X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Power Risers and Fallers for Week 20: Buy or Sell?

By Keith Allison on Flickr [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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 is strong or that Jarrod Dyson and Billy Hamilton are toward the bottom in average exit velocity. We’re approaching the stretch run of the regular season and that means making some bold moves on the waiver wire and some tough calls when it comes to addressing cold streaks.

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 20 power risers and selling these week 20 power fallers.

Featured Promo: Get ANY MLB Premium Pass for 10% off the regular price with code BALLER. Exclusive access to our Draft Kit, Nick Mariano's #1 accuracy rankings, Ariel Cohen's #1 accuracy ATC projections, customized advice in the Team Sync platform, Live Draft Assistant, 15 in-season lineup tools, customized rankings and much more! Go Premium, Win More!

 

Power Risers

Eddie Rosario - (MIN, OF):

While he didn’t go deep in Thursday’s doubleheader, Rosario had launched five long balls alongside four doubles in his previous nine games with 12 runs scored and 10 RBIs. Heck, he even swiped a base in there. And it isn’t like he was bad during the doubleheader -- going 3-for-9 combined -- but many will remain skeptical of the 25-year-old. Questioning this surge is both understandable and wise, but do not that this a guy who hit 16 homers combined between the Majors and Minors in 2015 before slugging 17 combined HRs in ’16.

So, now the year is 2017 and Rosario has suddenly turned it on in August. How much are we really buying in here? Comparing his August to July, his fly-ball rate is up 12 percentage points to 47.6 percent with a healthy 18-percentage-point jump in his pull rate to 54.8 percent. Of course, we’re suckers for exit velocity most of all and Rosario doesn’t disappoint, with a 43 percent hard-hit rate and paltry 9.5 percent soft-contact rate thus far. Heck, when he went 3-for-4 with two homers on Aug. 8, all four of the balls he hit into play clocked in at 102.7 mph or faster (including the out he made). He isn’t the next Giancarlo Stanton, but he’s got more pop than you think and is right at the age where the prime form can be found.

C.J. Cron - (LAA, 1B):

Cron has always been a maddening fantasy asset to own because he always seems to get hurt after starting a hot streak. We’ll try to knock on as much wood as we can here because the 27-year-old is hitting .324 since the All-Star break (.340 in August) with seven round-trippers, 18 RBIs and a 1.016 OPS. His hard-hit rate is up over 10 percentage points with his usual fly-ball rate of roughly 48 percent and a lofty 55 percent pull rate.

Not only has Cron bashed 15 balls into play at over 100 mph this month, but six of those have been at over 110 mph -- and none of those six have had a negative launch angle. He’s got the swing to wreck baseballs and has a career .185 ISO despite all of his streaks and the injury-marred at-bats of his past. Don’t throw your wallet at the screen for him, but if you’re debating whether to make the add or not, you probably should.

Zack Cozart - (CIN, SS):

Cozart has a career-high 17 homers this season with an impressive .312 batting average that hasn’t fallen off in the second half. Yes, after hitting just .223 after the All-Star break last season, the 32-year-old is turning in a .300 clip thus far with eight long balls in just 70 ABs after clearing the fence nine times in 247 first-half ABs. Not bad at all.

We can’t expect him to hit fly balls at an insane 64 percent clip the rest of the way, but his pull rate of 59 percent isn’t far off from his norm (52 percent in July), with those first two metrics carrying an average 32.4 percent hard-hit rate for August. Plenty of people seem to be worrying about another dropoff like last season, but my stance is that you only have to worry about durability with Mr. Zack. Outside of that, the performance should be there.

 

Power Fallers

Jackie Bradley Jr. - (BOS, OF):

I relish nearly every opportunity I get to shine light on JBJ, as I think everyone hitches their wagons way too closely to those few hot streaks that elevated him toward the top 100 draft picks heading into 2017 drafts. It shouldn’t come as any surprise to his owners that he’s hitting just .198 with one measly round-tripper since the All-Star break (31 games). That homer came off of James Shields, so I don’t even know if we can count it. He’s also seen his strikeout rate spike to 31 percent after whiffing at a 19.9 percent clip in the first half. So the real question is, “how bad is it, Doc?”

