The fantasy baseball season has flown by and we are now only one week away from the playoffs. Week 21 sealed up playoff spots for a lot of teams but there is still a lot of leagues that have a lot of things undecided. This week and week 22 are some of the biggest moments in fantasy baseball every single year. If you are reading this article it only means one thing, your team still has a chance. This list is a bit different than most as I will be covering their post and pre all star game splits. Below is the the best and worst performances of week 21.
Five worst performances of week 21.
5. Jacoby Ellsbury, Center Fielder, Boston Red Sox
One of the superstars for the Red Sox has had a below average second half considering how well his first half went. He batted .305 before the All Star break with 33 RBis. Since the All Star break he has only driven in 14 men. His stolen bases have went down significantly since the break as he had 36 in the first half and only 10 since. His weekly numbers haven’t helped his case either. In the past six games he has nine strikeouts and a batting average of .200. He is an up and down player who you can not afford to leave out of your lineup. You’re going to have to hope he catches fire in the last week of the season and into the “playoffs”.
4. Pedro Alvarez, Third Basemen, Pittsburgh Pirates
The National League home run leader as of today is Alvares and Paul Goldschmidt. Both of these men were expected to do well but I did not think they would be leading the NL in home runs. The fact Alvarez is doing this is great for your fantasy team anyways as he was being drafted in the 15th round or lower. Alvarez has clearly shown the wear and tear that a 162 game season can do. After all this is only the second time in his four year career that he has played over 100 games. Pre All Star break he had batted .250 and post All Star break he has only hit .200. As for his weekly numbers he hasn’t really shown much either. 12 strikeouts in only 26 at-bats put his batting average at .231 for the week. He did manage to hit one home run and drive in four.
3. Hyun-Jin Ryu, Starting Pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers have been rolling as of late and for the most part Ryu has been steady. He got knocked around a bit this week as he allowed four earned over five innings to the Red Sox. His strikeout total was decent at 12 but his overall ERA for the week was a bit higher than you would like for a starting pitcher at 5.11. He should be alright though and hasn’t shown signs of fatigue to this point.
2. Adam Dunn, Designated Hitter, Chicago White Sox
If you are an avid fantasy baseball player than you are well aware of how Mr. Dunn works. He’ll bust out 30-40 home runs and bat a low .200. This is nothing new for him and some fantasy owners are okay with this. I for one hate having guys like him and Dan Uggla on my team. They can escalate your home run totals but can put you in the basement of your standings when they go into their deep slumps. This week was a slump week for Dunn as he batted .120 with 12 k’s. He had only three hits during this slump and of course one of them was a home run. If you own this guy there is nothing that I can say to take him off your team so keep doing you.
1. Yoenis Cespedes, Outfielder, Oakland Athletics
The Athletics have continued to play pretty steady baseball but the offense has been very streaky at times. Cespedes is one of the reasons this team has not put up as many runs as most expected. His batting average has been very disappointing all year but the home runs have been there. Over his past 26 at-bats he has struck out ten times and put up a .154 batting average. He has been struggling a lot in the second half but if you own him you are going to have to ride it out with him.
Top five performances of week 21.
5. Freddie Freeman, First Basemen, Atlanta Braves
In an offense that has been very hit or miss Freddie has been the one consistent hitter. He will probably not get an MVP award but he will most likely get some top ten votes. He had another amazing week for the Braves as he batted .478 with 11 hits in 23 at-bats. Of those 11 hits only one of them was a home run but he did drive in four men. The post all star game is a lot smaller of a sample size but over it he has hit .336 with seven home runs in only 34 games. Meanwhile pre All Star game he hit only nine home runs while batting .308. Either way those numbers are great and Freeman will look to be the catalyst of this offense for a several years.
4. Evan Longoria, Third Basemen, Tampa Bay Rays
Longoria has been up and down the whole second half of the season. He is either slumping very bad one week and dominating the next. He really has not had an in-between. This week is no different as he dominated his craft. Four home runs with five RBIs and a .391 batting average is what he managed to put up this week. He also had two doubles and two walks. The Rays have done what they do every single year and are in the playoff hunt once again. Look for Longoria to help your team come fantasy playoffs.
3. Martin Prado, Third Basemen, Arizona Diamondbacks
The reason the D’Backs traded Upton was because they wanted Prado and he has done a good job playing any position on the diamond for them. He had the most RBIs on the week at nine and a batting average of .297. Prado plays in every single game for them and the best part about him is that you can put him nearly anywhere on your fantasy lineup. He also is very patient at the plate and was walked twice this week to put his OBP at .333. If this Arizona squad wants any chance at making the playoffs they are going to need Prado and Goldy to keep doing what they do. Look for Prado to continue to help your fantasy team and keep him in your lineup.
2. Jose Fernandez, Starting Pitcher, Miami Marlins
This guys name seems to keep making the best performances of the week list. He did it once again this week and is in line to take a home a rookie of the year award unless Yasiel Puig has something to say about it. Fernandez recorded two wins in his past two starts and put up video game numbers. In his start against the Dodgers he went six innings allowing only one run and struck out eight. His next start he went seven innings with zero owned and another eight k’s. The Marlins have to be very excited about the future of this young kid and barring no injury Jose will most likely join the top ten pitchers list.
1. Miguel Cabrera, Third Basemen, Detroit Tigers
Sigh… Once again Cabrera leads the list of best performances of the week, surprising no one. He tied Prado with nine RBIs and hit two home runs. Week after week he has dominated and somehow is going to improve upon his triple crown season but will probably not get a triple crown because of Chris Davis. I don’t need to tell you about this guy as he is here every week and you are all well aware of what he can do.