Sweet and Lowe
Josh Lowe (TBR): 4-5, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
The Rays went into seller mode at the Trade Deadline, yet they are still in the AL Wild Card hunt.
Tampa beat Houston 6-1 in Minute Maid Park on Saturday to improve their record to 56-54. They are five games out of the Wild Card spot, thus showing that despite their “seller mentality” at the Deadline, they will not be throwing in the towel this year.
Josh Lowe, who went 4-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI, and two runs scored on Saturday, was a primary catalyst in their win. Lowe has long been seen as the future of this Rays franchise, but he has struggled to stay healthy in Tampa Bay. This year has been no exception, as he has only had 184 plate appearances due to seeing significant time on the IL due to an oblique strain.
He is hitting .239 for the season with a .717 OPS and seven home runs. He struggled in July, hitting only .224 with a .552 OPS in 71 plate appearances. It’s possible that if he had performed better, he might have generated some more trade buzz at the Deadline.
So far in August, though, Lowe has gotten off to a blazing start. In nine plate appearances, he is hitting .667 with a 2.547 OPS. His Saturday performance significantly boosted him (and explains his ridiculous numbers). That said, Lowe looks to be getting in a groove like he was at the beginning of the season when he hit .240 with a .736 OPS in 54 plate appearances in May.
It’s hard to depend on Lowe for fantasy purposes, especially in traditional leagues. He is still striking out 29.9% of the time, which is 5.5% higher than a year ago. He is barreling the ball at a 12% rate, and his hard-hit rate is up by 5.9%. Those are encouraging signs that Lowe can finish the year strong.
The Rays need someone to get hot at the end of the year if they want to stay in the thick of the Wild Card race.
Perhaps Lowe can be that guy.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday.
Rob Refsnyder (BOS): 4-4, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, SB.
The Red Sox fell short against the Rangers on the road, but Refsnyder had a game to remember. The 33-year-old outfielder collected four hits, two home runs, three RBI, and a stolen base in their 7-4 loss. With a .314 average and .909 OPS in 224 plate appearances this year, Refsnyder has been one of the more surprising stories on this Red Sox roster and in fantasy baseball.
Tyler Stephenson (CIN): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
After Blake Snell no-hit the Reds on Friday night, the Reds bounced back to score six runs in a 6-4 win. Stephenson led the way with two home runs and four RBI. The Reds catcher is having a stellar year, as he has already matched his 2023 total for home runs and is posting a .761 OPS. It doesn’t look rosy for the Reds in the Wild Card or NL Central, but a solid finish to 2024 could help Stephenson and the Reds build some momentum for 2025.
Luis García Jr. (WSN): 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI, SB.
Garcia is one of the more underrated second basemen in fantasy baseball. On Saturday, he had three hits, launched his 12th home run of the year, and stole his 17th base. His OPS is .772, and if he can get hot in the next two months, he could be a candidate for a 20-20 HR-SB season. Other Nationals like CJ Abrams and James Wood may generate more buzz, but Garcia shouldn’t be slept on.
Aaron Judge (NYY): 2-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.
It was another day at the office for Judge. He had two hits, two walks, two RBI, and another home run, his 41st of the season. It’s easy to dismiss Judge as just a “product” of Yankee Stadium. At the end of the day, though, Judge’s power is truly special, and he’s making another run at 60+ home runs feel likely.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Remember the “Vlad is a bust” talk at the beginning of the year or in the draft season? It feels like a distant memory now, especially after Guerrero hit his 22nd home run of the year. From a year ago, everything is up for Guerrero: barrel rate, launch angle, walk rate, hard-hit rate, etc. Guerrero feels like he’s solidifying himself as one of the game’s premier sluggers, which is enticing since he’s only 25.
Bligh Madris (DET): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
The Tigers offense looked listless for two games and nearly eight innings into their third game against the Kansas City Royals. Then, at the bottom of the ninth, Madris hit a solo blast off Hunter Harvey, which got Detroit back into it. The Tigers and Royals went back and forth, but they eventually pulled it off in the 11th, winning 6-5. Since getting promoted on July 21, Madris is hitting .375 with a .931 OPS in 35 plate appearances. With Riley Greene on the IL and Mark Canha now a Giant, Madris will get plenty of opportunities.
Jonah Heim (TEX): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
It’s been a season of regression for Heim, who is hitting .235 with a .632 OPS this year after hitting .258 with a .755 OPS in 2023. On Saturday, Heim looked more like his 2023 self, as he had two hits and three RBI and hit his 10th home run of the year. Heim isn’t launching the ball as well this year, as his LA Sweet-Spot% has gone from 34.3% to 29.5% this year, a significant drop. How he launches the ball in the next two months could affect his fantasy draft stock this offseason.
Ryan Jeffers (MIN): 2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB.
Jeffers helped the Twins hand the White Sox their 19th loss in a row, as Chicago’s bad season has only gotten worse since the All-Star break. Jeffers hit his 16th home run of the year, stole his third base, and improved his OPS to .776. The 27-year-old catcher’s average and OPS haven’t been as impressive as last season (.276 average; .859 OPS in 2023). However, he’s still been a valuable fantasy asset, especially in two-catcher leagues.
Joey Bart (PIT): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Talk about a change of scenery doing wonders. The Giants traded Bart at the beginning of the season before he could play a game this year for San Francisco. Since coming to Pittsburgh, Bart is hitting .271 with a .854 OPS in 148 plate appearances. That includes eight home runs and 27 RBI. It will be interesting to see Bart’s role in 2025, especially with Endy Rodríguez returning from injury. That said, the Pirates have lucked out in their acquisition of Bart, which is not something one can say too often with this franchise.