Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis: NL 08/17

With the season winding down and the fantasy playoffs on the horizon, it is officially crunch time for fantasy managers. Although the season is long, now is not the time to give up or let up. To take some of the ease off, this article dives into the latest changes from National League lineups that fantasy managers need to know. The five hottest hitters in the NL over the past two weeks have been Jake Burger, Jake McCarthy, Joc Pederson, William Contreras, and Luis Garcia Jr. The biggest surprise is probably McCarthy this week. Keep reading for news and notes on all 15 lineups across the National League.

Please note that this article is finalized the day prior to publication. I will do my best to update the information as it comes in later that night.

Fantasy Baseball Lineup Takeaways: NL Edition

National League East

Philadelphia Phillies

• Bryson Stott has moved up in the lineup
  • Stott and Brandon Marsh have swapped in the lineup with Marsh moving down to eighth and Stott moving up
  • The Phillies are looking for a spark and while Stott has also been struggling, he is playing better than Marsh
  • Marsh is striking out over 35% of the time since the start of the second half and is not worth holding onto outside of NL-only leagues
• Johan Rojas has been playing well
  • Rojas is getting another opportunity to play every day with Austin Hays on the IL
  • He is batting ninth in the lineup but is hitting .333 since the start of August
  • Rojas has elite speed and if he can continue hitting this much, he has instant fantasy value until Hays comes back

Miami Marlins

• Derek Hill is serving as the everyday center fielder
  • Miami marks Hill’s third team of the season as he continues to bounce around the league
  • He has three stolen bases through his first nine games in Miami but is still striking out over 40% of the time
  • Hill is unlikely to retain his starting job as the season moves along and is not worth picking up
• Jake Burger has gotten red hot
  • Burger has hit six home runs since August 7 and is now up to 13 since the start of the second half
  • Credit to those fantasy managers who have stuck with Burger after a slow first half as he is turning into a league-winner type player
  • While fantasy managers should not expect Burger to continue batting over .300 (which he has been in the second half), this power outburst is legit making him a player who should be 100% rostered

Atlanta Braves

• Michael Harris II is back from the IL
  • Harris returned to the Braves lineup on Thursday and hit sixth in his return
  • In his first at-bat back, Harris hit a grand slam into the water out in San Francisco which is hopefully a sign of things to come as the season moves along
  • With Harris returning to the lineup, Adam Duvall and Ramon Laureano are likely to see their playing time decrease

Washington Nationals

• Andres Chaparro was promoted from Triple-A
  • Chaparro was acquired from Arizona at the trade deadline and has hit 23 home runs in Triple-A this season
  • Chaparro has hit for impressive power throughout his Minor League career but there are concerns over how his hit tool will translate to the Major Leagues
  • Since being promoted, Chaparro has been batting in the middle of the lineup and serving as the everyday first baseman
• Jose Tena is also up from Triple-A
  • Another prospect acquired at the trade deadline, Tena came over from Cleveland and has quickly found himself in the Major Leagues
  • Prior to his promotion, Tena had hit 18 homers and stole 15 bases at the Triple-A level this seaosn
  • Only 5’9″, Tena does not profile to be a prolific power hitter at the Major League level and there are concerns over his hit tool
  • He has primarily been playing third base since being promoted and has been batting sixth in the lineup. He is currently battling a thumb injury that is not expected to result in an IL stint
• Alex Call is batting seventh in the lineup
  • Call has been swinging a hot bat since being recalled by the Nats on July 29
  • Since his recall, Call is batting over .400 with a homer and three steals
  • There is nothing in his track record that suggests this level of production is sustainable and his BABIP is bound to come crashing down soon

New York Mets

• Harrison Bader has retaken the center field starting duties
  • Bader seemed to be losing playing time to Tyrone Taylor but is back to getting the majority of starts at the bottom of the lineup
  • Bader’s offensive numbers have hovered close to the league average but is not providing anything special from a fantasy perspective
  • When Bader is out of the lineup, the team is shifting Jeff McNeil to the outfield and getting Jose Iglesias into the lineup
• Brandon Nimmo has not had a good second half
  • Nimmo has been battling an illness this past week but has not been performing offensively for some time
  • He is batting under .150 since the break and has not hit a home run since July 10
  • Nimmo’s barrel rate has surprisingly disappeared leading to his power outage. His track record suggests a bounce back is coming, but the quality of contact metrics warrant concern

