Anthony Rendon (3B, WSH) became the unlikeliest of heroes to key the team to a 23-5 victory over the Mets Sunday, a beatdown that takes focus off the fact that Washington lost the series with defeats Friday and Saturday. Throughout the weekend series, Rendon went 7-12, 6 R, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 3K, and the trio of homers and a 6-6 tear all happened Sunday. The six-plosion also included a double, but beware of Rendon as a fantasy owner. This is a fun and entertaining stat line, but Rendon has been the model of mediocrity in 2017. Going into yesterday’s game, he had a batting average of just .226 with zero HRs and just five RBI on the year. If we’re being honest, Rendon’s owners were probably relieved he did something noteworthy at long last but I don’t expect him to suddenly be a juggernaut after an otherwise lukewarm April.
Let’s take a look at what else happened hitting-wise around the league:
Adam Eaton (OF, WSH) – 2-5, K, ACL tear. I feel truly sorry for your loss if you owned a resurgent Eaton to begin the year, as his Friday injury likely ends his real-life season entirely a la 2016 Kyle Schwarber. He is now fantasy irrelevant, alas, so I hope the .297 BA he exited with was helpful to you in this past H2H matchup.
Ryan Zimmerman (1B, WSH) – 8-13, 6 R, 3 HR, K. It is truly unfathomable that Zimmerman is still unowned in 9% of Yahoo and ESPN leagues, given the exceptional rate at which he’s producing fantasy gold. A .420 BA, 29 RBI and a 1.345 OPS all lead the league, while only Eric Thames has matched Zimm’s 11 homers as well. Buy, buy, buy if you can because the rewards will be swift and sweet.
Dee Gordon (2B, MIA) – 3-9, 2 R, BB, K. He hasn’t stolen a base in nine days and has no home runs to his credit this year. I would advise patience because Gordon is a fun player to watch and own, but so many other players are performing at a higher level right now that I’m not sure you can stick to your guns with Gordon too much longer on the basis of promised production. If you can leverage his high expectations into landing value now via a blockbuster trade then maybe pull the trigger unless he does something dynamite soon. The .286 BA and 15 runs scored will help your selling cause if you do decide to play your hand at a transaction.
Justin Bour (1B, MIA) – 5-12, R, HR, 6 RBI, 2 K. Bour needed a 4-5 day on Sunday to inflate his average to .222, so don’t be deceived into thinking he’s turned the corner permanently just yet. More than a third of his season’s worth of 15 RBI thus far came in one game, so tread with caution. Four homers and eight runs to his name thus far.
Josh Bell (1B, PIT) – 4-11, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, SB. Meanwhile, Bour’s 1B counterpart in the opposite dugout during the Marlins’ series with Pittsburgh this weekend is on the rise. Bell has now hit four homers as well, but they have all come during the Pirates’ last 10 games. His BA is also at a season-high .257, and also he stole his first base Sunday. Worth a look for some depth for sure.
Abraham Almonte (OF, CLE) – 6-10, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 K, CS. Flying so far under the radar it’s not even funny, Almonte is in the middle of a four-game hitting streak as a member of a Cleveland outfield unit that features the exceptional Michael Brantley. Almonte owns a .298 average and has scored 11 times, and he also tossed in his first triple of the year for good measure Sunday. Cheap value if you’re hurting: while a six-RBI total is concerning, three of those have come since Wednesday so that bears consideration.
Didi Gregorius (SS, NYY) – 7-15, 2 R, 4 RBI, K. In his first three appearances of the year after activation from the DL, Gregorius performed really well against Baltimore and notched two doubles on the weekend. He’s still unowned in the majority of Yahoo and ESPN leagues, so scoop him up while unsuspecting opponents are not paying close attention.
