Well, that was fun, huh? The new "40-pitch" home run derby rules sure brought excitement, with Teoscar Hernandez narrowly edging out Bobby Witt Jr. for the championship. The All-Star break delivered its usual thrills, highlighted by Jarren Duran's two-run homer leading the American League to a 5-3 victory and earning him MVP honors.
As we head into Week 17, it's crucial to consider the influence of your format and platform. For some, the upcoming week is a seamless continuation from before the break with a few more days to go before a fresh matchup in Week 17. For others, a new matchup kicks off on Friday, spanning ten days until next Sunday. If you're in Roto formats, you might have a three-day matchup this weekend followed by another beginning on Monday.
Regardless of your format, every win is critical at this point, and we’re here to help you secure those victories. We'll highlight some intriguing options to consider while they're hot. As always, hitters on this list must be less than – or around – 50% owned in Yahoo! Leagues. A player will only reappear on this list if they continue to excel from previous weeks.
Let's dive into it.
Colt Keith, 2B/3B - Detroit Tigers (62% Owned)
Tigers 2B/3B Colt Keith doesn’t exactly qualify for this list, but I decided to include him on the off chance he’s still available in your league. The 22-year-old rookie has been white-hot at the dish since the calendar turned to July. In 12 appearances this month, Keith is 17-for-46 (.370) with five long balls and a 1.267 OPS.
The former fifth-round pick has six multi-hit games this month and is faring pretty well overall in his first taste of the big leagues. His .253 average is right in line with his .264 xBA, and he’s sporting a respectable 19.2 K%.
Eugenio Suarez, 3B - Arizona Diamondbacks (30% Owned)
I touched on Arizona 3B Eugenio Suarez last week, and his stats are...somehow....even better. Suarez is now batting .341 in July. He’s hit four of his ten homers this month and has 16 RBIs – surpassing his highest total in any month in just 44 at-bats.
As per Statcast, his rolling xWOBA graph has been steadily climbing. Despite the fact that the rest of his profile doesn’t look too enticing and he hit horribly in May and June to the tune of .172 and .156, those stats should improve.
Tyler Stephenson, C - Cincinnati Reds (26% Owned)
Reds backstop Tyler Stephenson hasn’t been as hot as the players mentioned above, but he’s putting together a respectable July. His four home runs have pushed his season total up to ten, putting him on pace to blast past his previous career-high of 13, set in 2023.
Interestingly enough, Stephenson played in seven straight contests before the break, smashing all four of those homers during that time. If the playing time increases, he becomes even more intriguing. However, it’s too early to tell whether or not that will be the case. Either way, Stephenson has cut his K% down to 17.3% this season – a career-low – and his average exit velocity has raised a few ticks to 90.4MPH – a career-high.
Lawrence Butler, OF - Oakland Athletics (21% Owned)
Since July 2nd, Oakland OF Lawrence Butler has been on a torrid pace and has mashed to the tune of a .317 average. He hadn't hit over .200 at any other point during the year! So far he’s up to 13 hits, matching his highest total in any of the previous months, with seven of those being home runs.
Butler walloped three no-doubters during the A's 18-3 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies. He’s striking out more this year (29.5%), and we can’t expect the average to stay up forever, but his average exit Velo (92 MPH) and hard-hit % (48.7%) are both up as he seems to have found his power stroke.
Deep League Options
Michael Toglia, 1B/OF - Colorado Rockies (18% Owned)
Colorado 1B/OF Michael Toglia had his own three-homer game the last time we saw regular-season baseball, and while his July average is 100 points lower than Butler's (.217) – he’s still someone worth monitoring. Seven of Toglia’s ten hits this month have been home runs, and while the switch-hitting former first-round pick is batting just .197, he’s been much better since he became a full-time player – batting .230 with 26 RBI 20 runs scored, and 12 HRs.
Jacob Wilson, SS - Oakland Athletics (11% Owned)
This past Thursday, we got news that the A’s top prospect, SS Jacob Wilson, will make his way to The Show. While no major-league stats currently exist, Wilson has been tearing up the minors this season. He has garnered an absurd .438/.475/.687 across both Double and Triple-A, but the astonishing stats don’t stop there. Wilson has swung at 234 pitches in the zone, making contact with 223 of them. He has more games with four hits (7) than 0 hits (4), more games with 4+ RBI (3) than two strikeouts (2), and he’s hitting over .400 against all pitch types. It is time.
Xavier Edwards, 2B/SS - Miami Marlins (8% Owned)
Miami 2B/SS Xavier Edwards has solidified himself as an everyday player for the Marlins and should be a decent source of steals moving forward. He has multiple hits in six of his last eight appearances, going 13-for-29 (.448!) with three steals and a 4:3 BB:K ratio. If he keeps this up, he should begin to bat near the top of the order. While he hasn’t lowered his K-rate much, he has significantly raised his BB% to 11.5% from a measly 3.6% in 2023.
Jose Iglesias, 2B/3B - New York Mets (3% Owned)
Mets 2B/3B Jose Iglesias has been an astounding source of batting average since joining the team on May 31st. The 34-year-old has been white-hot with an uber-impressive .380/.417/.999. He’s striking out a meager 8.3% of the time, and while not walking too much, is having quite the bounce-back season after being relegated to Triple-A earlier in the year.
Pitching/Streaming Options
Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros (7% Owned)
Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti has been a bit up and down this year. His 5.63 ERA is wildly uninspiring, but he has been tough to hit when he's been on. Just four starts ago, he blanked the Rockies over seven strong innings – scattering three hits, walking none, and punching out ten batters. It was the first and only time he's allowed no free passes all season, as in every other contest he walked two or more batters.
It’s not exactly set in stone when Arrighetti will next toe the rubber, but his next start should come against the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum. Just before the break he had another excellent outing against a formidable Rangers lineup, allowing just two hits and one earned while striking out seven. The A’s are not nearly as formidable as the Rangers, and while his 5.63 ERA isn’t good, his xERA of 4.18 is much more solid.
As we continue through Week 17, remember that every decision you make can be the turning point for your fantasy baseball season. The players highlighted offer the potential to significantly boost your lineup and lead your team to victory. Whether you're navigating a tight matchup or looking to build momentum, these strategic picks could be the difference-makers you need.
Stay proactive and adaptable as the season progresses. Embrace the challenge, trust your instincts, and let the thrill of the game inspire you to make bold moves. Success in fantasy baseball is about more than just stats; it's about seizing opportunities and riding the wave of potential. Keep pushing forward, and may your fantasy team soar to new heights!
