3 Up, 3 Down: The Biggest MLB Fantasy Questions of the Week
Here are three burning questions affecting MLB fantasy players this week:
What are your expectations for Yasiel Puig for the rest of the year?
Josh Ghatak: I'm keeping expectations low after being let down for much of the entire season. Relying on Puig to deliver, at this point, seems foolish considering his track record. With about half of the season left, fantasy players are going to need to a massive second half just to (somewhat) makeup for their already busted draft pick. Don't get your hopes up.
Andrew Potter: The good thing about buying into Puig now is that his results won't be judged against his 81.4 ADP. That ship has more or less sailed but he could still perform to that level over the back half of the season. Despite his struggles, he has a career .354 OBP in the second half, and his power/speed combo can match anyone's if he can only stay patient and confident.
Who is the best fantasy catcher going forward?
JG: Wilson Ramos. Ramos has hit over .315 for every month of the season and is now tapping into some power he had only shown in spades prior to 2016. The absolute zero in stolen bases isn't ideal, but Ramos' work at the plate has him leading all catchers in AVG.,OBP.,SLG. With 500 plate appearances in sight, Ramos has earned his place in terms of competing with Buster Posey and Jonathan Lucroy.
AP: I'll say Lucroy, but with the caveat that he'll probably get traded to a team in contention. Posey has been uncharacteristically subdued this year but Lucroy has hit almost exactly .300 in each month this year. He has the power profile and a long track record of success that lets me know he's legitimate. A trade to a stronger offense could only bolster his value.
Who is your top trade target right now?
JG: Focusing on a hitter, it may be time to roll the dice on Giancarlo Stanton. Over the past two weeks, Stanton has hit .359 with two homers and 8 RBI's, while also scoring nine times. Considering his batted ball stats over this time echo career marks, there should be some merit put into his recent play. Stanton has already missed his designated portion of the season due to injury, so new owners can take that as a victory.
AP: I'm aggressively pursing Yankees set-up man Andrew Miller. He was one of 2015's best closers, receiving plenty of save opportunities playing for baseball's second-best offense. With the Yankees looking like an also-ran, they will look to sell off their high-priced talent. If he's closing for the Cubs, Giants or Rangers down the stretch, I'd value him as a top-3 RP in fantasy.