Fortessimo
Nick Fortes is probably not a player you think about often unless you watch the Rays every day. He’s not fantasy-relevant and really never has been. His metrics this year are pretty fine; he has a really solid batting average for a catcher and plays on a team with an offense that has performed better than expected. The underlying numbers are a mess, though. He has one of the lowest sweet-spot percentages in baseball and seriously lacks power. He’s a singles machine and it looks flukey, but we have to give credit where credit is due for an excellent game like yesterday’s.
Fortes was a key contributor to the Rays’ onslaught of offense against the Guardians. He opened the game by making contact with a high changeup and poking it through the hole. He then collected two more singles and finished his night at the plate with a double. Fortes’ final line was 4-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI. He’s not going to do this often, and even so, he won’t really rack up the RBIs and runs with his hits, largely because he hits at the back of the order. Still, this is fun to see and Raysball is alive and well, even if it doesn’t seem sustainable.
Nick Fortes (TBR): 4-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday…
Anthony Seigler (BOS): 4-5, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Anthony Seigler has been a revelation for the Red Sox, showcasing the skills that could make him a difference-maker for the hottest team in baseball. His wRC+ after this game jumped from 91 to 116, largely due to the small sample size. None of his hits were particularly well-tagged, as his home run was sub-100mph in terms of exit velocity. Even if he’s not swinging a booming bat, he has excellent plate discipline, and it will allow for his floor to be higher than plenty of other AAAA-types. The Kyle Harrison trade isn’t looking so bad after all for the Red Sox.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (BAL): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB.
It’s nice to see you, buddy. Christian Encarnacion-Strand has looked amazing since being called up by the Baltimore Orioles. How many of you remembered that he was in the Baltimore system? I certainly forgot. He’s hitting for power like crazy right now, as he has three homers in five games. He’s one of those players with serious home run power, but lacks contact and discipline skills. He could definitely help you if you are in desperate need of home runs and RBIs, but don’t be surprised if he goes cold. As of now, though, it’s fun to ride the wave and see former hyped prospects who struggled get the chance to shine after being somewhat forgotten about.
Kazuma Okamoto (TOR): 2-5, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
While he’s incredibly streaky, Kazuma Okamoto has provided a lot of hope to Blue Jays fans. It feels like every time you check a box score, he’s hit a home run for the team. His power has translated well, which is awesome to see, even if he whiffs and strikes out a lot more than you’d want. The highs are outweighing the lows as of now, mostly. The Jays are in dire need of a spark on the offensive side, and he’s always the one to provide it. He had a homer and double yesterday, which helped the Blue Jays make the game interesting after it seemed like they would go down easily to a red-hot Red Sox squad. It’ll be interesting to see what his final stats are on the season.
Austin Hedges (CLE): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
The Rays/Guardians game was the battle of the mediocre-hitting catchers. Austin Hedges is well in the positive category at the plate this season. That will not last, but it’s fun to witness. Perhaps the most exciting development is his strikeout rate, which is below 20% for the first time in his career. With a 135 at-bat sample size, that’s not too shabby. He hit a home run in the ninth when the game was all over, but it’s still good for morale to have him putting up great games like this as a career glove-only player. You’d have to be in a seriously, seriously deep league with a depleted roster to even consider banking on him being a difference-maker in fantasy, though.
Jake Burger (TEX): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
By now, we know what we’re gonna get from Jake Burger. Poor ratios, lots of strikeouts (avoid in leagues with the extra penalty), and general streakiness. He also provides great pop, as there is always the potential he hits a home run. He gave the Rangers their lead back after the Mariners tied it 1-1, and eventually gave them their final lead in the sixth to break a 3-3 tie. Burger isn’t rostered in a lot of leagues like he used to be when he was breaking out, but he’s still a solid player in a deep league or a league with a big bench.
Eugenio Suárez (CIN): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
The reunion season with Cincinnati is looking like one to forget, but Eugenio Suárez is still doing a good job at what he does best: hitting home runs. Well, mostly. You’d think that in such a great offensive environment, a guy who hit nearly 50 bombs might be able to be on track for at least 30. That’s not the case, though he has come through for his club in games like these, as his home run was the difference-maker. Suárez has some pretty ugly underlying numbers this season, but he’s always been able to outperform them in the past due to his pulled flyball tendency. His rate of pulling balls in the air is down a decent amount this season, even though it’s still above average. That strikeout rate is brutal even by his standards, though, and it’s likely he’s probably been dropped in your league.
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI, BB.
Atta boy Pete, keep stuffing that stat sheet. He may have a streaky nature, but Pete Crow-Armstrong has been unreal, and I’m sure that fantasy managers are very happy with where they drafted him. After striking out on a slider that got a fair bit of plate, PCA bounced back against Jared Jones, hitting a sharpy hit flyball for a double and then coming back up in the sixth inning to tie the game. He was an essential part of this Cubs victory, getting on base three times and as mentioned before, scoring that crucial run with the solo shot that brought the Cubs back to life in a game that was a bit of a slog on the hitting side. He’s awesome, and everyone who drafted him (and/or is a Cubs fan) is super happy.
Rafael Devers (SFG): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
It was a really ugly start to the season for Rafael Devers, who was at the center of speculation about potential trades and dysfunction within the Giants. It’s not easy going from a hitter-friendly environment like Boston to a team that didn’t have a 30-home-run hitter for 21 years. Devers is now at 21, and it’s safe to assume that he probably reaches that 30-home-run mark with ease. He’s been pretty great since that first horrific month, with wRC+ marks of 155, 127, and 135, respectively. It’s not the best season for Devers, and it certainly won’t magically become that overnight, but fantasy managers who didn’t drop him after the early slump should be happy with this production.
Kyle Tucker (LAD): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
Speaking of players who started the season underperforming, let’s check in on Kyle Tucker. He’s getting pretty close to putting up an average wRC+, though his month of July has certainly been one to forget. I think there’s a certain element of Tucker being an extreme flyball hitter that is playing a big part in his underperformance. His BABIP is always low because of his flyball tendency, though he still tends to get production as flyballs lead to extra-base hits more often. That’s not happening this year, and a lot of that can be attributed to lower pull rates and hard-hit rates. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising if he turns it on in the back half of the season; he’s too talented not to.
