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Mike's fantasy baseball buys and sells for MLB players currently on hot streaks. He looks at potential fantasy baseball frauds for Week 19 of the 2024 season.
As the calendar prepares to turn to August, we have some hitters who are putting up gaudy numbers at the plate. Some of them are established names, like Bobby Witt Jr. and Trea Turner.
What should we do about the players who are on unexpected heaters? 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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Tyler Fitzgerald, San Francisco Giants (SS/OF, 70% rostered)
Fitzgerald is currently on an 11-game hitting streak. However, that’s not the main headline. During that streak, he has hit eight home runs. He has played a total of 62 games across the majors and Triple-A this year, slugging a combined 17 home runs.
There’s no way that Fitzgerald is going to continue his recent home run rate. However, he did record a .212 ISO over 102 games at Triple-A last year. Thairo Estrada (wrist) is having a bad season and is on the injured list again, so Fitzgerald has a clear path to regular playing time. Some regression in the power department is coming, but he can still be valuable down the stretch.
Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins (2B/SS, 43% rostered)
The Marlins have dealt away two of their best hitters in Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Luis Arraez. More moves could still be coming ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline. One player who stands to benefit from the Marlins thinning out their lineup is Edwards, who hit .295 over 30 games with the team last year.
Edwards thrived at Triple-A this year, batting .330 with a .370 wOBA. He didn’t bring much power to the plate with his .119 ISO, but he showed excellent contact skills with his 9.2% strikeout rate. With an opening at shortstop, Edwards earned a call back to the majors.
Xavier Edwards hits for the cycle!
The @Marlins rookie led off the game with his first big league home run. pic.twitter.com/cDeAz9yJFE
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 28, 2024
Since being called up, Edwards has a 14.3% walk rate and a 15.2% strikeout rate on his way to batting .379 with a .416 wOBA. Most notably, he has eight stolen bases already. After Chisholm was traded to the Yankees, Edwards was even moved up to the leadoff spot in the lineup. He’s not going to bat nearly .380 for the remainder of the season, but he could hit around .300 and steal plenty of bases, so he is no fraud.
Eugenio Suarez, Arizona Diamondbacks (3B, 34% rostered)
The Diamondbacks are heating up down the stretch and could get some reinforcements on the pitching side of things with Merrill Kelly (shoulder) and Eduardo Rodriguez (shoulder) nearing their returns. On the offensive side of things, Suarez has provided a boost to their lineup. Over his last 25 games entering Monday, he is 26-for-87 (.299) with a .598 slugging percentage.
While Suarez has been putting up great numbers lately, he did post a 29.7% strikeout rate during that span. He has a 27.2% strikeout rate for his career, which is a big reason why he only has a career .335 wOBA. Power is his forte and has helped him generate a career .205 ISO. Continue to expect him to provide home runs, but he’s not going to bat around .300 for much longer. For the season, he is hitting just .218 overall.
Austin Wells, New York Yankees (C, 17% rostered)
Wells entered the season splitting catching duties with Jose Trevino. Trevino has since landed on the injured list with a quadriceps injury that is expected to sideline him for a while. Now the Yankees’ primary catcher, Wells is 14-for-38 (.368) with four home runs over his last 13 games entering Monday. He has performed so well that he has even been hitting cleanup behind Aaron Judge lately.
Austin Wells makes it a three-run lead with a sac fly! pic.twitter.com/a0V94qAeU6
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 29, 2024
During Wells’ hot streak, he has a 17.6% walk rate and an 11.8% strikeout rate. His strong eye at the plate is nothing new, given his career 11.0% walk rate and 18.8% strikeout rate. With Judge and Juan Soto hitting in front of him, Wells should have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs. Even when Trevino returns, he has likely earned himself more playing time. For those in need of a catcher, take a chance on adding Wells.
Victor Robles, Seattle Mariners (OF, 15% rostered)
Talk about an unexpected source of production lately. Over his last 11 games, Robles is 17-for-41 (.415) with a .478 OBP. He stole six bases during that span, although he only had two RBI and four runs scored.
Robles has been playing regularly because of all of the injuries to the Mariners’ outfield. Playing time might be more difficult for him to obtain moving forward with Randy Arozarena now in the fold. For his career, Robles has a .122 ISO and a .298 wOBA. Don’t rush to the waiver wire to add him.
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