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Aaron Judge is on a heater for the ages right now. His teammate Juan Soto is also locked in at the plate. Given their illustrious pasts, their current level of success isn’t exactly a huge surprise.
What should we do about other players who are on unexpected heaters? Should fantasy managers add them and try to take advantage of their hot streak, or is it too late to jump on board?
Let’s dive into some potential Fantasy Frauds and discuss if they will be able to continue their current level of success. All roster percentages are via Yahoo! as of August 5.
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Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels (SS, 53% rostered)
The news that Mike Trout (knee) will miss the remainder of the season was yet another tough blow for the Angels. They have turned things over to a few of their young players, with Neto being one of their more appealing options. He has been especially hot of late, hitting 22-for-67 (.328) with three home runs and six stolen bases over his last 22 games.
Neto had a quick rise to the majors last year after having played a combined 41 games at Double-A and Triple-A, so it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that he struggled initially. Overall, he has a .183 ISO and a .330 wOBA this season. His strikeout rate is reasonable at 22.2% and his barrel rate sits at 8.2%. While he’s not likely to continue to hit for such a high average, he can be a valuable source for speed and power at the shortstop position down the stretch.
Michael Toglia, Colorado Rockies (1B/OF, 37% rostered)
Power is Toglia’s forte. In 2022, he launched 23 home runs over 97 games at Double-A. Last year, he slugged 16 home runs over 78 games at Triple-A. After slugging .571 at Triple-A this year, he earned a call-up to the majors. He has certainly made his mark, hitting 19 home runs and posting a .283 ISO over 67 games.
Michael Toglia - Colorado Rockies (19)
pic.twitter.com/Fx5gXJyaJP— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) August 2, 2024
The downside with Toglia is that he is batting .204 and has a 33.2% strikeout rate in the majors this year. His 17.6% barrel rate and 52.7% hard-hit rate are eye-popping and he has probably been a bit unlucky with his .217 BABIP. The power production is legitimate, and we could actually see his average on the rise a bit as the final two months of the season wear on. Add in the Coors Field factor and Toglia should not be available in this many leagues.
Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox (OF, 26% rostered)
Abreu entered Monday on a power surge, slugging six home runs and seven doubles over his last 19 games. During that span, he hit 19-for-55 (.345) with a .397 OBP. He has a strikeout rate of 28.1% for the season, but he only had a 25.4% strikeout rate during his recent run of success.
Wilyer Abreu smashes his 2nd homer of the day!
He leads all qualified rookies in OPS 👀 pic.twitter.com/iTwZuxvwLo
— MLB (@MLB) August 4, 2024
For the season, Abreu now has a .244 ISO and a .365 wOBA. While those numbers are very good, he’s still someone who isn’t likely to play much against left-handed pitchers. He only has a .559 OPS against them this season, compared to a .913 OPS versus righties. Abreu is a viable waiver wire option right now, but just be aware that he likely could see added time on the bench if the Red Sox face a string of lefties.
Nolan Schanuel, Los Angeles Angels (1B, 18% rostered)
Like Neto, it has been a quick rise to the majors for Schanuel. He was selected in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft and made it all the way to the majors last year. He held his own, batting .275 with a .402 OBP over 29 games. He had only one home run, though, on his way to slugging .330.
After a disappointing start to this season, Schanuel has caught fire by hitting 38-for-120 (.317) over his last 35 games. During that span, he had a 14.5% walk rate and a 15.2% strikeout rate on his way to a .428 OBP. Schanuel has a great eye at the plate, which should help him hit for a high average. However, even during his hot streak, he only hit three home runs. For the season, he has just a .123 ISO. Fantasy managers desperate for batting average could look Schanuel’s way but don’t expect him to provide much else.
Travis d'Arnaud, Atlanta Braves (C, 14% rostered)
When d'Arnaud is hot, he can put up some excellent numbers. He’s in the midst of a heater right now, hitting 18-for-49 (.367) over his last 15 games. During that span, he hit four home runs, giving him a total of 11 for the season across 72 games.
The problem with d’Arnaud is that he is splitting playing time with Sean Murphy behind the plate. That has resulted in d’Arnaud appearing in just four of the Braves’ last 10 games. Outside of deep leagues or two-catcher formats, d’Arnaud just isn’t playing enough to be worth adding.
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