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
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Hitters Coming Off Career Years - American League

teoscar hernandez fantasy baseball rankings draft sleepers MLB injury news

There’s no better story in baseball than when guys come out of nowhere and have career years whether it be at the plate or on the mound. From the up and coming youngsters to the late bloomers we see it every year.

This past season there was a handful of talent that took their game to another level and helped carry their teams late in the season.

Here’s a look at four of those sluggers who had career years in the American League this season.

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

 

Teoscar Hernandez, Toronto Blue Jays

Ever since he was acquired from the Astros, Hernandez has been a solid power bat for the Blue Jays. The potential has always been there, it’s just been a matter of time before he put it all together at the big league level.

Finally, over the past two seasons Hernandez has begun to take his game to the next level, becoming more of an all-around threat at the plate. He’s taken home back-to-back Silver Sluggers and finished in the top-20 in MVP voting each of the past two seasons.

Over 143 games last season, Hernandez hit 29 doubles and posted new career highs with 32 home runs (18th in the AL) and 116 RBI (3rd in the AL). His 4.0 WAR was the eighth highest amongst AL outfielders and he posted a .870 OPS and .346 OBP.

On top of that, the big man had some sneaky speed on the base paths. He finished in the 85th percentile in sprint speed, stole a career-high 12 bases, and led the Blue Jays with 19 infield hits.

While he still struggled a bit with plate discipline, Hernandez actually was able to cut down his strikeout rate (24.9%) to a new career low. He also became more aggressive early on in the count, swinging at the first pitch 39.8% of the time.

Hernandez’s power was on full display all season long, as he finished above the 85th percentile in both max and average exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, and barrel percentage.  Hernandez figures to hit cleanup in that young and powerful Blue Jays lineup. With his production over the past few seasons, he’s certainly solidified himself as part of that talented core for years to come.

 

Jared Walsh, Los Angeles Angels

Similar to Hernandez, Walsh broke out for the Angels during the shortened season and then proved it wasn’t a fluke with a strong 2021 campaign. He finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting in 2020 and then was named to his first All Star team this past season.

Walsh solidified himself as a regular in the middle of the Angels lineup last season, hitting 29 home runs and 34 doubles. He also drove in 98 runs and posted a 128 OPS+, .340 OBP, and .850 OPS.

Of course, one of his biggest moments from this past season was breaking the hearts of Yankees fans early on in the morning. After a long rain delay in the Bronx, Walsh crushed a game-tying grand slam off of Aroldis Chapman to help cap off an Angles comeback win.

Walsh showed off both his power and gold glove caliber defense, solidifying his spot in the middle of the Angels lineup. The only two areas that Walsh really struggled with are the strikeouts and left-handed pitching. On the season, he posted a 26% strikeout rate and had just a .565 OPS against opposing southpaws.

If he can improve in those areas moving forward, Walsh could be looking at a monster 2022 season. The sweet-swinging lefty is again projected to hit right in the middle of what should be a strong Angels lineup. 

 

Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals

We know what Salvy can do defensively behind the plate, but offensively he’s always been one of the more underrated catchers in the game. This past season he put his power on full display and took home his fourth career Silver Slugger award.

He followed up a strong pandemic season with an even better 2021 campaign. For the second consecutive year, he received AL MVP votes (finishing seventh) and was named to his seventh career All-Star game. Perez was selected to participate in the Home Run Derby in Colorado. Despite being eliminated in the first round by the eventual champ, Pete Alonso, his 28 home runs were the most hit by a catcher in derby history.

It wasn’t just in the derby that Perez made some big-time splashes. His 48 home runs on the year not only tied the Royals’ franchise single-season record, but he finished tied with Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr for the league lead. Additionally, he led the league with 121 RBI.   

Even in the pitcher-friendly Kauffman Stadium, Perez saw his power number sore through the roof. His 56.2% hard-hit percentage increased 9.2% from last year and finished third in the league, only behind Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge. With the breakout in power came a bit of an increase in the strikeout department. While his walk rate still finished in the second percentile in all of baseball, he did actually see a 2.3% increase, though his strikeout rate also increased 2.5%.

