Every Wednesday, Dapinder joins Pitcher List to outline the best position player buys and sells of the week. He’ll outline the hitters to trust in your lineups and who to shop while their price is high. Make sure to stay ahead of the curve and use the market to your advantage.
BUY
Kendrys Morales (1B, Kansas City Royals) – As Morales hits under the Mendoza line, he’s the buy of the week. He’s being saddled by a BABIP of .211, well below his career .297. The higher strikeout rate may give some cause for concern, however his swinging strike percentage is consistent with his career meaning he’s gone down looking. Morales’s contact rates are consistent with his career. The Royal will be heating up soon; don’t miss out.
Cameron Maybin (OF, Detroit Tigers) – The Tigers centerfielder is hitting well after coming off the DL. Maybin has stolen 20+ bases in each of his full seasons. With the starting job locked down, he will be a good source of stolen bases and potentially RBI or Runs depending on where he hits in the lineup.
Devon Travis (2B, Toronto Blue Jays) – Travis is on the DL but is expected back within the next couple of weeks. He stands a good chance of being a top 10 2B the rest of the way. Travis showed good skills last year leading to a .304/.361/.498 line. While the average may come down a tad, Travis’s full field approach should help him keep most of his gains. Travis is likely to bat atop the Jays lineup putting him in a strong position to score runs. Travis has the tools and the lineup protection to be one of the better second baseman in fantasy.
Trayce Thompson (OF, Los Angeles Dodgers) – The 25 year old Dodgers outfielder has seamlessly adjusted to the MLB after last year’s call-up with the White Sox. Thompson was slated to be a low average/high strikeout batter with some power in his bat. In AAA, Thompson adjusted his approach to strikeout less and it has carried over the the Show. While he won’t keep up his current home run pace due to an inflated Isolated Power, Thompson should be able to mash around ten home runs while keeping up his respectable average. Oh, and he’s also got some nice wheels as he stole 31 bases from 2014-2015 in the minors.
Matt Duffy (2B/3B, San Francisco Giants) – Duffy has been underperforming so far in 2016. Part of it is the below average batting average on balls in play and the other part is the below average ISO. Despite this, Duffy has shown additional growth. He has cut down on the strikeouts and improved his walk rate from 4.9% to 7.3% this year. Duffy also owns the second best zone contact rate in the league. As Duffy gets better luck in balls in play, he should improve in all areas of his offensive gain and keep his plate discipline improvements.
Matt Kemp (OF, San Diego Padres) – Over the past calendar year, only 17 players have hit more home runs than Kemp’s 32 and only eight have more runs batted in. He’s hit ten this year, another 15-20 isn’t out of the question due to his HR/FB% and Isolated Power being relatively close to his career average. Kemp has a poor batting average on balls in play. May is also Kemp’s worst month throughout his career (.676 OPS). While his days of being a star are over, he still has a good bat and could very well finish as a top 15 OF.
Jose Ramirez (2B/3B/SS/OF) – Ramirez has sufficient playing time to be a force as he will mainly get reps in the outfield and at third base. His multi-position eligibility gives plenty of flexibility. Ramirez won’t hit more than five home runs the rest of the way, but he should be a good source of average and runs. He has one of the lowest swinging strike rates in the league and can hit all over the field. Ramirez is in a good position to steal 10-15 bases.
Ben Revere (OF, Washington Nationals) – Ben Revere has batted over .300 for the past three seasons and has stolen 30 or more bases in four of five seasons. Revere’s batting average on balls in play is ridiculously low. The leadoff spot belongs to Revere making him a great source of average, runs, and stolen bases the rest of the way.
SELL
Ryan Braun (OF, Milwaukee Brewers) – This is primarily intended for those in keeper leagues and dynasty leagues but in redrafts, the same can apply. Ryan Braun’s value will never be higher. With a .393 BABIP leading the charge to the highest batting average of his career and a .221 Isolated Power, the highest since 2012, Braun has been mashing. The power numbers are legitimate; Braun can hit 15-20 home runs from here on out. The batting average, however, is a different story. Braun won’t come close to replicating the kind of success he is having now this year. The Brewers outfielder is also somewhat of an injury risk due to his offseason back surgery. At 32, it is unlikely he steals more 15 bases. Lastly, the Brewers are not a good offensive team, which will limit Braun’s counting stats. It’s all pointing to a drop off that you don’t want to be a part of.
Carlos Beltran (OF, New York Yankees) – While Beltran’s numbers on the surface look good, his production is ready to take a dip. The 39-year-old currently has the highest Isolated Power of his career as well as his second highest HR/FB%. With the power going down, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his average falter as Beltran has a career high strikeout rate. Beltran has played his best baseball of the season; it’s only a matter of time before he stumbles.