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There are some hitters who are on impressive heaters right now. An example is Aaron Judge, who has 11 home runs and 11 doubles over his last 20 games. Judge has a proven track record of hitting for a ton of power, so his success should not come as a surprise.
It’s not only big-name players who are producing in a significant way at the plate right now. Some of these lesser-known players have already been picked up in fantasy leagues, while others could be viable options still left sitting on the waiver wire.
Let’s dive into some Fantasy Frauds and highlight why they likely won’t be able to continue their current level of success.
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David Fry, C/1B/OF - Cleveland Guardians
Fry was a seventh-round pick by the Brewers in the 2018 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut last year with the Guardians, recording a .178 ISO and a .321 wOBA over 58 games. He finished with an impressive 12.7% barrel rate, although his 26.5% strikeout rate left some room for improvement.
Fry has been stellar at the beginning of this season, entering Monday with a .256 ISO and a .461 wOBA. His biggest improvement has come in his eye at the plate. He has lowered his strikeout rate to 21.0%, while increasing his walk rate to a whopping 18.5%.
It is David Fry's world and we are just living in it.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/aDBZ7xmRXW
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 22, 2024
Fry has been a bit lucky on his way to a .344 batting average. His barrel rate has actually declined to 9.0% this year. A lot of his batting average can be attributed to his unsustainable .410 BABIP. Since he is catcher-eligible, he should be rostered in most leagues. However, this is a situation where it’s best to just ride out his hot streak and be ready to drop him once his batting average starts to decline.
Danny Jansen, C - Toronto Blue Jays
Jansen began the season on the injured list because of a wrist injury. Those are scary for hitters because, even when they are healthy enough to return, wrist injuries can impact power production. Jansen also has a history of injury issues, never playing more than 107 games in a season during his career.
Jansen has shown no ill effects from his wrist injury, entering Monday with a .605 slugging percentage. He is also batting .314 with a .426 wOBA. All three marks are on pace to be the highest of his career.
On the positive side of things, Jansen has shown an improved eye at the plate with a 14.1% walk rate and a 12.1% strikeout rate. However, his 38.4% hard-hit rate is right in line with his career 39.6% rate. That rate has left him with a career .446 SLG and a .327 wOBA. While it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him finish the season with around 20 home runs, his batting average will likely take a big hit as the summer moves along.
Jake Bauers, 1B/OF - Milwaukee Brewers
After getting off to a slow start, Bauers has worked his way into the fantasy discussion lately. Entering play Monday, he was 18-for-66 (.273) with four home runs, three doubles, and a .377 OBP over his last 22 games. He also stole four bases during that stretch.
First career grand slam for #Brewers Jake Bauers! Complete with the belt too. Wow. pic.twitter.com/eaRGiNLUUG
— Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) May 14, 2024
For fantasy managers thinking about adding Bauers, be careful. Even during his hot streak, he had a 33.8% strikeout rate. He has never finished a season with a batting average higher than .226 or an OBP higher than .316.
Bauers is capable of hot streaks like the one he is on now. During a 17-game span with the Yankees last season from late May to late June, he hit .286 with a .349 OBP and a .589 SLG. However, he finished the season with a .202 batting average and a .297 wOBA. Look for other options on the waiver wire that come with higher upside.
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