Javier Baez (CHC) - Javy Baez stole two more bases on Monday and is now on pace for 29 stolen bases. The rest of his on-pace for statistics are just as impressive with him currently trending towards .254/.286/.522, 37 HR, 121 RBI, and 97 Runs. The lack of walks and high strikeouts are obviously a drag on his batting average, but for a player that's nearly a 30/30 guy, he's currently doing enough to justify a late second-round pick in fantasy baseball leagues next year. Unfortunately, Baez is historically a streaky player, so it's unlikely he'll be able to maintain this torrid pace, but he remains one of the biggest surprises in fantasy leagues this season.
Austin Meadows (PIT) - Austin Meadows had a key hit off left-handed starting pitcher Patrick Corbin on Monday, making him 11-for-26 off left-handed pitchers since getting called up. Meadows has shown a mature approach at the plate in his 81 plate appearances with a 5% walk rate, 14% strikeout rate and incredible 87% contact rate. Not only is he hitting the ball often, he's also hitting it hard with a 40.6% hard hit rate. He's quietly throwing his hat in to the Rookie of the Year conversation.
Jason Heyward (CHC) - Jason Heyward recorded his third multi-hit game over the last week and had a key game-tying single in the 8th inning against Josh Hader, just the third hit allowed to a left-hander by Hader all season. Since May 29th, Heyward has hit .396/.408/.563 and has hit second in the Cubs lineup everyday since May 31st. While the speed is no longer there, Heyward may have some mixed league appeal, if he can keep hitting. Beware, over his recent hot streak, his hard hit rate remains at just 25% and he continues to hit groundballs 50% of the time. That's the same old Heyward, just with a little batted ball luck. With that said, as long as he's hitting near the top of the Cubs potent lineup, Heyward is just $3,500 on DraftKings and would be a nice value play on Tuesday's slate.
Madison Bumgarner (SF) - Madison Bumgarner was knocked around by the Marlins on Monday night, giving up a solo homerun and double to Brian Anderson and another double to JT Realmuto, before getting ejected from the game in the 6th inning. Bumgarner finished with a line of 5.1 IP, 4 earned runs, 6 his, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Through two games, Bumgarner carries a 4.76 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP and is obviously still shaking off some of the rust. Most concerning for Bumgarner is the elevated hard hit rate paired with the lower strikeout rate because it means he's not fooling batters. He may come around, but the best place for him might be on the bench until he can get his legs under him.
Jake Lamb (AZ) - Jake Lamb remains way too cheap around the industry and draws a nice matchup against an average right-handed starting pitcher, Trevor Williams. Lamb has struggled this year, and over the last two weeks, he's slashing just .190/.294/.333, but his hard hit rate over that stretch remains strong at 43.2%. Jake Lamb has a career ISO of .227 and 118 wRC+ against right handed pitching throughout his career.
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