Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Is Yankees Slugger Aaron Judge The Real Deal?
It’s been a big year for folk heroes in Major League Baseball so far.
While Eric Thames continues to build on his Korean Baseball Organization legacy by bashing home runs for the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees behemoth Aaron Judge is making a similar impact by using American League pitchers as a launching pad.
Can baseball’s newest bombers keep it up? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, here’s a look at six players whose stock has either risen or fallen over the past week.
STOCK UP
Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
We all knew Judge’s potential was as big as his massive frame, but it appears he’s ahead of schedule. The Yankees slugger celebrated his 25th birthday Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox by launching his seventh homer of the season, tied for the most in the AL. More importantly, Judge is batting a respectable .281 with a .352 on-base percentage, a great sign for a guy who’s been long ball-or-bust in his brief major league career to date.
Lance Lynn, SP, St. Louis Cardinals
Don’t look now, but Lynn is starting to find his groove after a mediocre start to 2017. The Cardinals right-hander has allowed a total of one earned run over back-to-back quality starts, racking up 12 strikeouts in the process. This is a guy with a career 3.35 ERA and solid 3.39 FIP who’s owned in just 55 percent of Yahoo! leagues, so he’s a pretty solid long-term pitching option if you need it.
Chris Owings, SS/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
After tallying a grand slam and seven RBIs over a two-game stretch, Owings now is the fourth-highest scoring shortstop in Yahoo! points leagues, behind only Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager and Addison Russell. Not too shabby. He’s somehow still unowned in 28 percent of Yahoo! leagues, so be sure to double-check your waiver wire to see if he’s still around.
STOCK DOWN
George Springer, OF, Houston Astros
Springer still is one of the best young players in the game, but fantasy owners have cause for concern after a nagging hamstring injury has kept him out of Houston’s lineup for three consecutive games. The 27-year-old was scuffling before that, too, going 1-for-14 with six strikeouts over a four-game span.
Koda Glover, RP, Washington Nationals
Glover’s ascension to Washington’s closer role hit another roadblock this week, as he served up two runs to the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday and went on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with a hip impingement. He might realize his potential eventually, but with Shawn Kelley assuming ninth-inning duties, it’s not worth waiting on him right now.
Dansby Swanson, SS, Atlanta Braves
We don’t doubt Swanson can be a great major league hitter someday, but that day is not today. The 23-year-old rookie is batting just .143 with 20 strikeouts in 19 games and has whiffed in four consecutive contests. Swanson is worth holding onto in keeper leagues, as success should come after he endures some growing pains. But in standard leagues, there’s little to justify giving him a roster spot.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
