Buy or Sell: Bet on Nola's bounce-back; sell Snell before the hype's gone

Here are two players you should buy with their value steadily on the rise, and two players you should sell before their stocks dip.

Buy

SP Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies

From April 6 to June 5, Nola struck out 85 batters in 78 innings while compiling an ERA of 2.65. If he didn't play in a league with stacked pitching and for a Phillies team with little national spotlight on them, he would have been a fringe Cy Young candidate. Then, he bombed in four straight starts, posting an ERA of 15.23 and lasting just 13 innings.

That's why now is the perfect time to buy low on one of 2016's breakout pitchers; his value might never be this low again. You might not even have to trade for him as he's being aggressively dropped across fantasy baseball.

His problems seem to stem from the timely hitting of his recent opponents, including the Giants, Blue Jays and Nationals, who currently sit 10th, 11th and 12th in runs per game this season.

If he is dropped in your league, he needs to be picked up and at the very least, stashed for a start or two. Be patient and see whether this is just a blip in an otherwise spotless season or actually a sign that he's breaking down under the weight of the increased significance of his performance for his team.

If Nola can correct his miscues and be even 80% of what he was early on, he'll be fantasy worthy in the second half.

OF Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins

In 123 plate appearances, Kepler is hitting .248 with a .320 OBP. While that isn't exactly MVP-worthy, there are a couple of key growth areas that could lead to increased fantasy production.

First, his 26 percent strikeout rate in the majors towers over any K-rate from his time in the minors. Besides a seven-PA call-up last September, he hasn't struck out this frequently since rookie ball in 2011. If he can keep his walk-rate between eight to 10 percent and lower his strikeout rate, his improved approach will lead to better offerings to hit and a bump in overall production.

With Byung Ho Park headed to the minors to find his stroke, Kepler will remain in the bigs despite the recent return of OF Miguel Sano from the DL; the young slugger will slide into the now-vacant DH slot.

Other than the strikeouts, it appears that Kepler is just a couple of minor corrections from being a very serviceable fantasy outfielder. He hits the ball hard and has untapped base-stealing potential. With the Twins out of contention they have an incentive to play around with their batting order. If he can tighten his approach, he has a real shot to stay the rest of the season.

Sell

C Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals

Ramos sits atop the leaderboard for fantasy catchers, which is as much a testament to the dearth of talent at the position this year as much as Ramos' ability to put the ball in the air. With 35 runs, 44 RBIs and 12 homers, he wouldn't quite make the shortlist for Silver Slugger consideration at any other position.

The difference maker is his slashline. He has a 31-point lead in batting average over J.T. Realmuto, and a 31-point lead in OBP over runner-up Jonathan Lucroy; his lead in slugging percentage is even greater. But what's driving those inflated rates? Could it be that he has a batting average on balls in play of .350 -- 60 points above his career average of .290? Probably.

Ramos' line drive rate is up to a career-high 23 percent and he's making hard contact at the second-highest rate of his career. His 24.5 percent home run-to-fly ball rate is nearly twice the league average. He's also swinging at fewer pitches out of the zone (31.5 percent), and when he does chase pitches, he's hitting non-zone offerings at a career-high 69.2 percent clip.

So either Ramos has gotten very lucky or he's been watching tapes of Miguel Cabrera. The former seems like the obvious answer, even accounting for some improvement. With a weak field at the position, Ramos should be able to fetch a sizable return on the trade market. Try to "downgrade" from Ramos to another catcher like Lucroy or Buster Posey while adding a second piece too.

SP Blake Snell, Tampa Bay Rays

Snell can be summed up in two words: hype and luck. The hype is why he was picked up in the first place while the luck is why he's still being held onto in 30 percent of leagues.

While his ERA is a solid 3.54 and his fielding-independent pitching is a slightly better 3.21, he has gotten very lucky so far in his first four big-league starts. He is walking 4.87 batters per nine innings, and when you're averaging barely more than five innings per start, those free passes can be deadly.

Snell has yet to see the full effect of his walk issues because he hasn't given up a homer yet in the majors. Playing in the slugger haven which is the AL East should see that streak broken rather quickly. With a WHIP of 1.77, Snell is one big swing away from disaster. He could find himself back in the minors to work on his control sooner than later.

If you can trade Snell on hype alone, whatever the return is will be a solid value. Unless you're in a keeper or dynasty format, there's no need to continue to hold faith in Snell this season. It's clear that his walk issue will keep his outings short, eventually lead to an increased ERA, and the threat of an overall innings limit still looms.