🖥 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

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




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Josh Giddey

Expected to Suit Up Monday
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Could Miss Another Game Monday
Justin Brazeau

Pots First Career Hat Trick Sunday
Anthony Davis

Listed Questionable for Monday
Juraj Slafkovsky

Collects Season-High Three Points in Sunday's Loss
Jalen Suggs

Poised to Miss Seventh Straight Game
Eeli Tolvanen

Continues Scoring Surge With Three-Point Effort
Grayson Allen

Misses Sixth Straight Game Monday
Jack Eichel

to Remain Out Monday
Adam Fox

Nearing Return, Considered Day-to-Day
Josh Morrissey

Considered Day-to-Day After Missing Practice
De'Aaron Fox

Questionable Against the Cavaliers
Bam Adebayo

Expected Back on Monday Night
Kon Knueppel

Won't Suit Up Against Milwaukee
Ryan Kalkbrenner

Still Out on Monday
Parker Washington

Leads Jaguars in Targets, Receptions, and Receiving Yards
Wan'Dale Robinson

Posts Season-High 11 Receptions in Week 17
Josh Allen

Seen Limping From X-Ray Room, Says Foot Injury Didn't Affect Him
Geno Smith

Diagnosed With High-Ankle Sprain
John Collins

Won't Face the Pistons on Sunday Night
Trey McBride

Sets All-Time Tight End Receptions Record
Geno Smith

Exits Early With Ankle Injury
DJ Moore

Suiting Up Against 49ers on Sunday Night
Ricky Pearsall

Officially Active for Week 17 Against Bears
George Kittle

Officially Inactive for Week 17
Ja'Marr Chase

Snags Two Touchdowns in Week 17
Geno Smith

Questionable to Return With Ankle Injury
Chris Godwin Jr.

Goes Over 100 Yards in Loss to Miami
Matthew Tkachuk

Returns to Practice
Chris Olave

Extends Touchdown Streak in Win Over Titans
Linus Ullmark

Takes Leave of Absence
Travis Sanheim

Good to Go Against Kraken
Kyshawn George

Ruled Out on Sunday
Zach Charbonnet

Scores Twice in Lead-Back Role on Sunday
Nick Foligno

Set to Return Sunday
Chase Brown

Finds End Zone Twice in High-Volume Role on Sunday
Jock Landale

Out Again on Sunday
Rhamondre Stevenson

Scores Twice, Plays Major Pass-Catching Role
William Nylander

Out Against Red Wings
Stefon Diggs

Enjoys Another 100-Yard Performance in Week 17
Jared McCann

Available Sunday
Vince Dunn

on Track to Return Sunday
Breece Hall

Not Concerned About Knee Injury
Blake Lizotte

Activated From Injured Reserve
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers Not Expected to Fire Todd Bowles?
DK Metcalf

Steelers Won't Void the Guarantees in DK Metcalf's Contract
Drake Maye

Throws for Career-High Five Touchdowns in New York
Tyler Herro

Showing Progress but Still Without Timetable
CFB

Jay Hill Expected to be Next Michigan Defensive Coordinator
Zach Collins

Exits Late With Lower-Body Injury
Chris Boucher

Ruled Out Sunday for Personal Reasons
Gabe Vincent

Out Again Sunday With Back Issue
Jrue Holiday

Remains Out Sunday Against Celtics
Collin Murray-Boyles

Unlikely to Play Sunday Due to Illness
Andrei Svechnikov

Extends Scoring Run With Three-Point Effort
Auston Matthews

Bags Three Points Saturday Night
Alex Laferriere

Records First Career Hat Trick
William Nylander

Sustains Lower-Body Injury Saturday
Zach Werenski

Unlikely to Play Sunday
Jake Evans

to Miss 4-6 Weeks
J.J. Moser

Inks Eight-Year Extension
Ajay Mitchell

Cleared to Return Sunday
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic Ruled Out for Sunday
Kyshawn George

Iffy for Sunday
CFB

Michigan Targeting Kyle Whittingham as Next Head Coach
CFB

Texas Leading Rusher Quintrevion Wisner Set to Transfer
Pete Fairbanks

Marlins Agree on One-Year Deal
Brooks Koepka

Leaving LIV Golf
Ryan O'Hearn

Pirates Agree on Two-Year Deal
CFB

Jeff Brohm, Eli Drinkwitz "Names of Interest" for Michigan Head Coach

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP