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Analyzing MLB starting lineup trends and emerging fantasy baseball sleepers for Week 8 (2024). Kevin reviews batting order changes, playing time, and platoons.
It's now Week 8 in the fantasy baseball season. Trends have been identified and new ones are always developing. The sooner you get in front of them, the more likely you are to pull off a win.
In this article, we'll go over some of the trends we're seeing with platoon hitters, notable playing time changes, and batting order notes. We'll focus on a couple of players for each section and provide some added depth and insight to help you build your lineup.
If there are players that you'd like to see covered or discussed that fit any of the criteria below, feel free to hit me up! Now, let's get to it.
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Platoon Player Updates for Fantasy Baseball
Trevor Larnach - OF, Minnesota Twins
The Twins platoon more than your average MLB team and they've done a pretty good job at it. Trevor Larnach is a lefty who has brought in against righties and is doing a pretty good job at it. With an .842 OPS and a 142 OPS+, Larnach is one of the Twins' most effective hitters this season.
Trevor Larnach home runs are truly 1/1 pic.twitter.com/EcFEpcOuOY
— Carl (@KirilloffRBW) April 24, 2024
Much of Larnach's production came in April and he's cooled off in May, but the lefty shouldn't stay down for long. Fantasy managers that need a lefty should snag him for their bench and insert him in their lineup once Larnach heats back up.
Wilyer Abreu - OF, Boston Red Sox
Another lefty brought in to platoon against righties, Abreu has helped to keep the Red Sox offense afloat amidst their litany of injuries. Smashing for a .938 against righties, this lefty has hit 15 of his 32 hits for extra bases.
WILYER ABREU IS MY FAVORITE PLAYER ON THE RED SOX pic.twitter.com/92hmrC6Dic
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) May 16, 2024
Now, there are some concerns with Abreu's expected stats, posting a .321 xwOBA compared to his current .378 wOBA. So luck is not in his favor, but his 12.3% BB% should keep him getting on base at a high enough clip. Abreu is worth the waiver wire pickup and holds extra value with being able to face righties, thus getting more ABs.
Other platoon names to keep an eye on:
Joc Pederson - DH, Arizona Diamondbacks
LaMonte Wade Jr. - 1B, San Francisco Giants
Playing Time Updates for Fantasy Baseball
Edmundo Sosa - SS, Philadelphia Phillies
Trea Turner's hamstring strain two weeks ago kicked the door open for more playing time for Edmundo Sosa and he has taken full advantage. All he's done in the month of May is hit for a sultry .936 OPS. I guess that's a good number, sure!
EDMUNDO SOSA CLUTCH GENE IS REAL pic.twitter.com/HzWfDxZqnq
— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) May 12, 2024
Sosa has been a bit lucky, posting a .413 wOBA with a .361 xwOBA, but that .361 xwOBA is still nothing to sneeze at. Fantasy managers need to add Sosa if they haven't already and use him as often as possible until Turner returns to the Phillies lineup.
Jon Singleton - 1B, Houston Astros
After the surprisingly bad start for Jose Abreu, his subsequent option, Jon Singleton, has taken center stage for the Astros at first base. Somewhat upstaged by Joey Loperfido, Singleton has held his own and holds a .689 OPS in May. His .189 batting average in May looks bad, but he's balanced it out by hitting three bombs during the month.
I present to you Jon Singleton pic.twitter.com/YOqL2xAE7g https://t.co/wbgzPhH73Y
— forever astros (@myforeverastros) May 13, 2024
Singleton has a .307 wOBA and is posting a .314 xwOBA, so his results are fairly true. Fantasy managers debating adding the first baseman are likely justified if they want to stand pat given Singleton's mediocre numbers, but he may provide some help in deeper leagues. DFS managers should only target Singleton in home games as he's a better hitter at Minute Maid Park.
Other names to keep an eye on who are now receiving more playing time:
Jake Bauers - 1B, Milwaukee Brewers
Miles Mastrobuoni- 3B, Chicago Cubs
Batting Order Changes for Fantasy Baseball
J.T. Realmuto- C, Philadelphia Phillies
The Trea Turner injury not only got Edmundo Sosa more playing time, but it saw JT Realmuto spring forward to the two hole from the five hole. He's mainly sat in the middle of the order, but jumping up to the two spot has proven to be very beneficial for Realmuto, who's hitting for a 1.021 OPS in 33 PAs in the two spot.
Phillies who hit home runs last night:
Kyle Schwarber
Bryce Harper
Brandon Marsh
Nick Castellanos
JT RealmutoCrushing the ball on the West Coast pic.twitter.com/qQAUUwozfJ
— Life of a Philly Fan (@PhillyFanLife) April 27, 2024
Realmuto's results have been true and fantasy managers should take advantage of his hot streak by starting him as often as possible.
Gunnar Henderson - SS, Baltimore Orioles
We admittedly probably need to see this happen a few more times before it becomes a real trend, but the Orioles made a major change with Henderson by removing him from the leadoff spot on Wednesday and instead putting him in the cleanup spot. Henderson has had a phenomenal start to the season but is struggling in May with just a .178 BA and a .622 OPS. You could argue that putting Henderson in the cleanup spot is a way to try and break him out of this slump and get more RBI in return, potentially boosting his fantasy value. The Orioles would certainly like to see more of these types of blasts here.
Credit to Gunnar Henderson, sending fans home with free souvenirs!
What a great guy! #Birdland pic.twitter.com/Nb3fZDW2J0
— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) May 11, 2024
Fantasy managers shouldn't worry too much about Henderson's value as he's going to break out of it, but DFS managers may want to avoid him until he snaps out of his funk. An upcoming series next week against the Chicago White Sox scheduled starters Michael Soroka and Chris Flexen may be a recipe to get him back on track.
Other players to keep an eye on for batting order changes:
Josh Rojas - 3B, Seattle Mariners
Brenton Doyle - OF, Colorado Rockies
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