X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Contact Rate Risers and Fallers for Week 20 - Buy or Sell?

Contact rate risers and fallers for Week 20 based on RotoBaller's premium tool. Ben Rolfe identifies offensive players who have been performing strongly or poorly and discusses whether it is time for any action.

Welcome to Contact Rate Risers and Fallers for Week 20! Our premium tools allow us to get out ahead of trends in player performance, including contact rate. Every Wednesday, we'll be looking at some players that have seen an increase in contact rate and some that have seen it decline.

Contact rate can foretell a player's batting average and general hitting statistics, and any drastic change could signal a shift in performance. Contact rate shifts often act as a precursor to hot streaks and slumps.

Here is a breakdown of some of the biggest fantasy-relevant risers and fallers in contact rate over the last seven days.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Contact Rate Risers

Data current as of 8/14/2019 and taken from RotoBaller's Premium Tool.

 

Christian Walker (1B, ARI)

86% contact rate last seven days (+17%)

It has been a very mixed year for Walker in 2019. He started off hitting .307 with seven home runs in 113 PA in March/April. However, since then he has hit .250 or below in every month up until August. In the current month, he is hitting .378 but has just one home run so far. The other thing that is massively down in August is his K%, having been 24.8% or above in every other season, it sits at just 16.3% in the month of August. Overall this season his strikeout rate gas massively improved, getting below 30% for the first time in his career, although he had only had 99 PA in his career before this season.

His contact rate stats have started to look better this season, with an O-Swing% less than 25, an overall Swing% below 50 and a Contact% above 70%. To go with that his SwStr% is down below 13 after been over 18% in all of the previous four years. In August he has taken it to a new level. His O-Swing% has dropped down to 18.6% and his contact rate is up to 79.1% with a SwStr% of 9.2. This is a fascinating change and is absolutely going to be something worth monitoring for the rest of the season. Right now there is the potential for a speculative add in the hopes that he can combine his power game with this improved plate discipline.

 

Alex Bregman (3B, HOU)

100% contact rate last seven days (+16%)

After a poor July in which he hit .233 with four home runs, Bregman is flying in August with a .469 batting average and two home runs. Over the course of the season, Bregman has lost a little off his batting average, which currently sits at .276, but he has traded it off for an improved OBP with a 17.4 BB% and a .406 OBP. This is the second year running in which he has improved that BB%, having seen it double since 2017. The reasons become quite evident when you look at his contact profile. His O-Swing% has dropped from over 25% down to 17.9%, and his SwStr% has been below 5% in each of the previous two seasons.

So far in August, his SwStr% has dropped down to 3.6% and his Contact% sits at 89.5. Outside of the power dipping a little still in August he looks to be back to the hitter we know him to be. The boat has possibly passed for any kind of value on Bregman, given his current batting average, but this surge in performance looks to be a good sign that he could be due for a very strong finish to the season.

 

Starlin Castro (2B, CHC)

96% contact rate last seven days (+14%)

Castro did not settle into life as a Marlin particularly well in 2018, and things continue to be mixed in 2019. His batting average is down once again at .260 and his OBP has not been this low since his 2013 season with the Cubs. He has never been a great walker but a BB% of 3.6 equals his career-low. However, things have changed massively since the start of July.

Castro is hitting over .300 in each of the last two months, with 6-of-11 home runs coming in the last month and a half. His BABIP is up and he is hitting the ball harder in the last two months. Outside fo that he is not doing anything different contact rate wise, and that shows in his similar strikeout rate. However, that is not a reason to be concerned, as his contact profile does not show a particularly concerning trend this season. He is still not walking but he is making better contact and hitting the ball in the air a little more, which is reflecting in his spike in power and batting average.

 

Contact Rate Fallers

Data current as of 8/14/2019 and taken from RotoBaller's Premium Tool.

 

Daniel Vogelbach (1B, SEA)

47% contact rate last seven days (-23%)

What a strange year it has been for Vogelbach, hitting just .226 with a K% over 25 but 26 home runs a .260 ISO. However, that batting average does not tell the full story as he hit a whopping .310 in March/April, and has only hit over .200 in one month since. His strikeout rate has also leaped since the All-Star break, having sat at 23.2% in the first half it has been 33.3% since. That last month has seen some of the good things he has done this season completely backtrack. His O-Swing% has jumped to 24.4% and his Contact% is down close to 73%, with the highest SwStr% since his rookie season (9.3%).

Right now Vogelbach is trending in a terrible direction and if you have not already he is a player you should be completely moving on from. He does still have his uses, such as in DFS or if he starts to heat up as a potential plug-and-play type option on a week-to-week basis, as he has still neem hitting a minimum of five home runs a month.

 

Rafael Devers (3B, BOS)

65% contact rate last seven days (-17%)

August has been kind of tough for Devers, as he is hitting .281 compared to over .315 in each of the last three months. However, compared to .240 last season this season has been superb for the young hitter. That does not mean you can look to exercise caution and use the dip we are seeing to try and cash in if someone just looks at the frankly superb numbers he has put up on a season-long basis.

