Week 7 of the MLB season is in the books, and we have more offensive standouts to discuss. In addition, while highlighting a few rostered players in most leagues, the article will also highlight some players that may not be on everyone’s radar unless you are playing in deeper leagues. So dig in and decide if the production is just a hot streak or something to invest in moving forward. First, let’s look at five hitters that had an impressive week and what we should do from a fantasy perspective.
Week 7 Fantasy Baseball Standout Performers
Trevor Story (2B/SS – BOS)
Welcome back, Trevor Story. After an extremely slow start to the season, Story blew up this past week, making many forget about the previous struggles. This past week he hit .360 (with a .188 BABIP), six home runs, ten runs, 14 RBI, and two stolen bases. Story only walked 12.9% of the time while walking 16.1%. He barreled the ball 31.9% of the time to go with a 40.9% hard-hit rate and an impressive 322 wRC+. Story appears to be okay, and that sound you hear is a massive sigh of relief from all that rostered Story.
Kevin Kiermaier (OF – TB)
Kiermaier finished the week in a big way. He collected 11 hits in his final four games with two home runs. He was barreling the ball 15.8% of the time with a 47.4% hard-hit rate. Pretty solid for Kiermaier, who is usually not the most prominent power bat out there. He did not walk last week but did strike out 17.4% of the time, which is not bad, but still some concern without the walks. Additionally, Kiermaier only had a 79.2% contact rate with an 11.9% SwStr which leaves a lot of holes in the swing. Kiermaier is definitely worth some run for now as he has a little power and some speed to help your team, but do not expect this to carry on all season.
Darin Ruf (1B/OF – SF)
With Brandon Belt going back to the IL, Ruf continues to receive playing time and is capitalizing. Last week, he had three multi-hit games with two doubles and two home runs. The power production is somewhat expected from Ruf, but his plate discipline stood out. He only struck out 15.4% of the time while walking an impressive 26.9%. Ruf will not be a significant batting average asset throughout the season, as his .233 average showcases, but he will provide plenty of power if he keeps getting playing time.
Brendan Donovan (3B – STL)
Donovan has answered the call from the Cardinals in a big way. He has been playing so well that the Cards were willing to call up Nolan Gorman and keep finding playing time for Donovan. This week, Donovan hit safely in four of six games for a .333 average. He added a double and a stolen base with a phenomenal 21.4% walk rate. Donovan is now hitting .340 on the season with a 190 wRC+, and for now, he appears to have still a near-everyday role that will return fantasy goodness.
Gary Sanchez (C – MIN)
It brings me so much joy to get and write something positive about Gary Sanchez, as he was one of my favorite C2 targets while waiting on the position. He hit safely in five of six games this past week for a .292 average with four doubles and two home runs. He only struck out 25.9% of the time (that’s not bad for Sanchez) while racking up a 174 wRC+. Sanchez is now hitting .221 with 17 extra-base hits (four home runs) and a 111 wRC+. Sanchez’s bat is waking up, and if he is available in your leagues, he may be worth an add if your team is safe in batting average.