Salvy was easily the top fantasy catcher last season. It’s fair to expect some regression after his historic campaign, though his track record shows he should be able to put together a 20-30 home run campaign.

 

Hunter Renfroe, Boston Red Sox

Renfroe signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox last winter and proved to be one of the best value pickups of the offseason. He ranked in the top-five amongst AL outfielders in home runs (31), RBI (96), doubles (33), slugging percentage (.501), and OPS (.816). Renfroe again struck out 130 times and posted a 22.7% strikeout rate, but when he made contact, he hit the ball extremely hard. His 116.4 MPH maximum exit velocity finished ranked 20th in baseball.  He posted career-highs in both hard-hit percentage (44.3%) and barrel percentage (14.4%). Renfroe also recorded a career-high 57 barrels on the year, which finished as the 16th most in all of baseball. 

Prior to the lockout, Renfroe was surprisingly traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Gold Glove centerfielder Jackie Bradley Jr and minor league prospects Alex Binelas and David Hamilton. Renfroe figures to bring some much-needed right-handed power to the Brewers lineup. He’ll replace fellow slugging outfielder Avisail Garcia, who left the Brew Crew for the Marlins this offseason in free agency.

The slugger should benefit from playing his home games in the hitter-friendly American Family Field. If he played all his games there last season, Baseball Savant projects he would’ve hit a career-high 35 home runs on the year. Renfroe has hit 25+ homers in each of his full seasons.

Playing every day and hitting in the middle of that Brewers lineup, Renfroe could be looking at another big season at the plate.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Grayson Allen5 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus Kings
D'Angelo Russell6 hours ago

Suiting Up On Wednesday
Bradley Beal6 hours ago

Unavailable Wednesday
DK Metcalf8 hours ago

Puts In Full Practice On Wednesday
Henrik Norlander8 hours ago

Needs Strong Showing At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Michael Kim8 hours ago

Playing Well Down The Stretch
Nick Taylor8 hours ago

Returns To Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Jhonattan Vegas8 hours ago

Playing Well Heading To Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Matthias Schmid8 hours ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Patrick Rodgers8 hours ago

Heads To Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Mackenzie Hughes8 hours ago

Debuts At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Maverick McNealy8 hours ago