What has been interesting is his reduction in K% down to 16.3 this season, but the numbers in contact profile do not fully back it up. His SwStr% is only marginally below the last two seasons at 12%, with a marginally increased Contact% at 78%, while still swinging at nearly 40% of pitches outside the zone. All of this combined with the slight dip in the last couple of weeks concerns me that he is due for some regression to end the season. His value will likely never be higher again in a redraft league than it is right now so it may be worth trying to flip him for another stud hitter with a longer track record.

 

Jorge Polanco (SS, MIN)

70% contact rate last seven days (-13%)

In Devers, we have a regression candidate, but in Polanco, we are already in full-on regression. In the first half of the season, he hit .312, but in the second half, he is hitting just .241. The decline started in July when he hit .230 and his K% jumping up to 18% and continuing to rise to 22% in August. His contact profile through the first three months should have hinted at the regression coming, as his SwStr% was the highest at 6.9 that it has been since 2015, with his lowest Contact% since that same year.

The numbers have not improved in the last two months with his SwStr% increasing to 7.7% and Contact% decreasing to 81.4%. Whether you can still salvage anything in value for Polanco is up for debate, but he also serves as a warning for players such as Devers that poor underlying numbers can catch up to you in a big way.

 

Contact Rate Risers and Fallers - Premium Tool

Identifying top batting average surgers for each week can help you spot the best pickups before your competition. RotoBaller's Premium Contact Rate Risers and Fallers tool has you covered every day. As thoughtful fantasy baseball players, we won't lead you astray. Here is a small sample:

This type of data is available as part of our Premium MLB Subscription and launched on April 22nd for the 2019 season. Don't settle for basic stats and surface-level advice from other sites. RotoBaller brings you advanced statistics and professional analysis that you need to win your fantasy leagues and DFS games because we're ballers just like you. We are your secret weapon!

More Fantasy Baseball Advice and Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Michael Conforto4 hours ago

Homers, Scores Three Runs
Jace Jung4 hours ago

Hits Home Run No. 2 At Triple-A
Jon Singleton4 hours ago

Signs Minor-League Deal With Mets
Niko Goodrum5 hours ago

Signs Minor-League Deal With Mets
Nick Kurtz5 hours ago

Belts Third Home Run In Last Four Games
Shohei Ohtani5 hours ago

Blasts Walk-Off Home Run
Zac Veen5 hours ago

Triples, Collects Four RBI At Triple-A On Wednesday
Zac Gallen5 hours ago

Strikes Out 13
Luke Waddell5 hours ago

Swinging A Hot Bat At Triple-A
Chandler Simpson6 hours ago

With A Two-Run Triple, Stolen Base On Wednesday
Los Angeles Chargers6 hours ago

Chargers Sign Tight End Jordan Petaia
Austin Gomber7 hours ago

Scratched From Rehab Start With Shoulder Inflammation
Zack Wheeler7 hours ago

Records 10 Strikeouts
7 hours ago

Matthew Golden Making Pre-Draft Visit To Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals7 hours ago

Trey Hendrickson Not Looking For Short-Term Deal
Aroldis Chapman7 hours ago

Earns First Save Of The Season
Garrett Crochet7 hours ago

Works Eight Strong Innings
Tutu Atwell7 hours ago

Rams Plan To Give Tutu Atwell A Bigger Role In 2025
Rafael Devers8 hours ago

Finally Delivers At The Plate
Tampa Bay Buccaneers8 hours ago

Bucs Restructure Antoine Winfield's Deal To Free Up Cap Space
Xavier Edwards8 hours ago

Collects Four Hits
Pete Alonso8 hours ago

Comes Up Clutch
Jackson Merrill10 hours ago

Goes Deep After Inking Nine-Year Extension
Jrue Holiday10 hours ago

Won't Play Against Miami
New York Jets10 hours ago

Xavier Newman-Johnson Re-Signs With New York
Luis Castillo10 hours ago

Finally Beats The Tigers On Wednesday
Al Horford10 hours ago

Sidelined Versus Heat
Seiya Suzuki10 hours ago

Carries Cubs Offense With Two Homers, Five RBI
Kristaps Porzingis10 hours ago

Ruled Out On Wednesday
Fred VanVleet10 hours ago

Out Versus Utah
Dennis Santana10 hours ago

Picks Up First Save Of The Year
Dean Wade10 hours ago

Sidelined On Wednesday
Trae Young11 hours ago

Expected To Suit Up On Wednesday
Joel Embiid11 hours ago

Will Undergo Arthroscopic Surgery On His Left Knee
Evgeni Malkin11 hours ago

Joins Penguins For Road Trip
Filip Chytil11 hours ago

Could Miss Rest Of Season
Declan Chisholm11 hours ago

Back In Action Against Rangers
Keaton Wallace12 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Wednesday
Samuel Girard12 hours ago

