HOT
Joey Butler
Tampa Bay outfielder Joey Butler isn’t going to give fantasy baseball owners an across-the-board buffet of usable stats.
He’s not going to get a lot of runs, home runs or RBIs. He is, however, going to get on base, which in the world of fantasy baseball, has its upside.
Butler’s batting average during the last month is in the top 10 in Major League Baseball, and he’s still available on the waiver wire. He is in a crowded outfield category, and his lack of runs (14) and RBIs (16) during the season will likely make him an easy pick-up for fantasy baseball owners struggling in the batting average and on-base percentage categories.
His season’s batting average is .347, a few notches below his mark in the last month at .360. During the last seven games, he’s 11-for-28, and that includes an 0-for-3 day at the plate June 14. His on-base percentage in the last month is .382, good enough to give most fantasy baseball teams an improvement from most players in that category.
He also has shown he can steal bases, notching three in the last 11 games. Those three did come in back-to-back nights, with two in one game.
This is his first full-time gig in MLB, so there’s not much precedent on where he will end up for the season. However, at this pace, he’s getting on base enough that his runs and RBI numbers should rise if this continues.
NOT
Logan Forsythe
At one time, Logan Forsythe was one of the best hitters in the Tampa Bay Rays line-up. In the last month, that has changed dramatically.
Forsythe is batting .223 in the last month. In the last 15 games, he’s batting even worse at .170. His season average is still at .264, which just proves how well he was hitting at the beginning of the year.
Forsythe is still owned in a majority of fantasy baseball leagues. He does still rank in the top 10 in runs for second basemen in the last 30 days with 15. He also is tied for fourth in RBIs for second basemen with 13, and tied for third among second basemen in home runs with four.
Lately, though, everything has fallen off. He has four RBIs in his last 10 games, with one home run and three runs.
He’s not getting on base enough to produce. But second basemen are so scarce in MLB, his potential is enough that he’s a better option than most second basemen.
