RADIO
JJ Bleday Remains a Strong Waiver-Wire Add in Deeper Formats
Cincinnati Reds 28-year-old outfielder JJ Bleday has cooled off a bit at the plate of late, as he's only hitting .163 with a .628 OPS in June. However, he's still hitting .241 with a .859 OPS on the season with 13 home runs, three stolen bases, 29 runs scored, and 37 RBI. In May, Bleday was unstoppable at the plate, hitting .301 with a 1.018 OPS, but inevitably cooled off. Through 232 plate appearances, Bleday's batted ball metrics and underlying data remain rock-solid, with a .371 xwOBA (88th percentile), .264 xBA (72nd percentile), 10 percent barrel rate (51st percentile), and 45 percent hard-hit rate (71st percentile). He's accomplished all of this even while keeping his plate discipline in check, with a 23.2 percent chase rate, 25.2 percent whiff rate, and 19.3 percent strikeout rate while walking at a 13.8 percent clip. All this to say, nothing under the hood suggests that continued regression is on the horizon for Bleday. Fantasy managers who have seen Bleday dropped in their leagues after a slow June should consider adding him to their roster, especially in five-outfielder formats.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
