It's Thursday. I know what that means.
Each week during fantasy baseball season, we produce a stock report examining players who are rising or falling in value. If there's a particular player you'd like me to jump into, feel free to tag me on Twitter. @Hunter_Himself.
Now, without further ado, let's get down to business. Here are some fantasy baseball players on the rise and some on the decline.
Fantasy Baseball Stock Report (Week 7)
stock up
Josh Rojas (2B, 3B – SEA)
Josh Rojas has been a key cog in the Mariners' 19-16 record this season. Among batters with at least 90 plate appearances this season, Rojas ranks fifth in wOBA (.4274) and fourth in wRC+ (182). He's also issuing walks at a high clip (11.5%) and has a strikeout rate of just 16.7%.
Outside of the power department, Rojas' numbers are in line with Juan Soto's at this point in the season. The ISO sensitivity of LOHAS is .202, and the ISO sensitivity of Soto is .236. Through four and a half seasons in Arizona, Rojas never posted a wOBA higher than .327, so the boost he's seen so far this year is a big surprise.
The 29-year-old continues to line up with Luis Urias at the hot corner this year, but his numbers so far have justified everyday playing duties.
Yusei Kikuchi (SP-TOR)
Yusei Kikuchi's advanced numbers this season paint him as the Blue Jays' ace. Teammate Jose Berrios led the league in earned run average until his last start, when he gave up eight runs against the Phillies. Berrios currently has an ERA of 2.85, but his xFIP remains at 4.27, suggesting he may deteriorate further. Meanwhile, Kikuchi ranks ninth in xFIP (2.87), ahead of pitchers like Pablo López (2.90) and George Kirby (3.31). Also, his HR/9 (0.45) is very small and his K% (26.5%) is also pretty good.
The biggest change Kikuchi made this season was that he started using his curveball more. This year, he pitched 29% of the time, up from 8.3% last year. The breaking ball was Kikuchi's best pitch this season.
Alec Bohm (1B, 3B – PHI)
Alec Bohm has been one of the hottest hitters in the league in recent weeks. Among eligible hitters this year, he ranks sixth in wOBA (.423) and eighth in wRC+ (172). His numbers have improved across the board, including an ISO of .203, which puts him up 0.68 points from his four-year career average in Philadelphia.
Bohm has scored a whopping 32 points this year, which ranks him at the top of the league behind Marcell Ozuna and Soto. This Phillies team is 8-2 in his last 10 games and currently boasts his best record in MLB at 26-12. As long as Boehm can continue to hit batters in the center of this Phillies lineup, he'll be at the top of many offensive charts by the end of the year.
out of stock
Tim Anderson (SS – MIA)
Tim Anderson has just one home run since June 2022. His power has declined over the past two seasons, resulting in the second-lowest ISO (0.46) among eligible hitters. Over the same period, he was his third-lowest in wOBA (.253), his second-lowest in wRC+ (56), and his sixth-lowest in WAR (-0.5).
Miami's new landscape this season hasn't done much for Anderson's stock either. His strikeout rate jumped to a career-high 29.8% in 2024. Over the past two seasons, Anderson is best known for being knocked out by Jose Ramirez.
Alex Wood (SP, RP – OAK)
Alex Wood signed with Oakland in the offseason, but hasn't had much success with his new club so far. In eight starts, he has an xFIP of 4.87 and a strikeout rate of just 18.4%.
Wood has a unique pitch mix. He doesn't have a fastball. Instead, he threw sinkers 45.7% of the time, sliders 31.8% and changeups 22.6% of the time. His sinker has been pounded to the tune of -6.2 runs below average this year.
Oakland has started the year surprisingly well, but they need to get more from their starting pitching if they want to compete with the rest of the AL West teams.
Christian Encarnacion Strand (1B, DH – CIN)
Christian Encarnacion-Strand is only 24 years old and in his first full season in the majors, so I expect his struggles to fade as time goes on. However, as of now, he looks like a candidate to be sent to the minors at some point this season. He also just went on a 10-day IL and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks with his broken wrist.
On the season, CES has the fourth-lowest wOBA (.227), fifth-lowest wRC+ (38), and 24th-highest strikeout rate (28.5%). He rarely walks. His BB% is just 3.3%, the sixth-lowest among eligible hitters.
He has over 0.300 ISO in the minors, so I believe he has untapped power potential. But for now, I'm going to stay away from Encarnacion-Strand until he can prove himself at the big league level.
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