[hitter_list list_id=”24595″ include_stats=”1″ season=”2018″]
Welcome back to Hitter List. Every Wednesday during the regular season, I’ll rank the current value of the top 150 hitters for the remainder of the year. Use these rankings to help get a sense of both a player’s expected performance and his trade value in your fantasy leagues moving forward. They’re constructed with 12-teamer, H2H, 5×5 leagues in mind; adjust as needed for your specific setup. Position eligibility does factor in to a degree.
We’re entering the home stretch of the 2018 season, so expect to see plenty of aggressive adjustments to the List each week. In particular, injuries will take on added importance as even a minimum DL stint will cost a player a decent chunk of their remaining games. Rest assured that any rankings you vehemently disagree with were explicitly an attempt to insult you and/or your favorite player(s) personally. Seriously, before you work yourself into a rage in the comment section, understand that this is only one person’s opinion. I’m wrong a lot! Comes with the territory of doing this sort of thing.
On to the highlights!
- Injury roundup: Rafael Devers (hamstring) is back on the disabled list for the third time in five weeks. Combined with his underwhelming numbers, that’s enough to drop him near the end of the List. Only his pedigree and the lineup context keep him from falling off entirely. Brandon Nimmo (finger) comes up lame with unfortunate timing, as he looked to be embarking on another hot streak right before that HBP. Didi Gregorius (heel) doesn’t have a firm timetable, but at this point anything beyond the minimum stint is a serious blow to any player’s ROS value. Joey Votto (leg) could be back when first eligible on Sunday, but given his underwhelming performance thus far, it’s tough to expect big numbers from here on out. Finally, late-breaking news that Buster Posey (hip) will likely need season-ending surgery is the cherry on top of the worst year of his career.
- New to or back on the List this week: Shohei Ohtani makes his way back on to the List. If he played more often, he would have been a fixture – his production has never been the issue there. Even with Scott Schebler finally nearing a return, Phil Ervin’s performance in his absence deserves recognition, and he figures to remain in the lineup more often than not as the Reds play out the string. Hunter Renfroe’s numbers have improved across the board over his rookie season, but lack of playing time early in the year has kept him largely overlooked. Willy Adames might just be on a hot streak, but his pedigree and blend of power and speed make him worth betting on. Johan Camargo isn’t flashy, but he’s hitting over .300 with solid run production and a bit of pop since the break and qualifies for three infield positions. Finally, Lourdes Gurriel is almost healed and ready to try extending his multi-hit game streak, which stood at a ridiculous 11 games before his injury.
