Rising Stock

Nick Ahmed SS, ARI- Ahmed was hurt by a real bad month of May which saw him hit .146 with an OPS of .453.  That bad month saw his ownership levels drop as there was just zero production coming from him despite the favorable position in the Diamondbacks lineup.  Since June 1st however Ahmed is hitting .281 with an OPS of .860 while hitting eight home runs and driving in 32 RBI. Ahmed had a great July which saw him hit .302 with an OPS of .921 and that success has carried right over into August where he is hitting .313 with an OPS of 1.171 over four games. His ownership levels sit around 25-percent in standard leagues so those in need of middle infield or help at shortstop should definitely take a look at Ahmed.

Mallex Smith OF, TB- Smith was my preseason pick to lead the American League in stolen bases and possible lead the MLB in stolen bases when I had the assumption he would be an everyday player with Tampa.  Smith does rank eighth with 23 stolen bases but when compared to the players ahead of him, including Trea Turner who leads the league with 30 stolen bases, Smith has seen anywhere from 50-to-100 less at bats. With that said, Since July 1st Smith is hitting .411 with six doubles, four triples, one home run and eight stolen bases.   In standard formats Smith is owned in about 30-percent of leagues so those in need of help in the stolen base category should definitely look to pick him up.

Dereck Rodriguez SP, SF- I’m not sure what Rodriguez has left to prove to fantasy owners.  On the season he is 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. He has yet to allow more than three earned runs in any outing and he hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any start since June 19th.  Despite all this success Rodriguez is still available in nearly 40-percent of standard leagues. His next start will come on Sunday at home against the Pirates.

 

Falling Stock

Matt Kemp OF, LAD- Kemp was one of the surprising stories during the first half of the MLB season as he hit .310 with an OPS of .874 heading into the All-Star break in his return to the Dodgers.  Unfortunately Kemp has seemingly had an All-Star game hangover as the Dodgers outfielder is hitting just .173 over his last 52 at bats with an OPS of .562. Kemp is also now dealing with an ankle contusion which has kept him out of the Dodgers lineup recently.  Though it’s unlikely Kemp will continue to struggle at this rate his fantasy owners are really hoping he turns it around sooner rather than later.

Xander Bogaerts SS, BOS- Injuries are again plaguing Xander just like they have over the past few seasons.  Heading into the All-Star break Bogaerts was hitting .284 with 16 home runs and an OPS of .888. Since the All-Star break he is hitting just .200 with zero home runs and an OPS of .576.  Bogaerts missed a few games after getting hit in the wrist by a pitch. A similar injury really dampened his production in the second half of last season which saw him hit just .235 with an OPS of .671 after hitting .303 with an OPS of .806 during the first half of the season.

Luis Severino SP, NYY- Heading into the All-Star break many had considered Severino among the top pitchers in the American League and a contender for the A.L. Cy Young.  Little did we know his rough patch that started just prior to the All-Star game was just the beginning as Severino has now allowed 23 earned runs over his last five starts which has spanned just 25 innings.  Over those 25 innings Severino has allowed an incredible 40 hits. Severino entered the All-Star break with a 2.31 ERA but he now boasts an ERA of 3.08 and a WHIP of 1.11. It will be interesting to see if he is able to get himself out of this funk.