Astros in Fantasy: Fantasy Players of the Week- Week 21

A Look at Fantasy Baseball Through the Lens’ of an Astros Fan

Here is how I did in Week 20:

Week 20 Hitter:

Teoscar Hernandez– 5/17 H/AB, 6 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB, .294 BA

Hernandez had a solid week. However, his bat woke up when fantasy owners on ESPN could actually acquire him.

Playing in three of the four games in the series at Baltimore, Hernandez had four hits in 10 at bats and scored five times. In the August 19th game against the Orioles, Hernandez was an offensive monster. He had three hits in four at-bats with a home run, drove in three runs, and scored himself three more times.

His bat this weekend has been particularly valuable at the bottom of a lineup where they have struggled to produce all season long. One part of Hernandez’s week that goes unnoticed in the eyes of fantasy owners is his patience at the plate.

Hernandez walked four times in his last six games, including a three-walk performance on August 20th. This provided opportunities for the proven offensive guys at the top of the order to drive in runs. That is why Hernandez scored a run in all but one game this week in which he had an at-bat.

Hernandez could have a prominent role to play as a part of the Astros offense in 2017. If he continues to prove that in 2016 as he did this week, he will provide run scoring numbers for any offense in fantasy baseball.

Week 20 Pitcher:

Dallas Keuchel– 13 IP, 11 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 14, K, 1 W, 5.54 ERA, 1.00 WHIP

For a pitcher that has been statistically better at home in 2016, Keuchel, in his two starts this week, was tremendous on the road, but awful in his start at home.

In his first start of the week, Keuchel was facing a team that was not very familiar with his stuff. Busch Stadium is also a very hitter’s friendly ball park, which was not a very good combination for Keuchel. In five innings against the Cardinals, Keuchel gave up six earned on six hits, including a home run, and a walk. Keuchel then pitched a gem in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon. In eight innings of work, he gave up two earned runs on five hits, including a home run, and a walk.

Two aspects of Keuchel’s week should bring a sigh of relief for his fantasy owners. First, in his two starts this week, Keuchel struck out 14 in his 13 innings of work. Also, his WHIP in those two starts is at 1.00 compared to his season WHIP of 1.28. This shows that Keuchel is becoming less and less hittable as the season goes on. This leads to the second aspect. From May to August, his ERA by each month has decreased tremendously. In his three starts in August, he has a 3.27 ERA with a 0.82 WHIP.

Keuchel may not be the pitcher he was last season. However, he could be a valuable starting pitcher as the fantasy season comes to a close.

Next: Now on to Week 21