Category Power Rankings: Week 13

Another week of baseball in the books, which means another fresh edition of CPR!

 

Batting Average (AVG)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Charlie Blackmon

There might not be a hotter hitter over the last two weeks than Carlos Correa. The oft-injured shortstop is slashing .439/.549/.854 over his past 12 games bringing his season line to .304/.396/.538. Correa is trying to earn a fat contract this offseason along with other impending free agents at the position such as Trevor Story, Corey Seager, and Javier Báez. Correa’s health has always been his biggest bugaboo but it has cooperated so far, so enjoy the ride while it lasts.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

 

 

Off the list: Odúbel Herrera, Miguel Andújar, Josh Rojas, Amed Rosario

Yonathan Daza is hitting .355 over his past month’s worth of games. Daza is batting consistently in the two-hole for Colorado and is worth a look in deeper leagues for those who are in need of AVG and some runs.

 

Runs (R)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Mark Canha (injury)

Matt Olson has been sensational so far this year and has been one of the best values from drafts this year. Olson has been a four-category stud tallying 20 HRs, 53 RBI, and 50 runs scored while hitting .296. If it wasn’t for Vlad Jr., Olson would be starting the All-Star game for the American League this year, without question.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

 

 

Off the list: Freddy Galvis (injury), Justin Upton (injury), Pavin Smith, Josh Rojas

Over his last 25 games, Myles Straw has scored 19 runs while batting .322. Straw does not offer a ton of fantasy value outside of SBs and a handful of runs and decent AVG, but he is on a heater right now as the Astro’s offense is mashing from top to bottom so might as well ride this one out in deeper leagues.

 

Home Runs (HR)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Juan Soto

Holy Schwarber! Kyle Schwarber is on a tear of all tears. With a whopping 12 dingers over the last two weeks, he now has 22 on the year and as a result, has probably single-handedly won many people their fantasy weeks during that span.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

 

 

Off the list: Jonathan Schoop (ownership), Justin Upton (injury), Kyle Schwarber (ownership), Patrick Wisdom

C.J. Cron has matched his HR total over the last two weeks with five bombs now giving him ten on the year. Cron in Colorado seemed like a match made in heaven for fantasy owners but it has been somewhat disappointing thus far. Here’s to hoping for more to come.

 

Runs Batted In (RBI)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Juan Soto

Only a couple of hitters have more RBI over the past month than Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez has driven in 23 runs over his last 24 games giving him 49 on the year. He has had his share of nagging injuries this year, but when on the field, Alvarez has been an excellent contributor with a 125-RBI full-season pace.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

 

 

Off the list: Jonathan Schoop (ownership), Justin Upton (injury), Robbie Grossman, Willy Adames

Josh Bell has driven in ten runs over his last nine games. Bell has been pretty underwhelming in his first season with Washington but has improved upon his even worse 2020. The talent is there, it is just a matter of him finding it again.

 

Stolen Bases (SB)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Adalberto Mondesi (injury), Jonathan Villar (injury)

Since returning from the IL, Trevor Story is 6-for-6 in steals and now has 14 on the year. It’s doubtful that Story continues to run at that pace but he is certainly making up for lost time.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

 

 

Off the list: Jonathan Villar (injury), Jurickson Profar, Odúbel Herrera

In the 11 games since returning from the injured list, Dylan Moore has four swipes with an OPS of .773. The speed is expected from Moore but his atrocious hitting numbers have made him virtually not usable in most leagues. If the bat can follow suit, he needs to be picked up.

 

On-Base Percentage (OBP)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Mark Canha (injury), Austin Riley, Yandy Díaz

With a 24/23 K/BB ratio over the past month, Joey Gallo has posted an OBP of .424. Gallo is the “three true outcomes” poster child as he leads the league in walks, near the top in K’s, and we all know about the power he possesses. 

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

 

 

Off the list: Pavin Smith, Justin Upton (injury), David Fletcher

Over his last 18 games, Ty France has an OBP of .400 as well as six HBP. Kind of an oddity there. What is not odd, is France’s ability to get on base. He has shown this ability in the minors before so it should be no surprise. France should be owned in anything deeper than 12 team mixed leagues.