Bad.

Because his hard-hit rate has dropped to 22 percent in August. Because his pull rate has done the exact same thing. Because he’s only hitting fly balls on one of every four batted balls this month. His soft-contact rate is up five percentage points in the second half. Only two of his last 20 batted balls have been struck at over 100 mph, and both of those had negative launch angles. It’s justifiably ugly right now. You can continue hoping for a rebound, but he’s cuttable in nearly all formats.

Brett Gardner - (NYY, OF):

Gardner hit a double on Thursday. It was pretty cool. It was also just his second extra-base hit in 61 August at-bats. I realize that Gardy is a slap-happy hitter who gets to bat leadoff and enjoy the short porch of Yankee Stadium, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. The guy made do with a poor 23.6 percent hard-hit rate in July and we stomached it, but that mark has fallen to 14 percent in August. That’s the seventh-worst mark out of all qualified hitters! Names worse than him include Jarrod Dyson, Dee Gordon and Billy Hamilton -- in other words, the “No $&#^, Sherlock” group of zero-power hitters.

We love that Gardner can steal bases, but he won’t steal enough to offset being a total dud in the power department like those other guys. Banking on the raw potential of his hitting environment is fine if you have the room to bench him, but those of you whose trade deadlines haven’t passed can probably still fetch a pretty penny for him based on his overall numbers and the whole “Yankees allure” thing. He’s topped 100 mph on a batted ball just twice this month, and both were singles because there was no lift. This is the time of the season where patience can pay off if you have flexibility, but also bounce you out of contention if you’re stubborn about it.

Mike Zunino - (SEA, C):

But Zunino has two homers in his last six games! Okay, I don’t actually think there’s going to be any push back on this because most of you are rational and can do basic arithmetic. He’s just 7-for-39 (.179) in 13 August contests thus far with a gross 34.8 percent soft-contact rate (21.7 percent hard-hit rate) that has sucked all of the life out of a 39 percent fly-ball rate and 48 percent pull rate. There’s no doubting that his muscle can send a baseball far when he connects, but his timing is verifiably off right now.

What’s interesting is that he’s actually making significantly more raw contact in August than he did in July -- with a 67.8 percent contact rate compared to 56.3 percent in July -- and has brought his swinging-strike rate down from 23 percent to 15.8 percent. This goes with a zone-swing rate of 68 percent compared to 77 percent in July. So, he’s more selective and it’s paying off with some increased plate discipline, yet when he does swing, it’s just not doing nearly as much. He either needs to strike a different balance or get back to his old, more aggressive, ways. This won’t cut it.

 

More Risers and Fallers




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nick Senzel4 hours ago

Expected To Miss 3-4 Weeks
Jon Gray4 hours ago

To Start On Sunday
Justin Steele5 hours ago

Likely To Go On Injured List
Anfernee Simons6 hours ago

Out Against The Heat
Max Kepler7 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Max Kepler
Keldon Johnson7 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Justin Steele7 hours ago

Has Left-Hamstring Tightness
Matisse Thybulle7 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Davis Bertans7 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Friday
Jusuf Nurkic7 hours ago

Questionable Against Oklahoma City
Dario Saric7 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Noah Clowney7 hours ago

Probable For Nets Friday
Jonathan Kuminga7 hours ago

Questionable For Warriors Friday
Jerami Grant8 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Friday
Dennis Smith8 hours ago

Jr. Probable For Friday
Lauri Markkanen8 hours ago

Questionable Against Houston
Toumani Camara8 hours ago

Will Not Play Friday
Justin Steele8 hours ago

Exits Thursday's Start
Richaun Holmes8 hours ago

Out Versus Pistons
Cameron Johnson8 hours ago

Out Against Chicago On Friday
Luka Doncic8 hours ago

On The Injury Report For Friday
David Bednar8 hours ago

Still Dealing With Lat Injury
Deandre Ayton8 hours ago

Is Questionable For Friday
Rudy Gobert8 hours ago

Might Miss Friday's Game
Tyus Jones8 hours ago

Unavailable For Friday
Zeke Nnaji8 hours ago

Ruled Out Against Minnesota
Jaden Ivey8 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Rhys McKee8 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Anthony Edwards8 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday Night
Chidi Njokuani9 hours ago