Seeking Back-To-Back Top-10 Finishes In Bermuda
Lucas Glover8 hours ago

In A Groove Ahead Of Bermuda Championship
Andrew Putnam8 hours ago

A Player To Watch In Bermuda
PGA8 hours ago

Nico Echavarria In Top Form Heading To Bermuda
Jusuf Nurkic8 hours ago

Back On Wednesday Night
Anfernee Simons9 hours ago

Won't Suit Up Against The Timberwolves
Robert Williams III9 hours ago

Resting In Rematch With Minnesota
Deandre Ayton9 hours ago

Out Again On Wednesday
Andre Drummond9 hours ago

Out Sick On Wednesday
Paul George9 hours ago

Won't Play Versus Cleveland
Joel Embiid9 hours ago

Sitting On Wednesday
Tage Thompson9 hours ago

Labeled As Day-To-Day
Mattias Samuelsson9 hours ago

Out Indefinitely
Gabriel Landeskog9 hours ago

Remains Without A Timeline
Jonas Brodin10 hours ago

Considered Questionable For Thursday
Tank Bigsby10 hours ago

Listed As DNP On Wednesday
Andre Drummond10 hours ago

Listed As Questionable On Wednesday
Tyreek Hill10 hours ago

Misses Wednesday's Practice
Hampus Lindholm10 hours ago

Expected To Miss "Weeks"
Jani Hakanpaa10 hours ago

Available On Wednesday
Tee Higgins10 hours ago

Officially Limited On Wednesday
Marcus Smart10 hours ago

Set To Play Wednesday
Seth Jarvis10 hours ago

Set To Miss A Second Consecutive Game
Michael Pittman Jr.10 hours ago

Practicing In Full
Brian Thomas Jr.10 hours ago

Limited On Wednesday
Josh Jacobs10 hours ago

Limited During Wednesday's Practice
Mike Conley10 hours ago

Resting Wednesday Versus Portland
Kirk Cousins10 hours ago

Limited On Wednesday
Najee Harris11 hours ago

Does Not Practice On Wednesday
Christian McCaffrey11 hours ago

Limited On Wednesday
George Kittle11 hours ago

Not Practicing On Wednesday
Brian Robinson Jr.11 hours ago

Off The Injury Report
DK Metcalf11 hours ago

To Be Limited In Wednesday's Practice
Sam LaPorta12 hours ago

Misses Practice, Remains Day-To-Day
J.J. McCarthy13 hours ago

Undergoes Second Knee Surgery
Gardner Minshew II13 hours ago

Will Start In Week 11
Tee Higgins14 hours ago

Won't Practice But Bengals Encouraged With His Progress
Isiah Pacheco14 hours ago

Unlikely To Return In Week 11
Younghoe Koo14 hours ago

Falcons Sticking With Younghoe Koo As Their Kicker
Dalton Kincaid15 hours ago

No Practice For Dalton Kincaid On Wednesday
Amari Cooper15 hours ago

To Be Limited On Wednesday
Nick Hardy17 hours ago

Looks To Find Consistency On The Greens In Bermuda
Carson Young18 hours ago

Hopes To Carry Recent Form To Bermuda
Brandon Clarke18 hours ago

Questionable For Wednesday's Action
Kevin Yu18 hours ago

A Name To Watch At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Marcus Smart18 hours ago

Picks Up Questionable Tag Ahead Of Wednesday
Fred VanVleet18 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Wednesday
Steven Adams19 hours ago

Questionable For Meeting With Clippers
Dorian Finney-Smith19 hours ago

In Danger Of Missing Another Game
Obi Toppin19 hours ago

Questionable For Wednesday Night
Anthony Davis19 hours ago

Expected To Play Wednesday
Connor McDavid19 hours ago

Leads Oilers To Victory With Four-Point Effort
Neal Pionk19 hours ago

Records Three Assists In Historic Win
Linus Ullmark19 hours ago

Records First Shutout As Senator
Hampus Lindholm19 hours ago

Taken Out By A Lower-Body Injury
Sam Bennett20 hours ago

Battling An Upper-Body Injury
Lars Eller20 hours ago

Returns To Washington
Shohei Ohtani1 day ago

Among NL Silver Slugger Winners
Aaron Judge1 day ago

Headlines AL Silver Slugger Winners
Jose Alvarado1 day ago

Out Against OKC
Dante Fabbro1 day ago

Makes Blue Jackets Debut Tuesday
Wander Franco1 day ago

Now Facing Weapons Charges
Spencer Knight1 day ago

Set To Face Devils Tuesday
Travis d'Arnaud1 day ago

Agrees On Two-Year Deal With Angels
Logan Stanley1 day ago

Added To Injured Reserve
Philipp Grubauer1 day ago

Remains Out On Tuesday
Shane Pinto1 day ago

Returns To Senators Lineup
Cam Fowler1 day ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Robby Fabbri1 day ago

Lands On Injured Reserve
Brendon Todd1 day ago

A Hard Sell At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Greyson Sigg1 day ago

May Surprise In Bermuda
Jacob Bridgeman1 day ago

In For Adventure At Port Royal Golf Course
Mark Hubbard1 day ago

Plays Solid In Bermuda
Andrew Novak1 day ago

Tries To Build Off ZOZO Championship
Daniel Berger1 day ago

Looks To Continue His Consistent Run At Port Royal Golf Course
Justin Lower2 days ago

Looks To Continue His Hot Play At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
2 days ago

Blue Jays, Red Sox To Meet With Juan Soto
Dustin Wolf2 days ago

Cools Off Kings Monday
Jasson Domínguez3 days ago

Yankees Expect Jasson Dominguez To Have A Big Role In 2025
Carlos Correa3 days ago

Progressing
Carlos Prates3 days ago

Gets Higlight-Reel Knockout Win At UFC Vegas 100
Neil Magny3 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 100
Cortavious Romious3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 100
Gaston Bolaños3 days ago

Gaston Bolanos Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Joey Logano3 days ago