 

Wins (W)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Tyler Mahle, Aaron Civale (injury)

Anthony DeSclafani is just another name for San Francisco that is enjoying a sensational 2021 campaign. Tony Disco is 4-0 in his last four starts with a 1.00 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP. There has always been something there with DeSclafani that has left fantasy owners wanting more, and with this move to SanFran, we have gotten more than we could have ever expected so far.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

 

 

Off the list: Austin Gomber (injury), Dallas Keuchel (ownership), Wade Miley (ownership), Yusei Kikuchi (ownership), Adam Wainwright (ownership), Alex Cobb, Mike Minor

With the exception of a couple of pretty bad starts, Zach Davies has been solid this year. Take out a couple of blow ups, and Davies has a 2.41 ERA in his other 13 outings. I know, I know, that’s kind of cherry-picking. But he has pitched well over the past month to the tune of a 3-2 record and a 3.44 ERA.

 

Earned Run Average (ERA)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: None

Since May 11th, spanning eight starts, Freddy Peralta has a 1.29 ERA. All of Peralta’s pitches are working right now and he is entrenching himself among the elite this year. What a steal he has been for fantasy owners, most of whom probably acquired him from the waiver wire.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

 

 

Off the list: Yusei Kikuchi (ownership), Dallas Keuchel (ownership), Adam Wainwright (ownership), Austin Gomber (injury), Adrian Houser

The promotion of Matt Manning was a tad surprising seeing as he struggled mightily at the Triple-A level this year, but Manning possesses all the tools to be an elite starter. So far, pretty good for the former first-round pick as he has a 3.38 ERA through his first two major league outings. Don’t expect him to be elite in 2021, but he has too much upside to not, at the very least, be on the streaming radar.

 

Strikeouts (K)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: None

While he has not been as dominant as he was prior to missing some time on the IL, Corbin Burnes has still been able to rack up the punchouts. Since returning on May 13th, Burnes has struck out 66 batters across 45.1 IP and still boasts an outstanding 13.86 K/9. 

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

 

 

Off the list: Yusei Kikuchi (ownership), Austin Gomber (injury)

While his inability to go deep into games certainly limits his upside, Shane McClanahan can rack up the K’s. The rookie left-hander is averaging 10.84 K/9 and has had nine starts where he has punched out more than a batter per inning.

 

Saves (SV)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Hector Néris, Lucas Sims (injury)

Will Smith has converted eight of his last nine save chances and now has 16 in 17 opportunities. The veteran left-hander has had his ups and downs but all-in-all has been very solid in the closer’s role for the Braves. Fantasy owners should feel pretty safe with Smith.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-Team leagues/65% owned or less)

 

 

Off the list: Lou Trivino (ownership), Lucas Sims (injury), Rafael Montero

The closing situation in Cincinnati has been pretty frustrating. Tejay Antone has been far and above the best reliever for the Reds but was never given the full reigns to close. Now, along with Lucas Sims, Antone finds himself on the IL and the Reds find themselves in dire need of a ninth-inning stopper. I guess it’s time for Amir Garrett part deux?

 

WHIP (Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Aaron Civale (injury)

If it wasn’t for Jacob deGrom, we would be talking about Kevin Gausman as the front runner for Cy Young in the NL. The veteran righty has a 0.59 WHIP over the past month and a 0.77 mark on the year with a LOB% of 87%. Gausman’s splitter has never been better and it’s no coincidence that neither has Gausman.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

 

 

Off the list: Yusei Kikuchi (ownership), Adam Wainwright (ownership), Austin Gomber (injury), Dallas Keuchel (ownership)

JT Brubaker has looked sharp over his last five turns, posting an ERA of 3.18 and a sub-1.00 WHIP. Other than a pair of poor starts in May, Brubaker has been superb for the Pirates and fantasy owners alike. He is owned in a mere 33% of both Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

 

Quality Starts (QS)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Max Fried (injury), Aaron Civale (injury)

Framber Valdez has looked excellent since returning from injury and has now posted five consecutive quality starts. Valdez was looking like a lost cause after he went down with a torn ligament in his finger during spring training but he has made his way back triumphantly and is now very much the must-own/must-start pitcher he was a year ago.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

 

 

Off the list: Yusei Kikuchi (ownership), Austin Gomber (injury), Dallas Keuchel (ownership), Wade Miley (ownership), Adam Wainwright (ownership), Jordan Montgomery

There is no sugar-coating it: Patrick Corbin has been a $23M disappointment. That being said, he s starting to turn it around. Three straight quality starts has “lowered” his ERA to 5.33. Here’s to hoping this string of good starts boosts his confidence and we get the Corbin of old back, because when he is on, there is nothing like watching that slider at work.

 

Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)