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Mike's fantasy baseball buys and sells for MLB players off to hot starts. He looks at potential fantasy baseball frauds for Week 13 of the 2024 season.
Trying to determine what to do about a hitter who is on a heater when it comes to fantasy baseball can be tricky. When an established star is raking at the plate, it’s time to just sit back and enjoy the ride.
However, what about players without such impressive historical statistics? Should fantasy managers add them and try to take advantage of their hot streak, or is it too late to jump on board?
Let’s dive into some potential Fantasy Frauds and discuss if they will be able to continue their current level of success.
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Nick Gonzales - 2B/SS, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates selected Gonzales in the first round of the 2020 Draft. He made his way to Triple-A last year, recording a .225 ISO and a .388 wOBA across 99 games at the level. While his 26.6% strikeout rate wasn’t great, he did record a 12.0% walk rate. He also logged 35 games in the majors but struggled with a .139 ISO and a .258 wOBA.
After thriving at Triple-A again to begin 2024, Gonzales was called up to the majors. He has looked much better in his second go around, entering Monday with a .197 ISO and a .361 wOBA. His strikeout rate is down to 23.3%, but his most encouraging stats might be his 11.6% barrel rate and 43.2% hard-hit rate.
Nick Gonzales just keeps hitting.#VotePirates ➡️ https://t.co/F8oWS9ebkY pic.twitter.com/vGuYpqrAbp
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 16, 2024
Gonzales has the pedigree to put up these kinds of numbers. He also has a clear path to maintaining his starting role for the remainder of the season. Gonzales is no fantasy fraud. He is still available in 52% of Yahoo! leagues, so add him if you still can.
Carlos Santana - 1B, Minnesota Twins
The Twins are the sixth team that Santana has played for over the last five seasons. He had a bit of a resurgence last year, batting .240 with 23 home runs and a .747 OPS. Prior to that, he had hit .214 or lower and had an OPS of .699 or lower in each of the last three seasons.
Santana is currently on a hot streak, hitting 19-for-57 (.333) with four home runs and four doubles over his last 17 games entering Monday. During that span, he produced a 12.3% walk rate and a 10.8% strikeout rate. He also stole two bases, which were his first steals of the season.
For his career, Santana is batting .242 with a .342 wOBA. He’s not going to continue to hit over .300 for long. While another season with at least 20 home runs could certainly be in the cards, don’t expect him to be an asset in terms of his batting average.
Paul DeJong - SS, Chicago White Sox
After such a promising start to his career, DeJong has struggled just to find regular playing time. He appeared in 112 total games last year, splitting time between the Cardinals, Giants, and Blue Jays. His biggest issue has been his inability to make contact. After posting a 33.3% strikeout rate in 2022, he finished with a 30.3% strikeout rate last year.
With the White Sox struggling to fill out a viable lineup, DeJong has already played in 67 games this year. He entered Monday with 14 home runs, matching his entire total from last season. Of those 14 home runs, seven of them have come across his last 16 games.
Paul DeJong hits a solo shot for the lead! pic.twitter.com/t3367Q3taz
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 16, 2024
Power is not a problem for DeJong. However, his strikeout rate remains too high at 31.4%. Just as concerning is that his walk rate is down to a career-low 3.8%. Fantasy managers who are desperate for power or are in a 15-team or deeper league could consider DeJong, but don’t expect him to provide much outside of home runs.
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