Holds On At Phoenix To Win His Third Cup Series Championship
Los Angeles Dodgers3 days ago

Dodgers Considered Favorites For Roki Sasaki
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Falls Short Of The 2024 Cup Series Title At Phoenix
Dusko Todorovic3 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC Vegas 100
Wander Franco3 days ago

Arrested On Monday After Altercation
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Lacks Speed Of Other Championship 4 Contenders But Drives Well
William Byron3 days ago

Finishes Third In Phoenix Race And Championship
Miami Marlins3 days ago

Marlins Hire Clayton McCullough As New Skipper
Mansur Abdul-Malik3 days ago

Gets First-Round Finish At UFC Vegas 100
Luana Pinheiro3 days ago

Falls Short At UFC Vegas 100
Gillian Robertson3 days ago

Extends Win Streak At UFC Vegas 100
Gerald Meerschaert3 days ago

Gets Finished At UFC Vegas 100
MMA3 days ago

Reinier de Ridder Gets Submission Win In UFC Debut
4 days ago

Rays Have Interest In Juan Soto
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace Is A Top DFS Recommendation With Upside For Phoenix
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Is Expected To Compete For The Title At Phoenix
Joey Logano4 days ago

Is One Of The Favorites To Win At Phoenix
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Could Be A Favorable DFS Option For Phoenix Lineups
Corey Lajoie4 days ago

Corey LaJoie Will Start 20th At Phoenix
Brad Keselowski4 days ago

Is A Solid Recommendation For Phoenix DFS Lineups
Erik Jones4 days ago

Will Start 19th At Phoenix This Week
Carson Hocevar4 days ago

Will Compete For A Top-10 Finish At Phoenix
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Should DFS Players Fade Ty Gibbs At Phoenix?
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Is Chase Elliott A Solid DFS Pick For Phoenix Lineups?
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

The Championship Favorite Despite Qualifying Blunder
William Byron4 days ago

Will Be Strong In Fight For Championship
Austin Cindric4 days ago

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Phoenix DFS Lineups?
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Is Great At Phoenix
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Looking To Go Back-To-Back At Phoenix After Championship Snub
Chase Briscoe4 days ago

Can Be Worth Rostering In Tournaments At Phoenix
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Could Contend At Phoenix
5 days ago

Nick Martinez Expected To Accept Qualifying Offer
MLB5 days ago

Roki Sasaki Will Be Posted, Opens Door For 2025 MLB Debut
Nolan Arenado5 days ago

Could Be On The Trade Block
Zach Neto5 days ago

Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Could Miss Start Of 2025
Mason Miller6 days ago

To Stay In The Bullpen
Shohei Ohtani6 days ago

Shoulder Surgery Could Delay His Pitching
New York Yankees6 days ago

Yankees Exercise Aaron Boone's Option
Carlos Prates6 days ago

Looks For His Fourth Win In A Row
Neil Magny6 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
MMA6 days ago

Benardo Sopaj Looks For His First UFC Win
Ricky Turcios6 days ago

Returns At UFC Vegas 100
Dusko Todorovic6 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 100

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
David Montgomery - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Pick'em Pool Picks (Week 11) - Targets, Avoids, Predictions for Pick'em Contests (2024)

The Cardinals, Buccaneers, Panthers, and Giants will all be on a bye during Week 11. There are still some great matchups on the board, including when the Steelers host the Ravens. Each week of the NFL season, I’ll share my picks for each game and rank their selections for those who play in a format […]


Jauan Jennings - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers - Week 11

Week 10 of the 2024 season is in the books. That means another week of cold, hard data to analyze. We’ll try not to overreact, but instead, use logic and reasoning as the foundation for our decision-making in the weeks ahead. Each week, we’ll take a look back at the previous week to see if […]


Austin Ekeler - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL News

High-Value Touches and Opportunities - Fantasy Football Underperformers, Overperformers (Week 11)

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to my weekly series, "High-Value Touches and Opportunities" for Week 11 of the 2024 fantasy football season. We're nearly a month before the fantasy football playoffs begin, depending on if leagues go through Week 17 or 18. It's crunch time, and we'll want to pay attention to the news, noise, and trends, […]


Houston Texans Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Derek Stingley Fantasy Football IDP

Week 11 Defense (DEF) Streamers and Starts - 2024 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Week 11 fantasy football defense streamers and D/ST rankings for the 2024 fantasy football season. Every week, I'll go through the best and worst fantasy defenses. There are four more teams on bye this week (Cardinals, Panthers, Giants, and Buccaneers), so I'll be ranking defenses from No. 1 to No. 28.  There's […]


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

2024 Fantasy Football Rankings (Weekly Rankings)

Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.


