If youre still reading fantasy baseball articles, then good for you! Chances are you'restill competing for your league title, so what better way to keep you moving forward than another installment of the Stock Watch? It seems like every week now there are a few rookies to breakdown, and this week is no different, with four rookies to look at! We also have three veterans who recently changed teams, two of which have performed well with their new club, while the other has been a dumpster fire since the switch. Without further ado, lets dive in!MORE: Fantasy Baseball Trade Value: Stock risingVlad Guerrero Jr., 3B TOR The youngster was in the June 25 Stock Watch as a stock faller, when Jerry Jeudy T Shirts I wrote: Sure, his 40.3-percent hard contact rate and 90.8 mph exit velocity are both strong, but that doesnt do him a whole lot of good when he has a dreadful 6.8-degree launch angle and is pounding the ball into the ground 48.3-percent of the time. His 17.4-percent line-drive rate and 34.2-percent flyball rate are both lousy, especially when considering the type of hitter he is supposed to be. Right now is the perfect time to buy-low on Vlad in fantasy, as a quick turnaround could take place at any moment. Well, despite only improving on each of those numbers slightly (17.7-percent line-drive, 35.0-percent fly ball, 7.6-degree launch angle) since then, he has been on fire lately,hitting .438 (28-for-64) with five home runs and 23 RBI over his last 16 games. The streak has been fueled by a bit of good fortune, though, with a .451 BABIP over that span. However, he has cut back on his strikeouts in a big way (just eight strikeouts over those 16 games), and that has led to an increase in batting average. He should be a strong fantasy a set the rest of the way.Jack Flaherty, SP STL Many were high on Flaherty coming into the year, myself included,and it looked like he was going to be a huge disappointment for the entire season. Through 17 starts, he had an unsightly 4.90 ERA with 101 strikeouts over 90.0 innings pitched. However, he has given up just four earned runs over his last five starts acro s 31.1 innings pitched for a 1.15 ERA. He gave up just 15 hits in that span while striking out 39. The strong recent succe s brings his season totals up to a 3.93 ERA with 140 punch-outs acro s 121.1 innings. When we look at the underlying numbers for him this year, its a bit of a mixed bag, but does contain some very strong points:He is inducing soft contact at Denver Broncos Jackets a 23.1-percent rate, which is the fourth-best mark in all of baseball. He is in the top-25 of WHIP (1.15) and in the top-20 of both infield fly ball rate (11.7-percent) and strikeout percentage (28.1-percent). Two major areas of concern are his 1.56 HR/9 (eleventh-worst in baseball) and his 24.2-percent line-drive rate against (fifth-worst in the league). With all that being said, this is a talented young pitcher who should be a strong fantasy option going forward.Jess Aguilar, 1B TB Now that Aguilar is a member of the Rays, he should see a heavy dose of playing time. Since joining Tampa Bay, he is 5-for-11 with a home run and three walks in his first four games. Yes, he has been abysmal this year, but he did have 35 home runs, 108 RBI, and a .274 batting average last season, so its very po sible that he could be a fantasy weapon with his new team. Even prior to joining Tampa, he was playing well with the Brew Crew as of late, hitting .298 with three home runs in the month of July. This year, his 90.1 mph exit velocity, 14.9-degree launch angle, and 40.4-percent hard contact rate are all well above league average. He has hit cleanup and third in the Rays lineup the past two games, and if he continues to hit in the heart of the order, he should have plenty of RBI opportunities with Austin Meadowsand Tommy Phamin front of him.Fantasy Baseball Trade Value: Stock fallingLuis Uras, 2B SD Urias seemingly cant produce at the MLB level. He is hitting a lousy .113 with one home run, one RBI, and zero steals in 24 games for Sam Martin Jersey the Padres this year (62 at-bats) and that is after hitting .208 acro s 48 at-bats last year. Yes, 110 career at-bats is a small sample, but a .155 batting average in that span does not inspire much confidence. He hasnt really been that unlucky either, with a .195 xBA this year. Many of his underlying numbers are very ugly, including a 85.4 mph exit velo, 27.3-percent hard contact rate, and a .303 xSLG, all of which rank well below league average. Obviously there is still plenty of time for him to turn his