Week 24 Hitter:
Evan Gattis (Owned in 61.5% of ESPN Fantasy leagues)
In the last month, Evan Gattis has become more than a one-dimensional in his offensive approach. The Astros always knew that he had power. In 2016, Gattis has hit 24 home runs and had a home run to fly ball ratio of 22.4%. That part of his game has always been there.
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For the last month, however, Gattis has hit for contact much better. In 90 at bats in August, Gattis hit .311 with a .924 OPS. 11 of his 28 hits went for extra bases, including five home runs, and he drove in 14 runs and scored himself 12 times.
What was really different about Gattis though is his development of patience at the plate. He had a season-high nine walks last month. Also, this season, he has a career high in walk percentage at 8.1%
Gattis has gotten off to a quick start in September as well. In 12 at bats, he has a .333 average with 1.190 OPS. He has two home runs and four RBIs, scoring himself two times.
As the Astros head into an important September run that could make or break their season, Gattis could prove to be very valuable, especially in the next couple of days. The Astros are in the middle of a tough stretch of schedule where they will face the Cleveland Indians, the Chicago Cubs, and the Texas Rangers. Against these tough teams, one swing of the bat can bring a win. Against tough pitchers on these playoff-bound teams, that might be exactly what the Astros need.
If Gattis can provide the power from the back end of the Astros lineup, there is a good chance that the offense as a whole will do very well in the next week and a half. Gattis is a valuable waiver wire pickup for extra base hit and RBI ability.
Next: Week 24 Pitcher