Here is a list of some NL players who were selected late in drafts but have so far made their owners happy in 2016 and what to expect going forward.
Dexter Fowler, OF, CHC
Fowler has made modest contributions in several categories for fantasy owners over the years, but hasn't ever really excelled in any category, other than his 102 runs last year. This year, he has continued contributing in all categories, only this time he is excelling in runs scored (27) and in BA (.319). He's also on pace for his highest steal total since 2009. The counting stats should continue to be very good especially with the Cubs offense, but the BA is unlikely to stick. Fowler's career BABIP is excellent at .344, but the .415 mark he currently holds is still out of his range. Granted, he's hitting the ball harder than ever before, but that itself may not be sustainable.
Daniel Murphy, 3B, 2B, 1B, WAS
Murphy has always hit for a high average, but no one expected a BA hovering around .400 in mid-May. His 40.6% Hard% is certainly a leading cause for the jump, although it remains to be seen how long that will last. He also has seen a continuation of the power spike we saw last October, as he's on for 20 HR's which would easily exceed his career high of 14. His HR/FB has risen but he has also been hitting significantly more FB's than usual which makes me think the additional power may be here to stay.
Aaron Nola, SP, PHI
Nola pitched well in 2015 but it was a small sample size. The sample size is getting bigger, and Nola is pitching even better in 2016. His K/9 has risen to 9.85, his BB/9 has fallen to 1.53 and the Phillies are actually decent enough this year that he might get some wins. With an xFIP that's better than his 2.89 ERA, Nova's certainly looking like a must-own right now.
Stephen Piscotty, OF, STL
Piscotty was excellent in 63 games last year but it was a relatively small sample so he still came cheap in this year's drafts. That probably won't happen in 2017, at least not if Piscotty continues his current pace. The .300+ BA from 2015 didn't look sustainable considering his .372 BABIP but he hasn't missed a beat this season. One thing to consider when looking at Piscotty's career .373 BABIP is his ability to collect infield hits. He already has 10 this season, 2nd in all of baseball. Could that keep up? Maybe. Of course there's no guarantee at all he finishes the season with a .300 AVG, but with the Cardinals track record of success, expect Piscotty to keep hitting. Right now it looks like he'll be a valuable commodity in next year's drafts.
Trevor Story, SS, COL
Story's year-to-date numbers are still quite high thanks to his epic first week, and owners noticing the expected drop in production may be thinking to sell while his name is still near the top of league leaderboards. I'm thinking that maybe it's a time to buy. In 31 games since the 7 HR in 6 games barrage to start his career, Story has slashed .266/.336/.500 with 4 HR, 18 runs, 16 RBI, and 3 SB's - you won't find that from many other shortstops. It's true, his 32.2% K% is bad, but when looking at his .356 BABIP consider that Rockies players have combined for a .334 BABIP at home since Coors Field opened and that Story has a ridiculous 46.2% Hard%. His BA will likely fall to the .250-.260's range, but that combined with significant contributions in all other categories is someone I still want on my fantasy team.
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