Hot Hitter Rundown

The cliché that the standard fantasy baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint is certainly true, but keeping an eye on the hottest players in the game is still extremely important when making start/bench decisions, making pickups and getting fair value in trades. It has become even more important recently with the popularity of daily games such as FanDuel growing.

It should be noted that short-term production in MLB involves a limited sample size, and should be analyzed and scrutinized for its level of significance, or lack thereof, very closely. With these factors in mind, the following is a rundown of the hottest hitters over the last seven days according to Rotoworld’s Player Rater, one of many useful Season Pass features that allow you to dominate your standard and daily baseball leagues.

Mention of players on these lists is a statement of fact that they are playing well for fantasy owners recently, but not necessarily a long-term endorsement of ownership in fantasy leagues, unless otherwise noted.

Catcher

Devin Mesoraco continues to hold serve, with a strong seven-day performance coming on the heels of a five-game homer streak … Dioner Navarro’s overall numbers are far from impressive, but he’s back in the discussion as a respectable play in two-catcher mixed leagues after hitting .333-2-6 last week … Mike Zunino is finally becoming an asset for fantasy owners in the power department after the Mariners rushed the former top draft choice to the majors last season. He hit two home runs last week and looks like J.P. Arencibia 2.0, hitting .225-11-28 with a horrific 11/84 BB/K ratio for the season … He has a long way to go, but Travis d’Arnaud had a nice week in his promotion from Triple-A, hitting .368-1-3. He’s back as a play in two-catcher leagues … With Matt Wieters done for the year, Nick Hundley is becoming a consideration for AL-only owners. He hit .429-1-2 last week, and has shown notable power with the Padres in the past … Miami has been waiting to get the return on their investment from Jarrod Saltalamacchia after signing him to a three-year, $21 million contract in the offseason. His numbers still haven’t been up to snuff, but he remains on pace for 14 homers.

First Base

The power we’ve expected from Matt Adams coming into the year is finally alive and well, with three more homers last week for a .360-3-8 line. He’s been one of baseball’s hottest hitters since coming off the DL, and will continue to see everyday work vs. righties despite Oscar Taveras’ pending call-up … There isn’t much to say about Jose Abreu that hasn’t already been said as he has his sights set on a 50 home run pace … Adam LaRoche has exceeded the expectations of every owner who drafted him, and the biggest surprise has been his career-best batting average and walk rate at age 34. He’s set to cash in as a free agent this offseason, and should remain in the lineup daily despite the pending return of Bryce Harper … Patient Logan Morrison owners were rewarded last week with a .429-2-5 line, though it should be noted that most of the production came in just one game. In other words, don’t celebrate just yet … Adrian Gonzalez has been one of this year’s most streaky hitters to this point, breaking out of a brutal slump last week to hit .296-1-5. The homer was his first in June.

Second Base

Jose Altuve’s last week has been one to remember. He’s hit .481 with 10 steals, vaulting himself to No. 1 overall earner in fantasy baseball. He now ranks second in batting average and second in stolen bases … The Logan Forsythe sighting is due to three multi-hit games last week, and homers in consecutive games. He’s still just a platoon player for the Rays, and that role is unlikely to change even if the team has a firesale … Scooter Gennett continues to prove himself, hitting .333-2-7 last week … Omar Infante very quietly has 40 RBI this season, and his numbers are starting to come around after hitting .304 last week … D.J. LeMahieu is playing third base and getting pushed by Josh Rutledge. He responded last week by hitting .409 with two steals, but will need to keep it up if he doesn’t want to lose playing time when Nolan Arenado returns … Word of Dee Gordon’s demise has been greatly exaggerated, as the leadoff man hit a sparking .481 with one steal last week. Yes, he’s for real … Tommy La Stella actually didn’t have a good week, hitting just .182, but his seven RBI allowed him to tread water for fantasy purposes.

Third Base

Here comes the Kyle Seager we know and love. He hit a staggering .583-2-8 last week … There is no stopping Todd Frazier, apparently, though last week’s strength was his four steals. He’s on pace to become a 20/20 man … It’s a shame that Manny Machado is set to serve his five-game suspension now, as he was just getting hot … Ryan Wheeler has a strong history with the bat in the minors, but we really hadn’t seen it translate to the majors. He rode his starts in Milwaukee with a .333-1-6 week, and should continue to parlay that streak for now. Obviously, he’s a formidable play in Coors Field if he’s getting at-bats.

Shortstop

Past owners of Jose Reyes know all about his hot streaks. He hit .364-1-4 with seven runs and one steal last week … Hey, who said Derek Jeter was old? He hit .389 last week and is on a five-game hitting streak. Maybe a short-term pickup in mixed leagues is a possibility … Eugenio Suarez has really run with Detroit’s starting shortstop job, with a .297 batting average after hitting .400 last week. He showed more pop in the minors, and is becoming a potential pickup in mixed leagues … Brad Miller still wasn’t very good last week, but he hit a homer and found his way onto the list after a slow week from shortstops. He remains just an AL-only play.

Outfield

Ryan Braun had a strong week as he tries to regain his elite fantasy status. He hit .400-1-7 with six runs and one stolen base … Patient Kole Calhoun owners are really starting to be rewarded. He’s turning into a catalyst in the Angels lineup, hitting .391-1-5 with eight runs last week and .346 for the month … You can’t find a hitter much streakier than Matt Joyce, and hopefully this is the start of something big. He parlayed a huge Sunday performance into a .350-2-6 week, and is hitting a very respectable .292 in June … As always, Lorenzo Cain has been a quiet performer and is back on the fantasy radar after hitting .407 last week … J.D. Martinez’s major league history suggests his hot streak won’t last for long, but let’s ride it out while we can. He had another terrific week, hitting .346-2-5 … Chris Young is just one week removed from a rumored DFA, but he had a big two games against his former Oakland A’s last week. He still hit just .200 for the week but had three homers. It’s much too early to go running for the waiver wire in mixed leagues … No one plays never-die horror movie character these days better than Endy Chavez, who has emerged in the majors again. He’s seen regular playing time recently and hit .400 last week. Still, with mediocre speed these days, he’s not a fantasy helper … Ender Inciarte profiles as a fourth outfielder long-term with absolutely no power, but Arizona’s outfield injuries continue to give him playing time. He hit .391 with two stolen bases last week … A few starts are usually all Jarrod Dyson needs to help fantasy owners in a given week, with two steals last week … Gregory Polanco is on a three-game hitless streak and hit just .160 last week, but that didn’t stop him from making the top 20 due to three steals. The growing pains have already started, but he’s in a very favorable situation for fantasy owners as a leadoff hitter.