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Power Risers and Fallers for Week 13: Buy or Sell?

By slgckgc on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

RotoBaller's Nick Mariano looks at some fantasy baseball bats for week thirteen that are hitting either extremely hot or cold in the power department.

Welcome back to this investigative piece where we examine players who have seen some notable changes in their power profiles -- for better or for worse -- in 2017.

As usual, you don’t need me to tell you that Miguel Sano or Aaron Judge are strong or that Jarrod Dyson and Billy Hamilton are toward the bottom in average exit velocity. The next time we meet up here will have seen the season’s halfway point cross over into our rear-view mirrors. Now, bear with me as I’m in a hotel room in the middle of nowhere and need to drive eight hours tomorrow, so we’ll just have three names in each section compared to the usual four.

Identifying top power risers and fallers for each week can help you spot the best pickups before your competition. We'll do the hard work for you, looking at the underlying metrics that influence a hitter's power: fly-ball, pull, hard-hit rates and exit velocity.  Consider buying these week 13 power risers and selling these week 13 power fallers.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Power Risers

Curtis Granderson - (OF, NYM):

The Grandy Man has popped off for five homers with two doubles, a triple, 12 runs scored and nine RBI in his last eight games thanks to a resurgent power stroke. Over the last two weeks, Granderson’s fly-ball rate sits at 57.6 percent with a 60.6 percent pull rate and 48.5 percent hard-hit rate, with all three of those metrics being roughly 10-15 percent above his marks from the first two and a half months of 2017. While I was admittedly ready to write off the 36-year-old, he’s shown a strong affinity for pop as recently as last season with 30 HRs and manager Terry Collins has made it clear that Curtis is a favorite of his. Granderson's best seasons came when his power stats were extremely tilted toward a pull-happy power swing, so this return to form is beyond encouraging.

Carlos Gomez- (OF, TEX):

While Gomez has gone 0-for-4 with four strikeouts since missing Tuesday’s game, the speedy 31-year-old had popped six homers in a nine-game span since being removed from the disabled list on June 16. There is zero chance that he can sustain a 75 percent HR/FB rate, but he is lifting the ball 44 percent of the time with a wild 61.1 percent hard-hit rate over this window. His batted balls are also being pulled at a 56 percent clip, so while the raw power totals will regress, the potency for surges like this is verifiably housed in CarGoGo’s bat. Mix in the fact that he can swipe his fair share of bases and was a strong first-round pick just three seasons ago, and I'm in.

David Peralta - (OF, ARI):

Before Peralta went 0-for-4 on Thursday, the 29-year-old had hit safely in 15 of his last 17 games to the tune of a .385 average with three doubles, a triple, four homers, 16 runs scored and 12 RBI. While he still doesn’t lift the ball with any real regularity (just a 25.4 percent fly ball rate over that stretch) and is using all fields with near equality (33.9 percent pull rate), his hard-hit rate has shot up to 40.7 percent with a mere 11.9 percent soft-contact rate accompanying it. With the word leaking that Arizona's humidor is not to be in 2017, perhaps Peralta can end up flirting with a 20-homer, 100-run season. The run total is lovely since he bats second in this insanely powerful lineup, though his mere 24 RBI on the year would greatly benefit from the return of A.J. Pollock hitting ahead of him. Get well soon, Mr. Pollock.

 

Power Fallers

Dansby Swanson - (SS, ATL):

Swanson went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on Thursday, making him hitless in his last four games. That’s lousy enough, but you might be surprised to learn he’s actually batting .292 in June. The thing is, we’re here to discuss a much bigger problem than his batting average. The 23-year-old hasn’t logged an extra-base hit since June 13, with a measly 15.4 percent hard-hit rate and 12.8 percent fly ball rate behind the letdown. Labelling him as a "sell" isn't exactly meant to say "trade him", so much as "you really can just let him go". I know he's young and will have his bumps and bruises -- he had just 127 games of seasoning in the Minors before being called up to the front lines in Atlanta last season -- but this is just plain ugly.

