Which Houston Astros players had the biggest positive and negative impacts in fantasy baseball in Week 21?
It was an up and down week for the Astros, as the offense has been largely steady, but unspectacular. Again, some strong pitching performances have helped lift both the team and fantasy owners. Some struggles have hurt, as well, but that often comes with the territory. Here are the best and worst of the week.
Best Hitter: Josh Reddick
Reddick hit safely in all six games this week, including a pair of three-hit games and another pair of two-hit games. He drove in six runs and scored three times during that span while posting a .522 batting average. He’s got his batting average back above .300 and is again playing a key role in the team’s offense.
Best Pitcher: Mike Fiers
Fiers recorded his first win in more than a month, giving up just one run in seven strong innings on Wednesday. Performances like that are exactly what this team needs and Fiers appeared to find the groove he exhibited earlier this summer. Both the team and fantasy owners are hoping this is the start of another strong run for the right-hander.
Worst Hitter: Marwin Gonzalez
It was a rough week for the incredibly consistent utilityman. Gonzalez posted three hitless efforts in five games this week, hitting just .158 with one RBI and no runs scored. There’s always a fear his incredible performance this season will slow down, but for now, he still has plenty of value. Don’t cut ties with him yet.
Next: The somewhat positive return of Collin McHugh
Worst Pitcher: Tyler Clippard
Whatever fantasy value Clippard possessed is probably gone now. He took a loss in each of his two appearances this week, giving up four runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. His role with the Astros is probably secure, but he has no place on a fantasy team at this point. Drop him if you still have him.
***Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference***