Danny Valencia (OAK - 3B) - Valencia continued his assault on pitchers yesterday, going 3-for-4 with two doubles. For the year, his wRC+ sits an impressive 154. His average, which was .333 before yesterday, is just about certain to regress to closer to .290 or so, but the power that he's showing could potentially be huge for owners the remainder of the season. His 8 HR in just 36 games is good for a .225 ISO, which is actually in line with last season. His wRC+ in 2014 and 2015, albeit in limited time, was equally impressive at 140 and 135, suggesting that perhaps all Valencia needed was a chance.
Byron Buxton (MIN - OF) - Buxton went 1-for-4 for the second straight day now that he's back in the majors, batting from the nine hole in the Twins offense. I don't think his MLB struggles will last much longer; his AAA stats are just too crazy to ignore: 129 PA, .336 avg, and 193 wRC+. There's obviously some real talent here, it's just going to take some time to shine. Unfortunately, it will take even longer since he's batting at the bottom of a horrendous order, but any decent hot streak should get him moving up the lineup pretty quickly. Definitely grab him if he's available and stick him on your bench for the time being; he's a low-risk lottery ticket at this point that could have a huge second half.
Joe Kelly (BOS - SP) - Fresh off a 4.2 inning 5 ER disaster in Toronto, Joe Kelly went just 2.1 innings giving up 7 ER to the high-powered Orioles offense. If we're being nice, we could say that it's against two great offenses. Unfortunately, both are in Kelly's division, so.. damn. Kelly's ERA prior to yesterday was 6.30, with a more "respectable" xFIP of 4.26. Kelly would seem to have everything you would need to succeed - K rate over 11 per 9, GB rate of 51.7%.. but he has zero control. He's walking 15.7% of batters, which is absurd and well above his 8.9% for his career. Kelly's season as a starter could come to an end soon if the Sox decide they'd rather Buchholz giving up 6 ER per start, but that's to be determined. Leave Kelly on waivers.
Jose Ramirez (CLE - 3B/SS) - Ramirez is quietly putting together a fantastic season. He recorded two doubles and a walk last night, increasing his wRC+ of 131. I'm adding Ramirez in all formats if he's still available. His contact rate is 87.1%, nearly at that magic 90% mark, and he's walking 9.7% of the time. He has double digit HR and SB potential, with an average that can exceed .300. That's all you can ask for from a 23 year old that still has more upside.
Michael Fulmer (DET - SP) - Fulmer had an impressive outing yesterday, going 7.2 innings with 8 strikeouts against the Angels yielding no earned runs on two hits. Fulmer has, somewhat surprisingly, been quite impressive. He had lackluster numbers in his short time in AAA this year, but his FIP, even prior to yesterday, was a respectable 3.43. I expected some more growing pains in Fulmer's first foray into the MLB, and there still are likely some to come, but he should be added in most formats if he hasn't been already given the strikeout potential and solid peripherals shown so far. If you do own him, know that he'll be on an innings limit at some point towards the end of the summer.
