but he’s really turned it on in May with a .400/.512/.886 batting line, four homers and nine RBI in 12 games. It’s good timing on his part, as he was facing the possibility of
Second Base
Rank |
Player |
Tm |
Pos |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
R |
VAL |
#1 |
Neil Walker |
NYM |
2B |
1.59423 |
3.79684 |
-0.45701 |
2.75022 |
1.94102 |
9.63 |
#2 |
Brandon Drury |
ARZ |
2B |
1.59423 |
1.84582 |
-0.45701 |
1.99634 |
0.34804 |
5.33 |
#3 |
Jonathan Villar |
MLW |
2B |
0.42557 |
1.35806 |
1.15837 |
1.34713 |
0.87903 |
5.17 |
#4 |
Robinson Cano |
SEA |
2B |
1.59423 |
1.35806 |
-0.45701 |
2.03831 |
0.34804 |
4.88 |
#5 |
Rougned Odor |
TEX |
2B |
-0.74309 |
-0.59296 |
4.38913 |
-0.34921 |
1.41003 |
4.11 |
#6 |
Jason Kipnis |
CLE |
2B |
1.59423 |
2.33357 |
-0.45701 |
-0.48185 |
0.34804 |
3.34 |
#7 |
DJ LeMahieu |
COL |
2B |
-0.74309 |
-0.10520 |
1.15837 |
1.83573 |
0.87903 |
3.02 |
#8 |
Whit Merrifield |
KC |
2B |
0.42557 |
-0.10520 |
1.15837 |
0.69792 |
0.34804 |
2.52 |
#9 |
Chris Taylor |
LA |
2B |
0.42557 |
0.87031 |
-0.45701 |
-0.36320 |
1.94102 |
2.42 |
#10 |
Starlin Castro |
NYY |
2B |
0.42557 |
0.87031 |
-0.45701 |
-0.08393 |
1.41003 |
2.16 |
Neil Walker put up an ugly .583 OPS, which was especially worrisome given that his season ended last year due to back surgery. However, the second baseman has come out with guns blazing so far in May, batting .360/.429/.640 with two dingers and 12 RBI across 12 games. Walker has been a fixture in the Mets’ cleanup spot of late and it will stay that way at least until Yoenis Cespedes returns … Brandon Drury’s ability to hack it defensively at second base has been questioned, but he’s been a beast at the plate over his last 19 games with a .364/.417/.621 batting line, three homers and seven RBI. Drury doesn’t steal bases and needs to hit more balls in the air in order to take advantage of his good raw power. But, he’s now batted .290/.336/.466 over 628 plate appearances since the beginning of last season. He can hit … After swiping bases in three straight games over the weekend, Rougned Odor now has four steals to go along with six home runs. That puts him on a 25-homer, 17-steal pace. However, he’s hit only .200 so far this month after a .196 average in April. Odor has upped his walk rate a tad this season, but I think it’s fair to say many in the fantasy industry underestimated the batting average floor for a guy with such awful plate discipline … Jason Kipnis’ production has been sluggish since he returned from the DL. But, Indians manager Terry Francona stuck him in the leadoff spot Sunday and that seemed to spark him, as Kipnis responded with a four-hit game that included his first two longballs of the season. Carlos Santana hit fifth Sunday with Kipnis in the leadoff spot. We’ll see if that arrangement continues …
Third Base
Rank |
Player |
Tm |
Pos |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
R |
VAL |
#1 |
Travis Shaw |
MLW |
3B |
0.42557 |
2.33357 |
1.15837 |
1.46578 |
1.41003 |
6.79 |
#2 |
Nolan Arenado |
COL |
3B |
0.42557 |
1.84582 |
-0.45701 |
1.06786 |
3.00300 |
5.89 |
#3 |
Mike Moustakas |
KC |
3B |
1.59423 |
1.84582 |
-0.45701 |
-0.09792 |
1.41003 |
4.30 |
#4 |
Jedd Gyorko |
STL |
3B |
0.42557 |
1.84582 |
1.15837 |
0.43264 |
0.34804 |
4.21 |
#5 |
Joey Gallo |
