Category Power Rankings: Week 9

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

 

Batting Average (AVG)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Whit Merrifield

Hitting .351 over his last 14 games, Kris Bryant is looking every bit of the former MVP that he is. Bryant is enjoying an excellent bounceback in his contract year, slashing .322/.407/.593 with 33 RBI in 48 games. Those who bought back in on the 29-year old after a disastrous 2020 are reaping the benefits right now.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Adam Frazier (ownership), Bryan Reynolds (ownership), Miguel Rojas (injury), Raimel Tapia (ownership)

Over the past two weeks, nobody has hit for a higher average than Garrett Cooper with a .457 mark. Cooper has always been able to swing it but just has been unable to find his way into everyday playing time in Miami. He is definitely more suited for a DH role, but he is getting regular run in right field for the Marlins and—until he cools off—needs to be owned in most leagues. Those who may have lost Pete Alonso or Luke Voit to the injured list should take a long look at Cooper.

 

Runs (R)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Trevor Story (injury), Kyle Tucker

Bo Bichette is currently on a 137-run pace to go along with his 30/20 pace as well. The budding superstar has followed his breakout 2020 with an excellent sophomore season and is looking like a fantasy stalwart for many years to come.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Bryan Reynolds (ownership), Miguel Rojas (injury), Austin Hays (injury), Brandon Crawford (ownership), Adam Frazier (ownership)

There may not be a hotter hitter in baseball right now than Pavin Smith. With an OPS of 1.233 over the past week or so, Smith has been a revelation for the Diamondbacks and fantasy owners alike. Still only owned anywhere from 27-43% across Yahoo, ESPN, and CBS formats, Smith needs to be owned until further notice, or at least he cools off.

 

Home Runs (HR)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Franmil Reyes (injury)

With 11 HRs over the past 30 days, Adolis García finds himself tied atop the major league lead in the category. The slugging outfielder is doing exactly that with a SLG of .602 and has been one of the most valuable assets in the fantasy landscape through the first two months of the season. One would have to assume his percentages will normalize a bit but the power should remain.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Brandon Crawford (ownership), Kyle Schwarber (ownership), Kyle Seager (ownership), C.J. Cron, Brandon Belt, Josh Rojas

The human ball of muscle himself, Tyler O’Neill, has homered in his first three games back from the injured list, giving him 11 now in 33 games played. For those of you not doing the math, that is a 54-HR full-season pace. The raw power O’Neill possesses appears to be finally breaking through, which, if that is the case, he will make him a must-own bat.

 

Runs Batted In (RBI)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Javier Báez

Yuli Gurriel finds himself on a 129 RBI pace right now as he has been an integral part of the Astros’ lineup. The veteran infielder has always been a good source of AVG and RBI and this year is no different. He should remain a helpful fantasy contributor in those two categories and even provide a little bit of power as well. Health permitting, of course.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Kyle Seager (ownership), David Peralta (ownership), Brandon Crawford (ownership), Jorge Soler, Kyle Schwarber (ownership), Josh Fuentes, C.J. Cron

Manuel Margot has been hitting at or around the middle of the Rays’ lineup recently and, as a result, has 12 RBI across his last 11 games. His season long total is up to 29 RBI and while his OPS remains pretty subpar, his six steals in ten chances makes him a deep league add in most leagues.

 

Stolen Bases (SB)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Mark Canha, Myles Straw

The long awaited return of Adalberto Mondesi has finally arrived. So far, Mondesi has been mashing the baseball and has stolen a base since returning last week. Expect more of the latter, as he should be an elite source of swipes and game changer in the category for those who stashed him away.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Tommy Pham (ownership), Nicky Lopez, Austin Slater, Raimel Tapia, Sam Haggerty

With the flurry of injuries to the Mets’ lineup, Jonathan Villar has snuck his way in to regular playing time. He has made the most of it and has seen the ball pretty well while chipping in a couple steals. Villar is a guy who has averaged 35 SBs a year over the past five seasons, so as long as he is in the lineup every day, he should contribute.