career around and he is only 22 years old, but I would not be afraid to dump him in any size redraft league.Andrew Cashner, SP BOS Cashner has been horrendous since joining Boston, pitching to a 6.94 ERA acro s his first four starts with the club. He has given up 31 hits and 10 walks in that span (23.1 innings) while only striking out 16. He hasnt been a good pitcher for a while, but he was at least providing deep league appeal while with the Orioles, and its a bit odd that Russell Wilson T Shirts switching to a better team with a better pitchers park has somehow hurt his value. Given his recent struggles and his poor 6.17 K/9, he doesnt really have any appeal right now to any fantasy league. He wont continue to be this bad for the Red Sox, but its unlikely that he gets to a level of production that makes him roster worthy.Merrill Kelly, SP ARI Kelly pitched very well in a nine-game span from June 2 to July 18, posting a 2.67 ERA, but he has now followed that up with three-straight stinkers.In his last three starts, he has given up a total of 17 earned runs acro s 14.1 innings pitched, good for a 10.67 ERA. The long ball has killed him in those starts, as he's servedup six home runs. He has very severe home/road Saivion Smith Jersey splits this year, pitching to a 3.84 ERA at home with 63 strikeouts acro s 65.2 innings pitched, while pitching to a 5.21 ERA with 41 strikeouts acro s 65.2 innings pitched on the road.His current 4.52 ERA for the year lines up very well with his 4.61 FIP, 4.68 xFIP, and 4.78 SIERA. He has done a very poor job of inducing soft contact this year, as his 13.3-percent soft contact rate against ranks as the third-worst mark in all of baseball. Given his home/road splits and overall inconsistency, Kelly is more of a streaming option than a full-time roster guy.Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Potential waiver wire pickupsIsan Daz, 2B MIA Diaz is a top-100 prospect, and anytime someone like that gets called up the fantasy baseball world goes crazy. He had great numbers at Triple-A, hitting .305 with 26 home runs and 70 RBI acro s 102 games played. So why isnt he a stock riser like Bichette was last week, you ask? For starters, he isnt as highly touted of a prospect as Bichette is, but thats of le ser concern for me
If youre still reading fantasy baseball articles, then good for you! Chances are you'restill competing for your league title, so what better way to keep you moving forward than another installment of the Stock Watch? It seems like every week now there are a few rookies to breakdown, and this week is no different, with four rookies to look at! We also have three veterans who recently changed teams, two of which have performed well with their new club, while the other has been a dumpster fire since the switch. Without further ado, lets dive in!MORE: Fantasy Baseball Trade Value: Stock risingVlad Guerrero Jr., 3B TOR The youngster was in the June 25 Stock Watch as a stock faller, when Jerry Jeudy T Shirts I wrote: Sure, his 40.3-percent hard contact rate and 90.8 mph exit velocity are both strong, but that doesnt do him a whole lot of good when he has a dreadful 6.8-degree launch angle and is pounding the ball into the ground 48.3-percent of the time. His 17.4-percent line-drive rate and 34.2-percent flyball rate are both lousy, especially when considering the type of hitter he is supposed to be. Right now is the perfect time to buy-low on Vlad in fantasy, as a quick turnaround could take place at any moment. Well, despite only improving on each of those numbers slightly (17.7-percent line-drive, 35.0-percent fly ball, 7.6-degree launch angle) since then, he has been on fire lately,hitting .438 (28-for-64) with five home runs and 23 RBI over his last 16 games. The streak has been fueled by a bit of good fortune, though, with a .451 BABIP over that span. However, he has cut back on his strikeouts in a big way (just eight strikeouts over those 16 games), and that has led to an increase in batting average. He should be a strong fantasy a set the rest of the way.Jack Flaherty, SP STL Many were high on Flaherty coming into the year, myself included,and it looked like he was going to be a huge disappointment for the entire season. Through 17 starts, he had an unsightly 4.90 ERA with 101 strikeouts over 90.0 innings pitched. However, he has given up just four earned runs over his last five starts acro s 31.1 innings pitched for a 1.15 ERA. He gave up just 15 hits in that span while striking out 39. The strong recent succe s brings his season totals up to a 3.93 ERA