 J.D. Martinez - (OF, DET):

Martinez’s first 30 games of 2017 saw him crush 11 homers with 25 RBI and a .301 batting average thanks to an extreme 59.5 percent hard-hit rate, 41.9 percent pull rate and identical fly ball rate. His swing was simply made for power. Since then, his pull and fly ball rates have both fallen to 33.3 percent, which isn’t terrible by any means, but it meant that his hard-hit rate falling 23 percentage points carried some extra oomph. That’s not even a bad mark, but it isn’t a world-beating elite rate like in his first month of the season. He will still produce above-average numbers for sure, and may even have another one or two major power spikes in him for '17, but if you can sell on his overall numbers right now then you should be able to come out a winner.

Matt Kemp - (OF, ATL):

Through June 12, Kemp had launched 11 homers with a .232 ISO, .384 BABIP and .327/.362/.559 slash line backed by a 33.5 percent fly ball rate, 34.1 percent pull rate and 36.5 percent hard-hit rate. None of those metrics jump off the page, but bunch them all up and you get a sturdy bat with 25-30 homer potential. Interestingly, his rates have only fallen by roughly 3-5 percent each -- but again, swirl it all together and you get a problem. It’s also just a 12-game sample size here, but hitting at a .205 clip with three extra-base hits is an issue no matter what style of gift wrap you put on it. It isn't as though he doesn't have the track record to buy into a rebound any day now, but if I could sell off Kemp to someone who truly buys into his 25-HR pop and an average in the .300s then my mouse will be dancing all the way to the accept button.

 

More Risers and Fallers




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Francisco Alvarez

Needs Thumb Surgery, May Play Through Injury
Willy Adames

Out With Side Soreness on Tuesday
A.J. Brown

on Track to Play in Week 1
Jacob deGrom

Being Skipped in Rotation Due to Shoulder Fatigue
Adley Rutschman

Scratched on Tuesday With Abdominal Discomfort
CBJ

Brendan Smith Joins Blue Jackets on Tryout Deal
STL

Milan Lucic Joins Blues for Tryout
DET

Red Wings Pick Up Travis Hamonic
Austin Riley

Doesn't Appear Ready to Return Any Time Soon
Aaron Judge

Unikely to Throw Normally Again This Year
Jalen McMillan

Could be Out Through Week 9 Bye
Indiana Pacers

Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle Agrees to a Multiyear Contract Extension on Tuesday
Washington Wizards

John Wall Retires After 11 NBA Seasons
Daniel Jones

Named as Colts Starting Quarterback
Jalen McMillan

Will Not Be Ready for Season Opener
Collin Sexton

Hornets Have High Hopes for Collin Sexton
Rui Hachimura

Likely to Start Season Without Contract Extension
Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Hopes to Bounce Back in 2025-26
Stephen Curry

Ready to Go for New Season
Orlando Magic

Lester Quinones Agrees to Deal With Magic
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Cleared to Play on Tuesday Night
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Pulled With Hamstring Tightness
MLB

Game 2 of Brewers-Cubs on Monday Postponed
Bryce Miller

to be Activated on Tuesday
Kyle Tucker

to Get Multiple Days Off
Shane Bieber

to Make Season Debut on Friday
Joe Mixon

Could Start Season on NFI List
Zack Wheeler

has Surgery to Remove Blood Clot
De'Von Achane

Unlikely to Practice This Week
Justin Jefferson

Returning to Practice
Chris Godwin

Bucs Chris Godwin Likely to Start Season on PUP List
Joe Flacco

Browns Name Joe Flacco as Their Week 1 Starter
Jalen McDaniels

Inks Deal With New Orleans
N'Faly Dante

Signs Deal With Hawks
Matthew Stafford

Practicing on Monday
Dru Smith

Agrees to Deal With Heat
Austin Dillon

Scores an Upset Victory at Richmond
William Byron

Clinches the Regular Season Championship Title at Richmond
Denny Hamlin

Pit-Road Struggles Impede Denny Hamlin's Chances of a Top Finish at Richmond
Joey Logano