TEX |
3B |
1.59423 |
1.84582 |
-0.45701 |
-0.97045 |
1.94102 |
3.95 |
#6 |
Yunel Escobar |
LAA |
3B |
0.42557 |
1.35806 |
-0.45701 |
0.43264 |
1.41003 |
3.17 |
#7 |
Trevor Plouffe |
OAK |
3B |
1.59423 |
-0.10520 |
-0.45701 |
1.22848 |
0.87903 |
3.14 |
#8 |
Evan Longoria |
TB |
3B |
0.42557 |
0.87031 |
-0.45701 |
0.80258 |
1.41003 |
3.05 |
#9 |
Alex Bregman |
HOU |
3B |
0.42557 |
1.35806 |
1.15837 |
-0.46786 |
0.34804 |
2.82 |
#10 |
Miguel Sano |
MIN |
3B |
1.59423 |
-0.10520 |
-0.45701 |
0.09067 |
1.41003 |
2.53 |
Travis Shaw kept it rolling with another big week that included a .942 OPS and seven more RBI (he’s tied for sixth in baseball with 31 ribbies). He’s even contributed a surprising three stolen bases for fantasy owners so far. Shaw left Sunday’s game with a finger injury, but X-rays came back negative … “Only” hitting one home run qualifies as a disappointment for Jedd Gyorko these days, but he drove in six more runs and had an .804 OPS. In 556 plate appearances since the start of last season, Gyorko has slugged 37 home runs. Jhonny Peralta (illness) is due back this week, but that should be irrelevant to Gyorko at this point. He’s locked in as the Cardinals’ third baseman and cleanup hitter … Yunel Escobar’s hamstring injury came at an inopportune time, as he was batting .357/.400/.571 with three home runs and 10 RBI over his last 13 contests. The Angels did at least just get C.J. Cron back, and he should be in line for regular duty at first base, with Luis Valbuena sliding over to third to cover for Escobar … Alex Bregman didn’t have a great week overall, but he did finally club his first home run of the season – a grand slam on Sunday versus the Yankees. Bregman has been batting eighth for the Astros, but his plate discipline has remained excellent even with his struggles and he’s a guy I’d be happy to buy low on …
Shortstop
Rank |
Player |
Tm |
Pos |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
R |
VAL |
#1 |
Carlos Correa |
HOU |
SS |
1.59423 |
3.79684 |
-0.45701 |
2.24763 |
2.47201 |
9.65 |
#2 |
Nick Ahmed |
ARZ |
SS |
2.76289 |
0.38255 |
1.15837 |
0.99118 |
1.41003 |
6.71 |
#3 |
Elvis Andrus |
TEX |
SS |
-0.74309 |
1.35806 |
1.15837 |
0.68393 |
1.41003 |
3.87 |
#4 |
Ryan Goins |
TOR |
SS |
0.42557 |
0.87031 |
1.15837 |
0.94921 |
0.34804 |
3.75 |
#5 |
Corey Seager |
LA |
SS |
0.42557 |
0.87031 |
-0.45701 |
0.16736 |
1.94102 |
2.95 |
#6 |
Orlando Arcia |
MLW |
SS |
0.42557 |
1.35806 |
-0.45701 |
-0.06994 |
1.41003 |
2.67 |
#7 |
Xander Bogaerts |
BOS |
SS |
-0.74309 |
0.38255 |
2.77375 |
0.94921 |
-0.71394 |
2.65 |
#8 |
Trea Turner |
WAS |
SS |
1.59423 |
1.35806 |
-0.45701 |
-1.11708 |
0.87903 |
2.26 |
#9 |
Pat Valaika |
COL |
SS |
1.59423 |
1.35806 |
-0.45701 |
-0.58652 |
0.34804 |
2.26 |
#10 |
Jorge Polanco |
MIN |
SS |
0.42557 |
-0.10520 |
1.15837 |
-0.06994 |
0.34804 |
1.76 |