Aaron Judge (OF, NYY) – 5-9, 7 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, SB. Judge is becoming a monstrously strong asset to own in fantasy as the season progresses. He’s now in double digits for home runs (trailing only Thames and Zimmerman MLB-wide), and the .303 BA, 23 runs and 20 RBI sweeten the deal even further. His power is for real and the antithesis of flukish: the 119.4 mph of his Friday HR off Kevin Gausman is the highest recorded exit velocity of any ball in play of the Statcast era. Do not hesitate to acquire him or somehow negotiate to acquire him if at all possible.
Jose Abreu (1B, CHW) – 4-7, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB. Abreu may have finally succeeded in correcting his course. After a flexor injury had been nagging to keep him out of a couple of games, he returned to the White Sox lineup Saturday and did so with a vengeance. His pair of jacks were the first of 2017 for Abreu, and the .280 average finally has owners resting easy again after he’s enjoyed six straight multi-hit outings. Sunday’s effort also included a triple.
Justin Upton (OF, DET) – 4-10, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, SB. Upton had a solid series against Chicago, and while he strikes out a fair amount, his average and run production have stayed relatively stable of late. You’ve got a .290 working for you to keep pace with a symmetrical 15/15 in runs and RBI. He’s one of Detroit’s most consistent hitters at the moment. I would like to see homers in his box scores, and career highs in ISO and hard contact percentage collectively say those are on the way.
Alex Avila (C, DET) – 4-7, R, RBI. He’s probably not getting the playing time you’d need for him to be your go-to guy at backstop, but he’s absolutely worth a look for streaming purposes with a .405 BA, seven runs and nine RBI.
Matt Kemp (OF, ATL) – 5-14, 3 R, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 5 K. If I’m having to pick between guys that had three-homer games this weekend, I might prefer to have Kemp on my roster over Rendon. The .321 average is not falsely inflated, and his 11 XBH on the year make him appealing in points leagues too. The run/RBI differential of nine is a bit confusing, but it’s probably a byproduct of most of Atlanta’s lineup not helping Kemp’s cause to score.
Domingo Santana (OF, MIL) – 3-6, 3 R, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB. Yowza. Three homers as your three hits during a weekend series with the Braves? Santana pinch-hit a bomb Friday after Hernan Perez started in his place, and he proceeded to enjoy a duo of bleacher missiles Sunday. Average is still middling at .197, but he’s making them count when he procures hits.
Ezequiel Carrera (OF, TOR) – 3-7, RBI. He’s in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak, and the .313 average could be the streamable injection your lineup needs to get a boost. The Jays work him into the lineup as a PH even on the rare occasion that sees him excluded from the starting unit.
Corey Dickerson (DH, TB) – 4-11, 2 R, HR, RBI, K. With Steven Souza, Jr. out on a day-to-day basis after his left hand got HBP, Dickerson is the Tampa Bay bat to own right now. He’s hitting .330 and has 10 RBI to show for his efforts.
Carlos Gomez (OF, TEX) – 5-9, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, K, SB. Gomez’s BA is up to .245 after a weekend series that saw him hit the cycle during Saturday’s contest against the Angels. He’s hit safely in eight of his last 10, and the steal Sunday was his third on the season after he swiped two from Minnesota on Wednesday.
Kole Calhoun (OF, LAA) – 6-14, 5 R, HR, RBI, BB, 2K. His average had dipped into the .210s last week, but three multi-hit games in as many tries during the series at Texas this weekend has it on the rebound at .255.
Justin Turner (3B, LAD) – 7-9, R, HR, 4 RBI. He finally got his first homer of the season Saturday, and Turner has now hit safely in 16 straight games. SIXTEEN STRAIGHT. The .404 average is absurd, and the RBI production is trending upward.
Salvador Perez (C, KCR) – 5-8, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI. Perez featured in only Friday’s and Sunday’s games against Minnesota, but still made his plate appearances extremely valuable. He’s hitting .272, and three of his five hits versus the Twins were doubles.
Scott Schebler (OF, CIN) – 5-8, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, BB. Schebler has now hit home runs in four of his last six and has a .244 average to boot.
More like Rendon’t Ya Wish Ya Started Him :(((((((((