 

On-Base Percentage (OBP)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Michael Brantley

Over his past 18 games, Yoán Moncada has an OBP of .526 which has pushed him up to fourth in the majors with a .418 mark. The power numbers have not quite been there like we may have hoped but with the way he is seeing the ball right now, I am sure the dingers will follow suit.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Bryan Reynolds (ownership), Adam Frazier (ownership), Luis Arraez (injury), Kyle Schwarber

It seems like the only thing Yandy Díaz actually exceeds at is getting on base. Over the past month he owns a .396 OBP and a season long mark of .387, yet he is slugging just .299 on the year.

 

Wins (W)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Blake Snell

Lance Lynn has racked up five wins across his last six outings. He has not gone as deep into games as we are used to seeing from Lynn, but he is more than getting the job done as evident by his 1.37 ERA.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Cole Irvin

Houston right-hander Luis Garcia has won his last three starts and has improved his numbers to the tune of 2.93 ERA and 1.02 WHIP while striking out over ten batters per nine. It seems as though he will remain in the rotation with Lance McCullers on the IL and is teetering on the must-own territory.

 

Earned Run Average (ERA)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Blake Snell

Kyle Hendricks has looked a lot more like the pitcher we all know and love over the past month. With a 2.67 ERA during that span across five starts, Hendricks finds himself back in the good graces of fantasy owners. Expect him to remain there.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Brady Singer, Carlos Martínez, Cole Irvin

Since joining the Royals’ rotation, Kris Bubic has been nearly flawless. Bubic owns a 1.52 ERA on the year and 1.59 as a starter. The rebuilding Royals have no reason to remove him until he completely falls apart, which hopefully isn’t anytime soon.

 

Strikeouts (K)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Sandy Alcantara

What has gotten into Zack Wheeler? The righty has an astounding 36 K’s across his past 21.1 IP and is now up to a stout 11.04 K/9. Even despite the bump in strikeouts, Wheeler has been a legitimate fantasy ace this season, posting a 2.52 ERA and 0.93 WHIP.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Brady Singer, Madison Bumgarner, JT Brubaker

Going 4-0 across his last six turns, Nick Pivetta has struck out 41 batters over a span of 33 innings. Pivetta was the apple of the fantasy community’s eye only a couple short seasons ago but never lived up to the hype. While he has been far from dominant, Pivetta has been more than useful with six victories and a 3.86 ERA.

 

Saves (SV)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Jake McGee, Taylor Rogers, Daniel Bard

Liam Hendriks appears to have righted the ship in his new home in Chicago. The veteran right-handed stopper has gone a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities over the past month. He has not allowed an earned run in his last 14 appearances and is looking liek the elite closer fantasy owners drafted back in March.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Josh Staumont (injury), Michael Fulmer, Stefan Crichton

Tyler Rogers has firmly entrenched himself as the stopper for the Giants due to the struggles of Jake McGee. The submarining-righty hasn’t been perfect, but he has done a nice job of limiting damage and baserunners in general. He should be owned in more leagues.

 

WHIP (Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: None

Lucas Giolito is 3-0 over his last three starts and is sporting a 1.29 ERA and a sexy 0.81 WHIP. The ace right-hander has had a couple of poor outings this year but on the whole, he has been the usual dominant Giolito we have come to expect from him. Expect more of the same moving forward.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: JT Brubaker, Brady Singer, Dallas Keuchel, Jon Gray

Justin Dunn has been surprisingly effective this year. Over his last three starts, Dunn has a sub-1.00 WHIP to go along with a nice 2.20 ERA. He has the pedigree to make this run somewhat believable but he is still on the streaming radar for now.

 

Quality Starts (QS)

 

Top 25

 

 

Off the list: Kyle Gibson (injury)

You really cannot say enough about Brandon Woodruff. The guy has now posted ten consecutive quality starts. TEN! He is inserting himself among the top tier of arms this year.

 

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

 

 

Off the list: Austin Gomber, Drew Smyly

The former top prospect Casey Mize has reeled off five quality starts over his last six outings. While the WHIP may leave little to be desired at times, Mize is still looking like a potential ace in the making. He needs to be owned across the board.

 

Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)