RADIO
May is where deals that can make or break a fantasy roster typically occur. Most fantasy owners look to cash in on hitters off to hot starts with limited track records, while others finally decide to cut bait on hitters with a long track record of success and a lack of recent performance. Week 6's edition of the RotoBaller Stock Watch takes a look a several hot hitters who either have a chance to sustain their early season surges or are on the verge of turning it around after a shaky start.
Stats current as of Tuesday, May 12th before games.
Jimmy Paredes (3B, BAL)
At some point this starts to be a thing, right? Every season a non-descript utility man (think Josh Harrison for a recent example) turns some batted ball magic into a full-time gig and immense fantasy value for savvy owners who bought in early. Paredes seems like just the latest comet streaking across the sky, except it’s hard to fake being this good, for this long. After a scorching start in April, Paredes riding a 10-game hitting streak including three consecutive multi-hit games out of the gate this May. He’s now up to .368/.386/.675 with five home runs this season.
His offensive surge has been fueled by a .421 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) this season. In the simplest terms possible, nobody maintains a .421 BABIP--just ask Danny Santana. Sure, Paredes may cool off in the coming months, but right now he’s certainly earned additional at bats in Baltimore going forward, which is what you want to pay for. Playing time translates into fantasy production and it’s the most difficult to predict for guys like Paredes coming into a season. Now that he’s getting the at-bats and showing that he can do something with them, there’s no reason to think he won’t be valuable the rest of the year.
Kolten Wong (2B, STL)
If you blink, you’re going to miss out on the opportunity to acquire Wong, who hit .297 with just six extra-base hits in all of April. He’s been red-hot in May, hitting in eight straight games, including four multi-hit performances with five extra-base hits (three home runs).
Wong’s biggest asset fantasy-wise is his ability to steal bases, and while he has already swiped 14 this season, he’s also batting .336/.380/.518. He’s quickly developing into one of the top all-around options at the keystone and fantasy owners are running out of time to acquire him. Strike now if you still can.
Christian Yelich (OF, MIA)
After injuring his back in the first week of the season, Yelich struggled at the plate, hitting just .200 with one extra-base hit, before going on the disabled list. He’s heated up at the dish since returning, smashing his first home run of the year off one of the best relievers in baseball this year, Yimi Garcia, in Los Angeles earlier this week.
Power is never going to be Yelich’s calling card as long as he maintains one of the highest ground ball rates of any hitter in the game, but his contact-heavy approach lends itself to a high batting average. As long as he remains wedged in between Dee Gordon and Giancarlo Stanton, it will be nearly impossible for his fantasy value to not to rise over the remainder of the year. His current owner just suffered through a disastrous April with him, so he may be more inclined to make a deal. The time to strike is now before mainstream fantasy owners remember just how good he is.
Jung Ho Kang (SS, PIT)
After looking lost in spring training, Kang has certainly found his groove over the last few weeks, compiling a five-game hitting streak, raising his average to .333 this season. Given the Pirates' offensive struggles this season, you can bet that skipper Clint Hurdle is going to find a way to get Kang’s bat into the lineup every day.
The concern coming into the year was whether or not he would be able to hit for a respectable average. So far, he’s answered that question while still showing off his trademark home run power. The 28-year-old may still be available in a majority of leagues, but he’s a worthwhile target for fantasy owners no matter what the format or league size, because it’s rare to find a middle infielder that possesses as much power as he does.
Mark Trumbo (OF, ARI)
While Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock deserve most of the headlines for the Dbacks' offensive surge this season, Trumbo is quietly enjoying a career year. The most noticeable change in his game is the staggering decline in strikeout percentage. Trumbo had struck out nearly 25% of his career plate appearances, posting strikeout percentages above that mark in each of the past three years. As I write this article, he’s struck out in just 17% of his 105 plate appearances so far. He’s not taking any walks either, but his .287/.314/.525 slash line with 11 runs scored, four home runs and 15 RBI is an impressive start to his 2015 campaign that fantasy owners should take notice of.
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