Triston McKenzie, SP, CLE
McKenzie was dominant again on Wednesday against the Royals striking out 6 in 6 shutout IP, while allowing just 3 hits and a BB. He now has a 1.69 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 19:4 K:BB across 16.0 IP this season (3 starts) to go along with a solid 44.1% GB%. There are some signs of luck; he has a .188 BABIP and 97.8% LOB%, but considering the Indians' success in developing SP's in recent years, I would be inclined to say that he's the real deal. Overall, his 3.37 xFIP so far indicates that he probably won't keep up his current pace, but should still continue to succeed in his rookie campaign.
Mike Brosseau, IF, TB
Brosseau had a career day on Wednesday, going 2-5 with 2 HR's and 3 RBI in a win over the Yankees. Brosseau has an exceptional slash line of .327/.379/.692 for the season and has hit 5 HR's in just 58 PA's. His 29.3% K% is not good, although he does have a 45.2% Hard% which has certainly helped. Still, his xBA of .226 is certainly a warning that this will not keep up. Besides for the fact that with just 58 PA's all season, he's not playing nearly enough to be useful in fantasy, other than in daily leagues when the Rays face a lefty.
Joey Gallo, OF, TEX
Gallo went 1-3 with 2 K's against the Astros which is actually an improvement considering how things have been going recently for the all-or-nothing slugger. Over his last 11 games, Gallo is just 4-37 with 0 XBH's and 0 RBI. He has hit 7 HR's this season in 33 games, but when you're hitting .180, that's not going to cut it. He is still hitting the ball hard, but his 91.8 EV is about 2-3 mph lower than the past few seasons. More HR's will probably come eventually, but at a certain point you have to decide if it's worth the BA drain.
Tyler Naquin, OF, CLE
Naquin had a huge game against the Royals on Wednesday, going 3-5 with 2 HR's and 5 RBI, and he doubled his season HR total with the big showing. Naquin has been playing pretty much every day recently (partially thanks to the recent demotion/benching of Oscar Mercado) and has made the most of that opportunity. Over his last 12 games, he has hit .341 (15-44) with 5 doubles, 4 HR's, and 14 RBI, with all 4 of the HR's coming within the last 6 games. Naquin has improved his HardHit% to a career-high 42.9%, and that has helped make him relevant in fantasy once again. He's usable as it is, but all the more so if this uptick in power sticks.
Mike Trout, OF, LAA
Trout went 2-4 with a 2-run HR against the Padres on Wednesday, and is now up to 13 HR's and 34 RBI through 33 games this season. Trout suffered through a rare slump in mid-August in which he hit .179 over a 15 game stretch, but he has now gone 7-17 with 3 HR's and 9 RBI in the 5 games since then. Still, it's worth noting that Trout's 26.2% K% is way higher than previous seasons so the BA drop may not simply be a fluke. On the other hand, Trout's 52.3% HardHit% is a career high and his power is elite as ever, so he'll continue to be part of the MVP running. But it wouldn't be such a surprise if he posts a career low BA.
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