Category Power Rankings: Week 4

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

 

Batting Average (AVG)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Marcell Ozuna

The ageless one, Justin Turner is showing no signs of slowing down. He is off to a .356 start and he has even cooled off a tad over the past week. As long as his health cooperates, Turner is a four-category contributor hitting third in the best lineup in baseball.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Andrelton Simmons (COVID), Ha-seong Kim, Hanser Alberto

A career .286 hitter, Raimel Tapia has never had an issue hitting. Playing time has just always eluded him throughout his career with the likes of Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Carlos González, Trevor Story, and DJ LeMahieu all blocking him out in Colorado at one time or another. Tapia is mashing .400 over his last six games and with him batting consistently at the top of the Rox rebuilding lineup, there is no reason for that to change anytime soon.

 

Runs (R)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Christian Yelich (injury), Starling Marte (injury)

Carlos Correa has scored nine runs over his last eight games and has moved up to the leadoff spot for the Astros recently. While that will more than likely not remain the case once the Astros become fully healthy, it has certainly boosted his run-scoring production.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Ty France (ownership), Joey Wendle (ownership), Nick Solak, Tyler Naquin, César Hernández

The new leadoff hitter for the Red Sox this year, Enrique Hernández has eight runs in as many games since April 17th. With as lethal of a lineup as the Sox have had thus far, Hernandez looks to be decent contributor across multiple categories as long as he remains in such a prime position.

 

Home Runs (HR)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Christian Yelich (injury), Mookie Betts, Mike Moustakas (injury)

Despite his abysmal 35:1 K/BB ratio, Javier Báez finds himself among the league leaders in dingers to this point. Power has never been a question for Baez, and he should find himself putting up solid power numbers all year, but he is not doing himself any favors with that awful plate discipline.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Nate Lowe (ownership), Tyler Naquin, Jazz Chisholm Jr. (ownership), Evan Longoria

Adolis García is just two years removed from a 32-HR season in the Cardinals’ farm system, so the power potential is there. Other than a few cups of coffee at the big league level, García has not impressed like this before. He has five homers in 11 games with Texas so far this year and while that certainly is not sustainable, you might as well ride the hot hand with him.

 

Runs Batted In (RBI)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge

Matt Olson has been sensational through 18 games driving in 17 and, to the surprise of many, hitting a robust .338. The power and run production is expected from Olson, but after a 60-game sample that saw him hit .195 last year, the average has been a nice bonus. Expect it to normalize as we reach the summer months but also expect the run production to continue.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Nate Lowe (ownership), Zach McKinstry (injury), Ty France (ownership), Yuli Gurriel (ownership)

With 11 RBI in his last eight games, Miami first baseman Jesús Aguilar now has 17 on the year which is tied for eighth in all of baseball. Since becoming a Marlin, Aguilar has driven in runs at a full-season pace of 114. You could do a lot worse at corner infield especially considering Aguilar is owned in only 18% of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

 

Stolen Bases (SB)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Christian Yelich (injury), Victor Robles

With only six stolen bases over his previous 194 games, it is a bit surprising to see Eddie Rosario with five swipes in his first 20 games of 2021. His fantasy value certainly gets a boost if he plans to keep running as Rosario has always been somewhat of a two to three category contributor at best.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (ownership), Ha-seong Kim

Dylan Moore’s bat has yet to wake up from its winter slumber, but in the few times he has gotten on base, he has continued to run. Moore has stolen four bases in as many attempts and despite his slump at the dish to open the year, he is still getting regular playing time. If you have the roster flexibility to hold onto him, it might not be a bad idea with steals being so extinct anymore.

 

On-Base Percentage (OBP)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Christian Yelich (injury), Michael Conforto

While you might think he would be leading the league in strikeouts (and you would almost be correct as he is third), Joey Gallo actually leads the league in walks. Gallo has posted a .444 OBP in 21 games as that is about all he has done to this point based off of his .288 SLG. Gallo is a three true outcome hitter and as streaky as they come, expect those power numbers to bloom as the flowers begin to.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (ownership), Andrelton Simmons (COVID), Robbie Grossman, Jurickson Profar

Omar Narváez is looking, once again, like one of the best draft values of 2021. The Brewers’ backstop is slashing .389/.477/.574 and needs to be owned everywhere. At a position as brutal as catcher, Narvaez production is a welcome sight and it is silly to think he is only owned in 52% of Yahoo leagues and 37% in ESPN.

