At age 34, Nick Markakis is having his best season since he was 24. His double last night drove in his 82nd and 83rd RBIs on the season. His performance is likely the biggest surprise to me of 2018 - it doesn't seem like it, but I had basically written off Markakis' relevancy to fantasy baseball years ago. I'm still shocked that he's maintained this level of play into nearly September, but his improvement has been true; his K% is down over 5%, and his LD% is the highest of his career at 27.2%. He's swinging at less pitches outside the zone and has elite contact rates. As great as he's been, he's a candidate to regress in 2019 strictly due to his age, but he's surprised me once and can do it again.
Following a cold August, JT Realmuto hit his 17th HR of the season yesterday. Realmuto has had an absolute breakout 2018, as his 125 wRC+ is far and away a career high. He even stole 2 bases in his last 3 games, truly doing it all! Realmuto has been a fantastic C option all year, and the improvements to his game are real as hes's sporting a career high LD% and HR/FB rate. He was a late draft pick that is paying some serious dividends for fantasy owners.
Ivan Nova had a start to forget as he allowed 4 ER in just 3.2 innings with 1 strikeout. Nova is a below average option any way you slice it; he was a decent streaming option this week given the two starts, but clearly showed his volatility with last night's dumpster fire. Leave him on the waiver wire, as his mid 4.00 SIERA/ERA won't do anything for you.
Starlin Castro hit his 11th HR to opposite field yesterday off Matt Barnes in what has been a somewhat disappointing first season in Miami. Castro has been just about league average for the Marlins, and has seen a stark decline in power since last year. Castro is too inconsistent year-to-year to depend upon; he'll have weeks where he seems like a great option, followed by poor play for a month. He's tough to trust.
Christian Yelich continued his breakout season as he hit his 24th and 25th HRs on the season. He officially became a five tool player this season as he managed to reach the 25 HR mark while getting double digit SB and batting over 300. The move to Milwaukee has clearly helped his offensive numbers, though to be fair it's been aided by an improved LD%. Yelich has actually struck out more than ever this year, and his walk rate is down to just 8.4% from last year's 11.5%, but the new ballpark has eased those regressions. He remains a great option going forward.
