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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 12 of the 2024 season.
Hot streaks can be tricky in fantasy baseball. When a player like Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani goes on one, it can last a long time and is more believable considering their track records.
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 Fantasy Frauds and highlight why they likely won’t be able to continue their current level of success.
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Masyn Winn, SS - St. Louis Cardinals
Winn was awful during his first taste of the majors last season, batting .172 with a .238 wOBA over 37 games. He only had a 2.0% barrel rate and a 35.6% hard-hit rate. On the bright side, he showed a decent eye with a 7.3% walk rate and a 19.0% strikeout rate.
This season has been completely different for Winn, who has grabbed hold of the Cardinals’ starting shortstop role. He enters Tuesday batting .306 with a .343 wOBA. Helping his cause is his sprint speed, which ranks inside the 88th percentile in baseball.
Masyn Winn is now hitting .304 this season!#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/El5a0ynnJR
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 9, 2024
While his speed is a plus for Winn, it can only carry him so far in terms of his batting average. He still has just a 1.9% barrel rate, and his hard-hit rate has actually declined to 29.4%. Expect his batting average to take a hit as the summer months move along.
Josh Bell, 1B - Miami Marlins
Bell has cranked up his production as the season has moved along. Across his last 35 games, he is 43-for-134 (.321) with four home runs and nine doubles. He has recorded 21 RBI during that span, which is noteworthy because the Marlins have scored the second-fewest runs in baseball.
Josh Bell - Miami Marlins (7)
pic.twitter.com/q7Qyf6wTbL— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) June 8, 2024
As good as Bell has been lately, he still has just a .142 ISO and a .315 wOBA for the season. His barrel rate has dropped to 6.5%, which is on pace to be his lowest mark since 2018. The Marlins already traded away Luis Arraez, so Bell could find himself on another team by the time the trade deadline has passed.
As good as Bell has been lately, he has a modest .190 ISO and a .340 wOBA for his career. A move to a contender could eventually help his cause, but no matter where he lands, don’t expect him to continue to hit above .300 as he has of late. While he’s worth rostering in 15-team leagues, he’s a borderline option in 12-team leagues. For those who play in even shallower formats, it might be wise to leave him on the waiver wire.
Hunter Renfroe, OF - Kansas City Royals
The Royals brought in several veterans this offseason to help their chances of reaching the playoffs. Renfroe wasn’t a big addition, but he does have a lot of power. He hit 20 home runs last season and has hit at least that many home runs in each of the last six full seasons.
Renfroe has been one of the hottest hitters on the Royals of late, hitting 19-for-62 (.306) with three home runs, seven doubles, and a .377 OBP over his last 19 games entering play Monday. During that stretch, he posted just a 14.5% strikeout rate.
Even with Renfroe locked in right now, he is batting .201 with a .285 wOBA this season. For his career, he has a .237 batting average and a .326 wOBA. Another season with at least 20 home runs could certainly be in the cards, but his current stretch of batting over .300 is likely to come to an end soon. Don’t rush to add him off the waiver wire.
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