Exits Avalanche Lineup Wednesday
Joel Kiviranta12 hours ago

Returning Against Blackhawks
Eeli Tolvanen12 hours ago

Misses First Game Of The Season
Jaden Schwartz12 hours ago

Unavailable Against Canucks
13 hours ago

Kyle McCord Rising Up Draft Boards?
13 hours ago

Ashton Jeanty To Raiders Continues To Gain Steam
14 hours ago

Emeka Egbuka To Fall To Round 2?
Los Angeles Rams14 hours ago

Rob Havenstein Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Cleveland Browns15 hours ago

Mike Hall Likely To Miss Offseason Program After Having Knee Surgery
New England Patriots16 hours ago

Christian Barmore Expected To Be Ready For Offseason Workouts
16 hours ago

Saints Expected To Visit With Quinn Ewers
Jake Moody16 hours ago

49ers To Bring In Competition For Jake Moody
Pittsburgh Steelers16 hours ago

Steelers In Play To Draft A Running Back
Green Bay Packers18 hours ago

Packers Not Ruling Out Jaire Alexander Returning
Tennessee Titans18 hours ago

No. 1 Overall Pick Might Not Be For Sale
Kenny Pickett18 hours ago

Browns Feel Good About QB Situation, Kenny Pickett
Cleveland Browns19 hours ago

Browns Unlikely To Trade Up To No. 1 Overall For Cam Ward
Cincinnati Bengals19 hours ago

Bengals Still Working On Contract Extension With Trey Hendrickson
Dyami Brown19 hours ago

Jaguars Intrigued By Dyami Brown's Potential
Bennedict Mathurin20 hours ago

Iffy For Wednesday
Myles Turner20 hours ago

May Miss Another Game Wednesday
Al Horford20 hours ago

Considered Doubtful Wednesday
Jrue Holiday20 hours ago

Questionable For Wednesday's Game
Kristaps Porzingis20 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Wednesday
Jaylen Brown20 hours ago

Could Remain On The Shelf Wednesday
Cade Cunningham20 hours ago

Likely Out For Fifth Straight Game
Anthony Davis20 hours ago

Probable Wednesday
Evan Bouchard22 hours ago

Tallies Two Assists In Victory
Jake Guentzel22 hours ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Victory
Kirill Marchenko22 hours ago

Scores Hat Trick On Tuesday
Tage Thompson22 hours ago

Stays Hot On The Scoresheet
Lane Hutson22 hours ago

Dishes Out Three Helpers In Overtime Victory
Alex Ovechkin23 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Victory
Cameron Young1 day ago

A Player To Avoid At Valero Texas Open
Kurt Kitayama1 day ago

In Search Of Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim1 day ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Valero Texas Open
Tom Hoge1 day ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick1 day ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners1 day ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay1 day ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Gary Woodland1 day ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia1 day ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti1 day ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
Guerschon Yabusele1 day ago

Out Against Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns1 day ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Jevon Carter1 day ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry1 day ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Julian Phillips1 day ago

Out On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud1 day ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Jacob Trouba1 day ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Troy Terry1 day ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jonathan Marchessault1 day ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere1 day ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn1 day ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro1 day ago

Returns Against Predators
Olli Määttä2 days ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth2 days ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp2 days ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim2 days ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood2 days ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau2 days ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole2 days ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Sam Stevens2 days ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA2 days ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman2 days ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ryan Preece2 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR2 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland2 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno3 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg3 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober3 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall3 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara3 days ago

Gets Submitted
Édgar Cháirez3 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.3 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira3 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez3 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas3 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez3 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron3 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs3 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain3 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe3 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones3 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry4 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano4 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece4 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg6 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno6 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres6 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober6 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer6 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum6 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales6 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.6 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira6 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
UFL RANKINGS, FANTASY FOOTBALL,

UFL Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 2: QB, RB, WR, TE Rankings and Analysis (2025)

Week 2 of the UFL season is just around the corner. This week will feature one game on Friday, one game on Saturday, and two on Sunday. Birmingham and Michigan will play at 8:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, followed by Memphis-D.C. on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Sunday's game pits the 1-0 Renegades against the […]


Calvin Ridley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Draft Sleepers

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Overvalued, Undervalued Players (2025)

Dynasty fantasy football rankings constantly shift, especially as we inch closer to the new season and fantasy drafts. Dynasty managers know the importance of finding those underrated players who could be steals in drafts or trades. They also know some players are overhyped due to unsustainable trends or past production. I'll break down two overvalued […]


Justin Fields - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best Fantasy Football Moves During 2025 NFL Free Agency

It has been a wild offseason so far in the NFL. Plenty of players have switched teams in free agency, and some stars were even traded. Deebo Samuel Sr. was dealt to the Washington Commanders, Geno Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, and DK Metcalf has a new home with the Pittsburgh Steelers. These […]


Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]