Drops Back Down To Welterweight At UFC Atlantic City
Kyle Nelson9 hours ago

An Underdog Again At UFC Atlantic City
Bill Algeo9 hours ago

Eyes Sixth UFC Win
Joaquin Buckley9 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Vicente Luque9 hours ago

Gets Short-Notice Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Eduardo Rodriguez10 hours ago

Could Throw Off Mound In 5-7 Days
Max Kepler10 hours ago

Leaves On Opening Day With Injury
Nick Senzel10 hours ago

Suffers Broken Thumb
Jason Foley10 hours ago

Earns The Save For Tigers
Tarik Skubal11 hours ago

Tosses Six Scoreless Innings On Opening Day
Corbin Burnes11 hours ago

Pitches A Gem On Opening Day
Royce Lewis11 hours ago

Exits With Quad Injury
Max Scherzer13 hours ago

Throws Bullpen Session
Clayton Kershaw13 hours ago

"Ahead Of Things" Timetable-Wise
Walker Buehler13 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
Corey Seager13 hours ago

Active On Opening Day
Oneil Cruz13 hours ago

Batting Sixth On Opening Day
Bryan Reynolds15 hours ago

In Opening Day Lineup
Jordan Romano17 hours ago

Not Expected To Be Out Long
Aaron Ekblad18 hours ago

Returning To Panthers Lineup Thursday
Nikita Kucherov18 hours ago

Establishes New Career High With 42nd Goal
Shane Pinto18 hours ago

Collects Career-High Four Points
Valeri Nichushkin18 hours ago

Nursing A Lower-Body Injury
Samuel Girard18 hours ago

Battling An Illness
J.K. Dobbins18 hours ago

Visiting With Chargers On Thursday
Oskar Sundqvist18 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Season With Torn ACL
Ethan Bear18 hours ago

Enters Player Assistance Program
Mark Hubbard1 day ago

Coming Off A Career Performance
Davis Thompson1 day ago

Looking To Pay Off A Stellar Run Of Ball-Striking
Akshay Bhatia1 day ago

Coming Into Houston With Confidence
Thorbjorn Olesen1 day ago

Still Trying To Find Footing On U.S. Soil
Patrick Rodgers1 day ago

Fighting Inconsistencies Heading Into Houston
Malik Nabers2 days ago

Shines At Pro Day
Carolina Panthers2 days ago

Jadeveon Clowney Signing Two-Year Deal With Panthers
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Battling Back Injury Ahead of Houston Open
San Francisco 49ers2 days ago

Talanoa Hufanga Expected To Return At Training Camp
Jayden Daniels2 days ago

Raiders To Meet With Jayden Daniels
Tank Bigsby2 days ago

Jaguars Want Tank Bigsby More Involved
Josh Reynolds2 days ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With Broncos
Doug Ghim2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Houston Open
PGA2 days ago

Cameron Davis Seeking Consistency Ahead Of Houston Open
Thomas Detry2 days ago

A Gamble At Houston Open
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Lacks Upside Heading Into Houston Open
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Will Be Chalk At Houston Open
Josh Doan2 days ago

Scores Twice In His NHL Debut
Filip Forsberg2 days ago

Makes History In Big Comeback Win
Jamie Benn2 days ago

Scores In Fifth Consecutive Game
Sidney Crosby2 days ago

Collects Three Points Versus Carolina
Artemi Panarin2 days ago

Continues Scoring Tear With Three Assists
Joey Daccord2 days ago

Shuts Out Ducks
Sahith Theegala2 days ago

Showing Consistency This Season
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Working Toward Star Status
Scottie Scheffler2 days ago

Heads To Houston At His Best
Sam Ryder2 days ago

Putting The Lights Out Of Late
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

All Systems Go For Joel Dahmen In Houston
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

Ready For Houston Debut
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To Houston
Taylor Moore2 days ago

Continues Made-Cut Streak Heading To Houston
Adam Svensson2 days ago

Hoping For Consistency In Houston
Taylor Montgomery2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Houston
Amon-Ra St. Brown2 days ago

