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Astros in Fantasy: Fantasy Players of the Week- Week 18
A Look at Fantasy Baseball Through the Lens’ of an Astros Fan
Here is how I did in Week 17:
Week 17 Hitter:
Jose Altuve – 6/21 H/AB, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB, .286 BA
Like the rest of the Astros offense this week, Altuve had a relatively quiet week. In his six games against the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers, he had six hits in 21 at-bats, lowering his average four points to .356.
However, why it was a down week for him was because of his lack of power. Except for the one home run, he hit on Friday, the rest of Altuve’s hits were all singles. This prevented him from driving in runs, only driving in the two from the homer. Also, to show the lack of offense overall for the Astros, Altuve only scored twice all week.
There is not question whether Altuve should be in a fantasy owner’s lineup come playoff time. However, Altuve sets the offensive tone for the rest of the lineup. If he is struggling, do not look for any of his teammates to pick up his slack offensively. This might affect his run totals.
The Astros are coming into a defining point of their season. Six games out of the AL West and 2.5 games out of the AL Wild Card race, the offense is going to have to step up for the Astros to make up what they lost the last week. Altuve is going to have to be a big part of that. Look for him to continue to put up MVP-like numbers at second base.
Week 17 Pitcher:
Dallas Keuchel– 12.2 IP, 13 H, 9 ER, 3 BB, 9 K, 0 W, 6.39 ERA, 1.26 WHIP
As one of the most disappointing fantasy pitchers this season, Keuchel has struggled mightily in 2016. He began the month of July with very solid numbers. From June 18th to his first start of the week against New York, Keuchel gave up less than three earned runs in all seven of his starts. He lowered his ERA from 5.54 to 4.57 in that span.
In his last start of July against the Tigers, Keuchel was back in his 2016 form. In his five innings of work, he gave up seven earned runs on seven hits, including two home runs, and three walks.
With owners expecting similar numbers to campaigns in 2014 and 2015, Keuchel did not meet those expectations this season. In 22 starts, he has a record of 6-11 with a 4.86 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.
His fantasy value for 2017 may be unknown, but at least for the rest of 2016, keep Keuchel away from your starting rotation.
Next: Now on to Week 18
Week 18 Hitter:
George Springer (Owned in 98.5% of ESPN Fantasy leagues)
After a stagnant month of June, Springer kind of came back to life in the month of July. In 93 at-bats, he hit .269 with a .863 OPS. 11 of his 25 hits went for extra bases, including five home runs, drove in 12 runners, and scored 19 times from the lead off spot. After missing all of August last season due to injury, Springer needs to be a key part of the offense if the Astros want to make up any ground in the AL West and in the AL Wild Card race.
There is no better way for Springer to start a spectacular month than to have seven games at home. In 53 games at Minute Maid Park this season, Springer is hitting .281 with a .899 OPS. He also has 11 home runs and has scored 39 runs.
The most important change in Springer’s game at home is his patience at the top of the lineup. He has 37 of his 56 walks at home, and his on-base percentage is .079 points higher. This will be important as he faces the proven starters of the Toronto Blue Jays and the division rival Texas Rangers.
If Springer can set the tone at the top of the lineup, look for him to score a lot of runs in a critical week for this Astros team.
Next: Week 18 Pitcher
Week 18 Pitcher:
Lance McCullers (Owned in 62.8% of ESPN Fantasy leagues)
McCullers has been no short of spectacular in the month of July. In his five starts, he gave up seven earned runs on 25 hits in his 30.1 innings of work. He had a 2.08 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP and struck out 44 batters.
His next start will be against an offense he has not faced before. No Blue Jays batter has ever had an at-bat against McCullers. This gives him the advantage. Toronto is fifth in the AL with 868 strikeouts. However, they have proved to be patient at the plate. They are first in the AL with 406 walks.
The Blue Jays have proved to be a patient offense that does not generate a lot of contact. If McCullers can pitch with control, he should give the Astros a good chance to win next Tuesday.
The last start against the Yankees, he did just that. After walking four in each of his three starts before, he pitched six innings of one-run ball, giving up five hits while walking two and striking out 10.
Next: Astros: Talking Stros With Jake Kaplan Before Trade Deadline
With an unsolvable curveball and a mid-nineties fastball, McCullers has the chance to continue to be the ace of the Astros staff. He just needs to keep his pitch count low and keep walks to a minimum.
***Stats provided by MLB.com and Baseball Reference***