Batter’s Box: No CarGo Where We Know

Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire

I have had a long love/hate relationship with Carlos Gonzalez over the years, and I had finally given up on him during his rough start to the year. After an April that saw him hit .246/.274/.435 and a May that saw him hit .267/.328/.400, I was ready to give up on him as a fantasy asset. And then he pulls off this past month-and-a-half where he’s been crushing the ball. Since the start of June, Gonzalez has been slashing .315/.368/.565, including yesterday’s 2-3, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI performance. So is this CarGo coming back to form? Unfortunately, I’m inclined to say no. First off, that slashline since June 1 comes with a .369 BABIP, and when you look deeper into his batted ball stats, you see this isn’t really sustainable. His groundball rate has increased since June, sitting at 54.3% compared to 43.3% coming into June. Similarly, his fly ball rate has dropped from 40.2% coming into June to 29.5% since then. Yes, his hard-hit rate has increased and that certainly accounts for some of his success, but hitting more groundballs and fewer fly balls with a static line drive rate isn’s exactly the formula for sustained offensive production. Enjoy the hot streak, it’s been great, but know that it’s going to end.

Let’s take a look at some of the other performances from yesterday’s games:

Miguel Andujar (3B, New York Yankees) – 1-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI. Andujar’s had himself a nice month, slashing .325/.378/.446. The power numbers have come down a bit, but that doesn’t mean he’s not hitting the ball hard, as he’s got a 43.7% hard-hit rate over that timespan, it’s just come with a 4.5% HR/FB rate. Just stick with him, the power will come.

Austin Jackson (OF, New York Mets) – 2-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI. Austin Jackson is still a thing. Now on the Mets, there isn’t a ton of fantasy value to be had here. In deeper leagues, he’s an interesting play against left-handed pitching though, as he slashed .352/.440/.574 against lefties last year.

Trea Turner (SS, Washington Nationals) – 4-6, 3 R, 2 SB. The Nationals just went absolutely insane yesterday against the Mets—I probably could’ve just done this entire article on them—as they scored 25 runs, the most since the Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles 30-3 in 2007 (fun fact: I was at that game). Turner was great, flashing his speed and picking up a good handful of runs too. He’s been picking things up lately, slashing .302/.333/.512 over the past two weeks.

Anthony Rendon (3B, Washington Nationals) – 3-6, 2 R, 4 RBI. Rendon also chimed in on the Mets slaughter with his first game back from the family medical leave list. Expect him to continue to be awesome.

Daniel Murphy (2B/1B, Washington Nationals) – 3-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 6 RBI. I’ve been waiting for a game like this from Murphy for awhile now and it’s nice to see. After a slow start coming back from injury, Murphy’s been hot, slashing .373/.429/.612 over the past month, providing those who drafted him at his ADP in the ninth/10th round plenty of value.

Kole Calhoun (OF, Los Angeles Angels) – 3-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI. I don’t know why I have to keep saying this. Go pick up Kole Calhoun now. He’s slashing .313/.372/.723 over the past month, it looks pretty legit, and he’s available in 58% of leagues.

Carlos Gomez (OF, Tampa Bay Rays) – 2-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB. Gomez’s playing time has been inconsistent, which really limits his fantasy value, but when he’s been out there he’s been solid, slashing .308/.438/.462 over the past month.

Ronald Acuna Jr. (OF, Atlanta Braves) – 3-5, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI. That’s now two straight games with a home run for Acuna who’s really been picking it up lately, slashing .333/.422/.718 over the past two weeks. Believe it or not, he’s actually available in 14% of leagues.

Khris Davis (OF, Oakland Athletics) – 3-5, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI. Man, Khris Davis has been absolutely demolishing the ball. He’s sporting a .316/.358/.684 slashline over the past month with a ridiculous .520 ISO over the past two weeks.

Josh Reddick (OF, Houston Astros) – 3-5, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI. It’s been rough owning Josh Reddick this year as he’s slashing a mediocre .253/.323/.413 on the season. I’m worried he’s not going to get much better, I think his .271 BABIP will improve some, but I don’t think he’s going to be the .300+ hitter he was last year.