George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

Fantasy Football Matchups We Love - Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Week 11 Include Drake London, Justin Herbert, Joe Mixon, George Pickens, Chase Brown

Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson lit the world on fire on Thursday Night Football to send fantasy managers into a love/hate frenzy heading into the weekend. Unfortunately, the weekend did not deliver the same level of goodness that fantasy managers were hoping for. There were several duds from players fantasy managers have come to expect […]


Tampa Bay Bucs Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Vita Vea Fantasy Football IDP

Top Fantasy Football D/ST Rankings (Weeks 11, 12, 13, 14) - Defense Streamers and Starts

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our fantasy football D/ST streamers and starts for Weeks 11, 12, 13, and 14 -- looking at the next four weeks and identifying the best D/ST matchups. Streaming defenses each week is a strategy that some fantasy managers have adopted over the years, and looking ahead weeks in advance could give you an […]


Mike Williams - Fantasy Football Waiver Wire, Rankings, Sleepers

Week 11 Waiver Wire Rankings (2024) - Fantasy Football Pickups Include Audric Estime, Quentin Johnston, Ricky Pearsall, Taysom Hill, Mike Williams

The fantasy football playoffs are rapidly approaching, as most leagues have four weeks left in the regular season. At RotoBaller HQ, we have more waiver wire advice with our Week 11 fantasy football waiver wire rankings for 2024 to help add those players for that playoff push. There were more crucial injuries in last week, […]


Christian McCaffrey - Fantasy Football Rankings, DFS and Betting Picks, NFL Injury News

Rest-of-Season Fantasy Football Rankings: Week 11 Updates for Top 200 (2024)

It's the thick of November with four games left before the playoffs for many of you, which means it's time for an updated rest-of-season rankings chart! We keep sifting through evolving developments, such as key players returning from injuries or dealing with fragile quarterback situations. Let's see who is rising and falling with our Week […]


Calvin Ridley - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Trade Targets - Buy/Sell For Week 11 Including Najee Harris, Christian McCaffrey, Calvin Ridley, Brian Thomas Jr.

I'm not sure how we are at this point in the season already, but the end of Week 11 marks the trade deadline in most fantasy football leagues. The past 10 weeks have flown by, despite the countless ups and downs that have brought us immeasurable joy and pain. Fortunately, I avoided pain with my […]


Nick Chubb - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Matchups to Target, Avoid (Week 11) - Offensive Line Champs and Chumps

Week 10 featured an excellent Thursday night game but plenty of struggles on Sunday and Monday. Some rough offensive performances from historically reliable players this season made fantasy scoring hard to come by for many. The injuries kept racking up along offensive lines across the league. In Week 10, 18 teams were missing at least […]


Jake Bates - Fantasy Football Rankings, Kicker Waiver Wire Pickups, Streamers

Week 11 Kicker Streamers and Starts - 2024 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

As we head into Week 11, some essential kickers, including Chase McLaughlin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are on bye. McLaughlin currently sits fifth among fantasy kickers. If McLaughlin has been a staple in your lineup, you need a replacement this week. Eddy Pineiro (Carolina Panthers), Chad Ryland (Arizona Cardinals), and Graham Gano (New York […]


Derek Carr - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fact or Fiction: Fantasy Football Outlooks for Derek Carr, Austin Ekeler, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Tylan Wallace, Tanner Hudson

Week 10 of the NFL is behind us, and it's time to look ahead to next week's action. There were some surprising performances in the 10th week of the season, but were those surprising performances a sign of things to come for players? Every week, I'll examine five NFL players whose numbers from the previous […]