National League Central

Chicago Cubs

• Cody Bellinger has been excellent since coming off of the IL
  • The Cubs activated Bellinger on July 30 and he has shown no signs of rust
  • Since being activated, Bellinger is batting .320 with three homers and a stolen base
  • Although Bellinger is unlikely to hit 20 SB, he is providing strong fantasy contributions in every other category and remains a useful asset
• Pete Crow-Armstrong is striking out less
  • PCA has big-time fantasy upside, but a high strikeout rate has limited his fantasy production
  • Since the start of August, PCA Is striking out less than 10% of the time and is batting over .270
  • His chase rate is down, his contact rate is up, and PCA could finally be putting it all together for those managers who have been patient

St. Louis Cardinals

• Jordan Walker is up from Triple-A
  • Walker has spent most of the season in the Minor Leagues after a slow start to the season but is back for another chance in the majors
  • Despite his prospect pedigree, the Cardinals do not seem in a rush to get him regular playing time as he has been on the bench against both righties the team has faced
  • The team seems to prefer to keep Nolan Gorman in the lineup at second base instead of shifting Brendan Donovan over to 2B and getting Walker’s bat into the lineup
  • Gorman has not hit a home run since July 22 and is batting just .194 since then
• Victor Scott II is still not hitting
  • Scott has blazing speed and is a great fielder, but has struggled to prove he can hit enough to stick at the Major League level
  • After hitting .085 in his first stint, Scott is batting just .207 this go around although his barrel rate is notably up
  • Scott’s speed makes him an intriguing fantasy asset but he will need to start hitting more consistently to keep his spot in the lineup
• Tommy Pham and Lars Nootbaar are splitting time in the outfield
  • Nootbaar has the clear edge in playing time thanks to being a left-handed batter but Pham is starting to get more opportunities
  • Nootbaar does not have an extra-base hit since July 30 and is batting under .150 since then
  • Meanwhile, Pham is batting .267 since being acquired by St. Louis. Pham could continue to get more playing time if Nootbaar’s struggles continue

Milwaukee Brewers

• Tyler Black is up from Triple-A
  • Black is back for another stint in the Major Leagues this season
  • Since being recalled on Monday, he has made two starts both coming at DH and hitting in the middle of the lineup
  • The team does not seem sold on giving Black everyday lineup time and is instead splitting his playing time with Jake Bauers
  • Black is not worth picking up until he gets regular at-bats
• Brice Turang continues to steal bases
  • Turang is locked into the leadoff spot for Milwaukee against right-handed pitchers and is now up to 36 stolen bases on the season
  • Although Turang’s lineup spot is not in danger, he has cooled off considerably since his hot start
  • Turang is batting just .173 in the second half with a wRC+ below 30. Speed is great for fantasy but real-life teams do not care as much about stolen base totals. If Turang’s struggles continue, the team could look to replace him in the lineup

Cincinnati Reds

• Spencer Steer is playing all over the diamond
  • In the past week, Steer has drawn starts at first, second, and in left field
  • Regardless of where he is playing, Steer is crushing the ball lately and batting fifth in the lineup
  • Steer has collected 10 hits in his last 28 plate appearances including three homers and two stolen bases
  • He is up to 18 homers and 20 steals on the season and continues to provide strong fantasy production
• Noelvi Marte has not walked in August
  • Marte has slid down to ninth in Cincinnati’s lineup and continues to look like a shell of the player we saw last season
  • Things have been a bit better as of late (batting .250 since August 6) but he still is showing no patience at the plate leading to low OBP numbers
  • The Reds continue to give him everyday playing time but that could change if Matt McLain is able to start a rehab assignment in the coming days

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Michael Taylor has taken over in center field
  • The Pirates were giving Ji Hwan Bae a chance to start for much of August but have since shifted back to Taylor
  • Taylor has been batting toward the bottom of the lineup over the past week
  • Taylor owns a wRC+ below 60 on the season and has not looked much better as of late. He is not worth rostering in fantasy
• The Pirates are making sure to keep Joey Bart in the lineup
  • The team is strategically using the DH spot to get Bart off his feet while keeping his bat in the lineup even when he is not catching
  • Bart has been a revelation since joining Pittsburgh and is now up to 11 home runs with a .273 batting average
  • Playing time is valuable at the catcher position and Bart should continue to get plenty of that batting fourth in the lineup
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa is moving up in the lineup when Andrew McCutchen gets the day off
  • IKF is batting sixth in most games for the Pirates but is the person moving up each time the team gets Cutch off his feet
  • The team seems to like the skills IKF brings to the table although he has not done anything special offensively since being acquired
  • From a fantasy perspective, he has three steals in 11 games which could be a nice boost if you are looking for consistent at-bats
• Oneil Cruz left the game on Friday
  • Cruz left the game injured rounding second base and it remains unclear how long his injury will keep him out
  • If Cruz is forced to miss time, Jared Triolo would be most likely to fill in at shortstop