Carlos Correa’s batting line sunk to an embarrassing .196/.292/.250 after his fifth straight hitless game on April 22. Since then, the young shortstop has put up a blistering .363/.422/.638 pace with four home runs and 19 RBI across 20 games … Ryan Goins is filling in for Troy Tulowitzki (hamstring) at shortstop because of his defense, but he managed an .843 OPS with a homer and a stolen base this past week. No, the career .224/.272/.329 hitter won’t keep it up. Tulo is due back this week, anyway … Orlando Arcia remains a work in progress offensively and is stuck at the bottom of the Brewers’ lineup. However, he’s up to four home runs already and I expect the steals to come … Pat Valaika has started every game at shortstop for the Rockies since Trevor Story (shoulder) went down, and he cracked a pair of two-run homers in Sunday’s win over the Dodgers. Valaika produced an underwhelming .261/.311/.414 batting line in the minors, but he did show a little pop and speed. The 24-year-old is worth plugging into fantasy lineups when the Rockies are at home. Unfortunately, they’re beginning a 10-game road trip on Tuesday …
Outfield
Rank |
Player |
Tm |
Pos |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
R |
VAL |
#1 |
Mookie Betts |
BOS |
OF |
2.76289 |
4.28459 |
1.15837 |
1.46578 |
3.00300 |
12.67 |
#2 |
Keon Broxton |
MLW |
OF |
1.59423 |
2.33357 |
2.77375 |
1.84971 |
3.00300 |
11.55 |
#3 |
Jose Bautista |
TOR |
OF |
2.76289 |
2.82133 |
1.15837 |
-0.33522 |
1.94102 |
8.35 |
#4 |
Aaron Altherr |
PHI |
OF |
3.93155 |
2.82133 |
-0.45701 |
0.57927 |
1.41003 |
8.29 |
#5 |
Bryce Harper |
WAS |
OF |
2.76289 |
2.33357 |
-0.45701 |
1.98235 |
1.41003 |
8.03 |
#6 |
Mike Trout |
LAA |
OF |
2.76289 |
1.35806 |
2.77375 |
0.47461 |
0.34804 |
7.72 |
#7 |
Lorenzo Cain |
KC |
OF |
-0.74309 |
0.38255 |
4.38913 |
2.49893 |
0.87903 |
7.41 |
#8 |
Leury Garcia |
CWS |
OF |
1.59423 |
1.84582 |
1.15837 |
1.36112 |
1.41003 |
7.37 |
#9 |
Kevin Pillar |
TOR |
OF |
0.42557 |
-0.10520 |
2.77375 |
0.81657 |
3.00300 |
6.91 |
#10 |
Michael Conforto |
NYM |
OF |
1.59423 |
0.87031 |
-0.45701 |
1.73106 |
3.00300 |
6.74 |
Keon Broxton was sent down to the minors last season after a rough start, and it was beginning to look like that might be a possibility again after he hit an ugly .119/.196/.214 with a 21/2 K/BB ratio over his first 46 plate appearances this season. However, he’s come on like gangbusters since then with a .362/.421/.652 line with three home runs, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases over his last 20 contests. He’ll continue piling up strikeouts, so slumps will occur, but Broxton remains an enticing power/speed guy … Jose Bautista put up a 1.075 OPS over the past week, smacking three homers and driving in eight runs. He’s got four longballs already in May after hitting just one in April … After posting an .877 OPS in April, Aaron Altherr has been otherworldly so far in May with a ridiculous 1.435 OPS, six home runs, 16 RBI, 10 runs and one stolen base. He’s also walked 10 times over that stretch, and the 26-year-old has made significant strides with his walk (13.1 percent) and strikeout (25.3 percent) rates this season. Howie Kendrick (oblique) is going to be back before long, but Altherr isn’t going anywhere … Leury Garcia has seized the White Sox’ center field job and has also batted leadoff for them each of the last three games. The 26-year-old’s four home runs certainly look like a fluke, as he’s never hit for power in the majors or minors. However, I will buy Garcia as a speed threat. He put up some gaudy stolen base totals in the minors and has swiped 24 bags in 440 plate appearances at the big league level …
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