Earns A Fourth-Place Finish at Richmond
Kyle Larson

Rallies to A Top-10 Finish at Richmond
Malik Nabers

Dealing With Back Injury
Khamzat Chimaev

Is The New UFC Middleweight Champion
Dricus Du Plessis

Gets Dominated At UFC 319
Aaron Pico

Suffers Knockout Loss In His UFC Debut
Lerone Murphy

Scores Stunning First-Round Knockout
Leodalis De Vries

Earns Promotion to Double-A
Nathaniel Lowe

Finalizing Deal with Boston
Geoff Neal

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Ketel Marte

Arizona Could Trade Ketel Marte in the Offseason
Carlos Prates

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Page

Dominates At UFC 319
Jared Cannonier

Gets Outclassed
Tim Elliott

Gets Submission Win
Kai Asakura

Still Winless In The UFC
Austin Cindric

has Arguably his Best Run of the Season at Richmond
Ryan Blaney

Contends for First Richmond Win but Comes Up Short
Alex Bowman

Finishes Second but Loses Ground in Playoffs
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Sets Personal Laps-Led Record at Richmond
Chris Buescher

Falls Out of Playoffs After Miserable Richmond Run
Coby White

Bulls Not Interested in Trading Coby White
Dereck Lively II

Expected to be Ready for Camp
Brian Robinson Jr.

Commanders "Shopping" Brian Robinson Jr.
John Metchie III

Texans Trade John Metchie III to Eagles
Victor Scott II

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Trey Hendrickson

Bengals Listening to Trade Offers for Trey Hendrickson
Marcelo Mayer

to Have Season-Ending Wrist Surgery
Samuel Basallo

Called Up From Triple-A Norfolk
J.K. Dobbins

Expected to Win Starting RB Job?
Quentin Johnston

Suffers Concussion in Preseason Loss
Jaxson Dart

Plays Well on Saturday Night
Marcus Semien

Avoids Serious Injury
Kyle Stowers

Heads to Injured List With Left-Side Strain
Zack Wheeler

Placed on Injured List With Blood Clot in Shoulder
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Optimistic Terry McLaurin Deal Can Get Done Soon
De'Von Achane

De’Von Achane Dealing With Lower-Body Injury
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Likely Avoids Serious Injury
Denny Hamlin

the Heavy Favorite to Win at Richmond
Christopher Bell

Has Been Great at Richmond
Tyrese Haliburton

No Longer Using a Scooter, Crutches
Ryan Blaney

Can Ryan Blaney Finally Break Through at Richmond?
Joey Logano

Will Start Last at Richmond After Practice Trouble
Chase Elliott

Lack of Top-Line Speed Hurts his DFS Potential
Kyle Larson

Recent String of Crashes Make Him a Big Risk at Richmond
William Byron

Probably Slightly Too Inconsistent at Richmond to Start for DFS
Ryan Preece

on Pole at Richmond as Playoff Deadline Looms Closer
Brad Keselowski

Probably the Best RFK Racing DFS Option at Richmond
Chase Briscoe

Still Figuring Out Richmond
Chris Buescher

a Solid Choice for DFS Play, but Teammates Look Faster
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Activate Terry McLaurin From PUP List
Rashee Rice

NFL Could Reach Settlement Before Hearing
Haywood Highsmith

Dealt to Brooklyn on Friday
Amir Coffey

Signs One-Year Deal With Bucks
Khamzat Chimaev

A Favorite At UFC 319
Dricus Du Plessis

Set For His Third Title Defense
Aaron Pico

Set For UFC Debut
Lerone Murphy

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Geoff Neal

Looks For His Second Win In A Row
Michael Page

Set For His Second Middleweight Bout
Jared Cannonier

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kai Asakura

Looks For His First UFC Win
Tim Elliott

Set To Open Up UFC 309 Main Card
CBJ

Mikael Pyyhtia Re-Signs With Blue Jackets for One Year
UTA

Caleb Desnoyers Expected to Miss 12 Weeks After Wrist Procedure
Tyson Foerster

on Track to Be Healthy for Season Opener
NHL

Olivier Rodrigue Signs KHL Deal
NHL

Emil Bemstrom to Join Swiss Team
Payton Pritchard

Reportedly Moving Into Starting Lineup
Kevin Durant

Rockets Not Interested in Keeping Kevin Durant with Max Extension
NBA

Isaiah Mobley Joins Turkish Team
NBA

Cole Swider Links Up with EuroLeague Powerhouse

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