 

Wins (W)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Chris Paddack

After a bit of a blow up in his first start, Yu Darvish has reeled off four straight gems. With an ERA of 1.33 during that span, the veteran righty also has a pair of wins on the year. If Darvish continues to thrive with the command he has shown, there is no reason he can’t win 15 games.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Matthew Boyd (ownership), Matt Shoemaker, Jordan Montgomery

Since returning from injury to start the year, Alex Wood has looked sensational in his first two starts back racking up a pair of victories. While granted they were both against the Marlins, Wood has a track record of success when healthy and is worth an add in most leagues.

 

Earned Run Average (ERA)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Lance Lynn (injury)

Brandon Woodruff has given up a mere two runs over his last four starts. His ERA sits at a minuscule 1.55 as the entire Brewers rotation is experiencing a flurry of success so far in 2021. Woodruff’s numbers are in line with his peripherals as well with an xERA of 2.02. He has become a top-of-the-line ace in the fantasy world.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Taylor Widener, Adrian Houser

After not being able to get out of the first inning of his first start, Kyle Gibson has a 0.67 ERA over his last four outings spanning 27 IP. The veteran right-hander may have found a home in Texas after all. He should be owned in most mixed leagues.

 

Strikeouts (K)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: None

José Berríos is striking guys out at a career-high rate of 38% through four starts. He typically sits at around 25% so there is reason to believe that it will normalize. Though his increased fastball usage is interesting enough that maybe we will be looking at a new career high in K’s for Berríos. Either way, he is enough of a workhorse that he will approach 200 punchouts with ease.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Matthew Boyd (ownership), Yusei Kikuchi, Rich Hill

In his most recent start, Robbie Ray looked a lot like the guy who posted a 2.89 ERA with 218 K’s a few years back. His command was on point and he tallied nine punchouts over six frames. IF he can keep his walks in check and his velocity up, Ray could be a gold mine for fantasy owners.

 

Saves (SV)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Kendall Graveman

As if the closer scene couldn’t get any more blurry, it appears that Taylor Rogers could find his way into some more save chances with the recent struggles of Alex Colomé. Both arms are worth owning until a clearer picture is painted over the next week or so.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Yimi García (ownership), Rafael Dolis, Bryan Garcia

Keeping with the theme of messy ninth-inning situations, Greg Holland and Josh Staumont appear to both be destined for save opportunities in Kansas City. The more talented arm and the one most fantasy owners would like to see take over the role full time would be Staumont, but the veteran Holland will surely not go away that easily.

 

WHIP (Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Lance Lynn (injury), Chris Paddack

Gerrit Cole has looked every bit the man the Yankees dished out all that money for before last year. Over his last four starts, Cole has a WHIP of 0.61 and on the year it sits at 0.72. He is looking like the front runner for the AL Cy Young so far.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Matthew Boyd (ownership), Jordan Montgomery, Brett Anderson (injury), Yusei Kikuchi, Matt Shoemaker

Brady Singer was prematurely dropped in a lot of leagues after his first start. Since that point, he has reeled off three solid outings in a row posting a WHIP of 0.83. The former first-round pick looks poised for a break out in 2021.

 

Quality Starts (QS)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Dylan Bundy

The reigning AL Cy Young award winner is now 5-for-5 in quality starts this year. Shane Bieber is following up his historic season with what is looking like another dominant run in 2021. He is really special.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Matthew Boyd (ownership), Matt Shoemaker, Jordan Montgomery, Danny Duffy (ownership), Yusei Kikuchi

Chris Flexen has allowed one run or less in three of his four outings so far, resulting in a pair of quality starts. It would nice to see him miss more bats on a consistent basis, but he is definitely on the streaming radar in mixed leagues.

 

Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)