Discussing Extension With Lions
Jared Goff2 days ago

Lions Discussing New Deal
J.K. Dobbins2 days ago

Cleared For Football Activities
Los Angeles Rams2 days ago

Tre'Davious White To Join Rams
PIT2 days ago

Sam Poulin Recalled From AHL
Jack Quinn2 days ago

Could Return Wednesday
Scott Mayfield2 days ago

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
TOR2 days ago

Mitch Marner Skates On His Own Tuesday
Trevor Zegras2 days ago

To Return Tuesday
Justus Annunen3 days ago

Inks Two-Year Extension
Nick Chubb3 days ago

Expected To Start Load Running Next Month
D'Andre Swift3 days ago

Bears View D'Andre Swift As Receiving Weapon
Cordarrelle Patterson3 days ago

Signing With Steelers
Sam Howell3 days ago

Seahawks Believe Sam Howell Can Be A Full-Time Starter
Tennessee Titans3 days ago

L'Jarius Sneed Agrees On Four-Year Contract With Titans
Dak Prescott3 days ago

No Indication A Deal Is Coming For Dak Prescott
Calvin Ridley3 days ago

To Have Big Role In Tennessee
Josh Jacobs3 days ago

To Be Used More In Passing Game
Brandon Saad3 days ago

Gets Another Goal In Monday's Loss
Logan Thompson3 days ago

Stretches Winning Streak To Three Games
Pittsburgh Steelers3 days ago

Cameron Heyward Expected To Be Healthy For Training Camp
Zach Wilson3 days ago

Jets Could End Up Keeping Zach Wilson
Amanda Ribas4 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Rose Namajunas4 days ago

Snaps Losing Streak
Edmen Shahbazyan4 days ago

Scores Vicious Comeback Knockout
AJ Dobson4 days ago

Knocked Out In The First Round At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla4 days ago

Gets Back On Track With Submission Win
Luis Pajuelo4 days ago

Submitted In UFC Debut
William Byron4 days ago

Dominates For Victory At COTA
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Grabs Another Solid Finish At COTA
Chris Buescher4 days ago

Texas Native Chris Buescher Finishes Eighth At COTA
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Kyle Busch Confronts Christopher Bell Following A Top-10 Finish At COTA
Justin Haley4 days ago

Disqualified After Strong COTA Run
Martin Truex Jr4 days ago

. Rounds Out Top Ten At COTA
NASCAR4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Worms Way Up To Sixth At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Comes Down to Earth After Mediocre COTA Run
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Ran Well at COTA as Usual Despite Late-Race Fade
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Furious Charge Falls Just Short at COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Scores Strong Finish of Fifth at COTA
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Finishes 16th at COTA After Lackluster Performance
Billy Quarantillo5 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss At UFC Vegas 89
Youssef Zalal5 days ago

Gets Submission Win In Return To The UFC
Cameron Saaiman5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 89
Payton Talbott5 days ago

Scores KO Win At UFC Vegas 89
Justin Tafa5 days ago

Drops To .500 In The UFC
Karl Williams5 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Is One Of The Optimal DFS Options For COTA
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Should Denny Hamlin Be Rostered For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Kaz Grala5 days ago

Is A Serviceable DFS Play For COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen5 days ago

Will Start 12th In First COTA Cup Start
Todd Gilliland5 days ago

Is A Sneaky DFS Play With Upside For COTA
William Byron5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Is A Comfortable DFS Play For COTA
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

the Favorite to Win at COTA
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Looking for First Career Win at COTA
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 

2024 NFL Draft: Bold Predictions and Potential Surprises for Round 1

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! With the 2024 NFL Draft fast approaching, we're digging into what might transpire on draft night. RotoBaller analyst LaQuan Jones previews the 2024 NFL Draft and makes some BOLD Predictions about possible surprises and potential landing spots for the first round of the draft. Win MORE in 2024 with RotoBaller!... Read More


George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Early Look At Wide Receivers In 2024 Fantasy Football Drafts

The upcoming NFL Draft is less than a month away. While everyone is excited for the NFL Draft, fantasy players are looking forward to the regular season. While we won’t have meaningful NFL football for months, it’s never too early to prepare for your fantasy football drafts. Last year, the fantasy football world saw multiple... Read More


