Brett Gardner, OF, NYY
The power surge continues for Gardner, who hit his 9th HR on Monday, all of which have come in his last 21 games. He has also scored 22 runs, driven in 19, and batted .354 over that 21-game stretch. This type of power is unprecedented for Gardner, who is on pace to shatter his career-high of 17 HR's in a season, but his 35.5% Hard% is also well above his career 23.6% mark, so it doesn't look like just smoke and mirrors. He also continues to use Yankee Stadium to his advantage where he has hit 47 of his 72 career HR's (65%) including 6 of 9 this season. If the power sticks, Gardner suddenly becomes a five-category fantasy contributor.
Brad Peacock, SP, HOU
After dominating in the bullpen for the first month and a half of the season, Peacock made his first start of 2017 against the Tigers on Monday and the dominance continued. In 4.1 IP, Peacock allowed just 1 hit and struck out 8, raising his K/9 to 13.06 for the season. As a setup man, Peacock didn't have much of a place in fantasy, but as a starter he obviously would if he can keep up any semblance of his current pace. His 15.1% SwStr% (entering Monday) and 51.3% GB% bode well for his success, but doing that as a starter is not quite as easy. His 12 BB's in 20.2 IP is also somewhat concerning, as his 90.5% LOB% won't last forever. Assuming Peacock remains in the rotation, he's worth a speculative add in case this is for real, but I would wait another couple of starts before getting too excited.
Steven Souza, OF, TB
After a sizzling April in which Souza hit .330 with a .954 OPS, Souza is hitting a paltry .111 with just 3 XBH's in 68 PA's in the month of May. Perhaps more concerning is his 36.8% K% this month after he seemingly had improved in this area earlier in the season. Souza has always been a BA liability and his potential power-speed combo is what gives him value in fantasy leagues, but stretches like his current one are tough to swallow. And now that Souza seems to have stopped running (no SB's yet in 2017 and only 7 in 2016), he is becoming very hard to justify owning in standard leagues.
Devon Travis, 2B, TOR
Travis has been Jekkyl and Hyde in April and May this season, as he has followed up an awful .130/.193/.195 slash line in 21 April games, with an impressive .369/.382/.631 through 18 games in May. His peripheral numbers are about the same for each month, but his BABIP has climbed from .146 in April to .442 this month. So what should we expect from Travis moving forward? Obviously, something in between, but I would think probably a bit closer to his current level and production and a bit better than his overall .239 BA and .673 OPS. His .286 BABIP isn't bad, but considering his lifetime .341 mark, we should still see positive regression in that area. His lack of homerun power and high SB totals severely limit his fantasy upside, but solid contributions in the other categories make Travis a valid MI replacement in fantasy leagues.
Josh Reddick, OF, HOU
Reddick has an .833 OPS against RHP's this season including all 6 of his HR's and he has also hit a lot better at home with a .960 OPS. On Tuesday, the Astros will face Tigers' RHP Jordan Zimmermann who has been, let's just say, quite hittable this season. Lefties are hitting .333 with a .944 OPS against him. DraftKIngs Value Play Salary $3,600.
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