with 140 punch-outs acro s 121.1 innings. When we look at the underlying numbers for him this year, its a bit of a mixed bag, but does contain some very strong points:He is inducing soft contact at Denver Broncos Jackets a 23.1-percent rate, which is the fourth-best mark in all of baseball. He is in the top-25 of WHIP (1.15) and in the top-20 of both infield fly ball rate (11.7-percent) and strikeout percentage (28.1-percent). Two major areas of concern are his 1.56 HR/9 (eleventh-worst in baseball) and his 24.2-percent line-drive rate against (fifth-worst in the league). With all that being said, this is a talented young pitcher who should be a strong fantasy option going forward.Jess Aguilar, 1B TB Now that Aguilar is a member of the Rays, he should see a heavy dose of playing time. Since joining Tampa Bay, he is 5-for-11 with a home run and three walks in his first four games. Yes, he has been abysmal this year, but he did have 35 home runs, 108 RBI, and a .274 batting average last season, so its very po sible that he could be a fantasy weapon with his new team. Even prior to joining Tampa, he was playing well with the Brew Crew as of late, hitting .298 with three home runs in the month of July. This year, his 90.1 mph exit velocity, 14.9-degree launch angle, and 40.4-percent hard contact rate are all well above league average. He has hit cleanup and third in the Rays lineup the past two games, and if he continues to hit in the heart of the order, he should have plenty of RBI opportunities with Austin Meadowsand Tommy Phamin front of him.Fantasy Baseball Trade Value: Stock fallingLuis Uras, 2B SD Urias seemingly cant produce at the MLB level. He is hitting a lousy .113 with one home run, one RBI, and zero steals in 24 games for Sam Martin Jersey the Padres this year (62 at-bats) and that is after hitting .208 acro s 48 at-bats last year. Yes, 110 career at-bats is a small sample, but a .155 batting average in that span does not inspire much confidence. He hasnt really been that unlucky either, with a .195 xBA this year. Many of his underlying numbers are very ugly, including a 85.4 mph exit velo, 27.3-percent hard contact rate, and a .303 xSLG, all of which rank well below league average. Obviously there is still plenty of time for him to turn his career around and he is only 22 years old, but I would not be afraid to dump him in any size redraft league.Andrew Cashner, SP BOS Cashner has been horrendous since joining Boston, pitching to a 6.94 ERA acro s his first four starts with the club. He has given up 31 hits and 10 walks in that span (23.1 innings) while only striking out 16. He hasnt been a good pitcher for a while, but he was at least providing deep league appeal while with the Orioles, and its a bit odd that Russell Wilson T Shirts switching to a better team with a better pitchers park has somehow hurt his value. Given his recent struggles and his poor 6.17 K/9, he doesnt really have any appeal right now to any fantasy league. He wont continue to be this bad for the Red Sox, but its unlikely that he gets to a level of production that makes him roster worthy.Merrill Kelly, SP ARI Kelly pitched very well in a nine-game span from June 2 to July 18, posting a 2.67 ERA, but he has now followed that up with three-straight stinkers.In his last three starts, he has given up a total of 17 earned runs acro s 14.1 innings pitched, good for a 10.67 ERA. The long ball has killed him in those starts, as he's servedup six home runs. He has very severe home/road Saivion Smith Jersey splits this year, pitching to a 3.84 ERA at home with 63 strikeouts acro s 65.2 innings pitched, while pitching to a 5.21 ERA with 41 strikeouts acro s 65.2 innings pitched on the road.His current 4.52 ERA for the year lines up very well with his 4.61 FIP, 4.68 xFIP, and 4.78 SIERA. He has done a very poor job of inducing soft contact this year, as his 13.3-percent soft contact rate against ranks as the third-worst mark in all of baseball. Given his home/road splits and overall inconsistency, Kelly is more of a streaming option than a full-time roster guy.Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Potential waiver wire pickupsIsan Daz, 2B MIA Diaz is a top-100 prospect, and anytime someone like that gets called up the fantasy baseball world goes crazy. He had great numbers at Triple-A, hitting .305 with 26 home runs and 70 RBI acro s 102 games played. So why isnt he a stock riser like Bichette was last week, you ask? For starters, he isnt as highly touted of a prospect as Bichette is, but thats of le ser concern for me