Spencer Rattler, College Football Transfers

Underrated Rookie Draft Targets - Early 2024 Sleepers for Dynasty Fantasy Football

We are a month out from the NFL Draft, meaning if you are here, you are probably looking for draft content and reading up on prospects. You probably have all of the information you need on stud prospects like Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. That’s not what you’re here for.  Rookie draft season for... Read More


Breece Hall - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact - Part II

The NFL's offseason, including trades and free agency, can strongly impact a player's fantasy football value. This effect can be positive or negative. For this series, we're focusing on fantasy football players who have seen their fantasy value increase. This can occur via a player's direct movement, such as a trade or signing with a... Read More


UFL RANKINGS, FANTASY FOOTBALL,

UFL Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 1: QB, RB, WR, TE Rankings and Analysis (2024)

It's finally here: the UFL season is set to kick off with two games on Saturday, March 30 and two games on Sunday, March 31. Saturday's games will be broadcast on Fox Sports while Sunday's matchups will be on ESPN. The most anticipated Week 1 matchup pits the 2023 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions against the... Read More


Jared Goff - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Will the Lions Extend Jared Goff's Contract This Offseason? 2024 NFL Outlook

Jared Goff's career in Los Angeles didn't take off like many expected after his appearance in Super Bowl LIII, and he was traded to the Lions for Matthew Stafford. Goff's first season in the Motor City was terrible, but he has completely turned things around over the last two seasons. In 2022, he almost led... Read More


Kyle Pitts - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact - Part I

Free agency symbolizes the start of a new NFL season. It's the first opportunity for NFL clubs to start addressing their weaknesses and considerably impacts how the upcoming season plays out. Just as free agency can improve or worsen a team's outlook, a player's fantasy football value is also impacted. Free agency marks the real... Read More


Malik Nabers - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, WR, NFL Draft Sleepers

Coach Knows Ball: Malik Nabers 2024 NFL Draft Film Breakdown of LSU WR

Welcome to Coach Knows Ball, an NFL Draft series analyzing the top prospects in the 2024 class. I'm a college football coach with nine years of NCAA experience and have been scouting NFL Draft prospects for over 15 years. This series will give a deep dive into the film of some of the top players... Read More


Avoid These Running Backs in 2024: Fantasy Football Outlook

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! The staff is already looking ahead to the 2024 season to help our readers get the jump on their competition. RotoBaller analyst LaQuan Jones discusses five Running Backs that you should AVOID in 2024 fantasy football drafts. Win MORE in 2024 with RotoBaller! Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio... Read More


Brock Bowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NCAA College Football, Prospects

Brock Bowers 2024 NFL Draft Stock Update – When Will the Georgia TE Be Selected?

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers was arguably the top tight end in college football over the past few years. Bowers was outstanding his freshman year, totaling 56 receptions for 882 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Unfortunately, his production slightly slipped in 2022 as defenses started to game plan for the star tight end. Bowers had... Read More


Xavier Worthy 2024 NFL Draft Stock Update – When Will the Texas WR Be Selected?

Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy has been one of the top pass-catchers in college football over the past few years. The explosive receiver was outstanding his freshman year, totaling 62 receptions for 981 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Unfortunately, his production slipped in 2022. Worthy had 60 receptions for 760 receiving yards and nine touchdowns... Read More


Blake Corum - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, RB, NFL Draft Sleepers

Blake Corum 2024 NFL Draft Stock Update - When Will the Michigan RB Be Selected?

Former Michigan running back Blake Corum is one of the most popular prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class. The 23-year-old is fresh off a College Football National Championship victory and a 2023 campaign consisting of over 1,300 yards from scrimmage. However, given the devaluation of the running back position and Corum not being an... Read More


Brandon Aiyuk - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News

Will The 49ers Trade Brandon Aiyuk?

Brandon Aiyuk had a career year last season, finishing seventh in the league in receiving yards (1342), second in yards per catch (17.9), and catching seven touchdowns. For his efforts, he was named to the Second-team All-Pro. However, despite many expecting them to do so, the 49ers failed to win Super Bowl LVIII and now... Read More