National League West

Los Angeles Dodgers

• Mookie Betts is back from the IL
  • Betts returned to the Dodgers’ lineup on Monday and has been batting second since returning
  • The Dodgers have shifted Betts back to right field since returning instead of playing him in the infield
  • This change allows the Dodgers to keep Gavin Lux and Miguel Rojas in the lineup
• Andy Pages is no longer getting everyday playing time
  • With Betts returning to the outfield, the Dodgers have shifted Kevin Kiermaier and Andy Pages into a platoon
  • Pages has been struggling for much of the second half and is not worth rostering in fantasy
  • The team also DFA’d Amed Rosario with Betts returning
• Max Muncy is nearing a return to the lineup
  • The Dodgers reportedly expect Muncy to rejoin the team on August 19 barring no setbacks
  • Muncy is an easy add if he is available anywhere although it is important to remember he was platooning prior to landing on the IL
  • Kike Hernandez has been playing well at third base and could continue to get playing time against left-handed pitchers

San Diego Padres

• Jackson Merrill is red hot
  • Merrill has hit four home runs since August 7 and has continued to get better as the season moves along
  • Still just 21 years old, Merrill is quickly turning into one of the game’s stars although he lacks the attention other high-profile names get
  • He is up to 17 homers and 13 steals. He could reach 20/20 in his rookie season
• Catcher is becoming more of a timeshare
  • Luis Campusano got off to a hot start but it was Kyle Higashioka who took over when Campusano was hurt and then struggled
  • At this point, the team is splitting time nearly evenly between the two players with neither one performing particularly well
  • With both players splitting time, neither is worth rostering in fantasy

Arizona Diamondbacks

• Jake McCarthy is scorching hot
  • McCarthy was mentioned in last week’s edition of this article and has continued to dominate pitching
  • He is batting over .400 since the start of the second half with three homers and four steals
  • McCarthy has been batting second with Ketel Marte battling injury and should be rostered in 100% of leagues
• Adrian Del Castillo is serving as the primary catcher
  • It did not take long for Del Castillo to take over for Jose Herrera as the team’s everyday catcher
  • Del Castillo has been batting sixth or seventh in the lineup since being promoted
  • After dominating Triple-A, Del Castillo is off to a strong start for Arizona and should be rostered in all two-catcher formats
• Alek Thomas was sent to Triple-A
  • With Jake McCarthy taking over the third outfield spot, there was no room on the roster for Thomas to continue getting regular playing time
  • The team is likely to promote Thomas again when rosters expand in September
  • At this point, Thomas seems destined to be no more than a fourth outfielder. He is a fine drop in all redraft formats and even most dynasty leagues

San Francisco Giants

• Tyler Fitzgerald has moved up to the leadoff spot
  • Fitzgerald has just continued to rake for the Giants and is being moved up in the lineup as a result
  • He is up to 14 homers and 12 stolen bases in just 61 games played this season
  • While this pace is clearly unsustainable, Fitzgerald’s blend of power and speed make him an intriguing fantasy asset with plenty of upside
• Grant McCray is up from Triple-A
  • The Giants are giving another young outfielder a look with McCray taking over in center field
  • Prior to his promotion, McCray was batting .272 in Triple-A with 12 homers and 14 steals on the season
  • McCray stole 52 bases last season and has plus power, but his hit tool has several flaws likely to be exploited by Major League pitching
  • He has been batting ninth in the lineup and taking playing time away from Jerar Encarnacion

Colorado Rockies

• Elias Diaz was DFA’d
  • Diaz had been serving as the team’s primary catcher for most of the season but the team will now look toward the future
  • Jacob Stallings has been on the roster all season but he is 34 and unlikely to provide much upside
  • Drew Romo was promoted from Triple-A and should get the majority of playing time for the Rockies
• Jordan Beck is back from Triple-A
  • Beck is back for another stint at the Major League level and should factor into the playing time mix
  • Fantasy managers should expect Beck to start against all lefties and it would not be surprising to see him take playing time away from Jake Cave against righties down the stretch
  • Beck is loaded with upside but needs to limit his strikeouts to become a reliable fantasy asset
• Sam Hilliard is playing every day
  • Hilliard has been batting toward the bottom of the lineup and even drawing starts against some left-handed pitchers
  • Since the start of August, Hilliard is batting over .325 despite a strikeout rate over 40%
  • He is going to see his BABIP come crashing down and he is not worth rostering in fantasy leagues