Josh Lowe, OF (TB)
Who would argue with me if I said Josh Lowe was the best 'Lowe' on the Rays? The outfield version has outplayed Brandon, the infield version, but doesn't seem to have the same respect yet in the fantasy industry or even among Rays coaches. Josh stole his 23rd base on Friday as he continues to deliver on the five-category upside that helped him ascend into one of the game's top prospects. After struggling as a rookie last year, Lowe is now hitting .273 with 14 home runs and 22 stolen bases. Unfortunately Tampa Bay continues to bury him at the bottom of its lineup. It's true his struggles against lefties continues (36.4% strikeout rate), but he has been excellent against righties, posting a .827 OPS and much more acceptable 25.2% strikeout rate.
Trea Turner, SS (PHI)
While fully acknowledging that I've predicted Turner's slump bust multiple times this season, I'm ready to plant my flag on this one. The veteran shortstop had three hits, including two doubles, and two RBI's in Philadelphia's 13-run outburst against the Twins. He extended his hitting streak to eight games with eight extra-base hits in that span. Most encouraging was seeing the Phillies regain some trust in their expensive .247 hitter, putting him in the 3-spot in the lineup for the first time this season. Turner has a 17% barrel rate with a 30% line-drive rate during his hitting streak, which hints at a much better approach where he isn't chasing and reaching for the fences but rather employing a slightly flatter swing. That is a great sign for fantasy owners who have been frustrated by their first-round pick. It will lead to many turning their backs on him next draft season, but the highest likelihood is he will return to the perennial top-five pick where he belongs.
Andrew Abbott, SP (CIN)
After walking eight batters combined over his two previous starts, Abbott gave away no free passes on Friday, leading to his best start since July 25th. He gave up two runs on four hits while striking out nine at Pittsburgh for his seventh win. What is most encouraging about Abbott's solid rookie season is when he struggles with something he seems to eventually correct it. He addressed the walk problem on Friday after previously addressing a home run problem earlier in the season (he has allowed two long balls since giving up eight over a five-start span from mid-June to mid-July. Abbott's performance on Friday included an uptick in velocity with impressive results on his offspeed pitches. His maturity on the mound is impressive, and his upside is very high.
Charlie Morton, SP (ATL)
The good news is Morton didn't give up a run in five innings en route to his 11th win of the season. The bad news is his control issues continue to plague him. He gave up a season-high seven walks, which explains why he had to be pulled after 105 pitches. He has allowed 22 walks in his last five games. Morton has allowed the third-most walks in MLB and his 11.4% walk rate would be his highest since his rookie season in 2008. In fact, other than an injury-plagued season in 2016 where he only totaled 17.1 innings, he hasn't had a double-digit walk rate since 2011. In other words, walks haven't been a huge problem for Morton, but this season he is all over the place. It all stems from a 4-seam fastball that opposing hitters are finding more success against, which is pushing the veteran pitcher to lean more on his curveball. Curveballs are difficult to locate; hence the walks.
Lawrence Butler, OF (OAK)
Lawrence Butler had a forgettable major league debut, going 0-for-4 with three groundouts and a lazy pop fly. One of the A's top prospects, Butler is a big 1B/OF who has above-average speed. While he offers long-term potential for home runs and stolen bases, fantasy owners should moderate their expectations for the rest of this season. While two of his ground balls were hit hard on Friday, his ground ball tendencies, along with the spacious dimensions at the Oakland Coliseum, will limit his home runs. He had a high ground ball rate throughout his minor league career, although that was not the case in 82 at-bats at AAA-Las Vegas prior to his promotion. Butler struggled with strikeouts in his first four professional seasons but really corrected that problem in this season, and he at least made contact in all four plate appearances in his debut. There are some really exciting future dynasty skills in the A's young slugger, but his ROS production will likely underwhelm.
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