Which Houston Astros players had the biggest positive and negative impacts in fantasy baseball in Week 24?
The week was a big one for the Astros, as they managed to clinch the AL West title. For fantasy owners, some are clinching titles of their own, while others may still be chasing one. Astros hitters were not overly productive this week, but one pitcher, in particular, may have carried some owners. Here are the best and worst from the week.
Best Hitter: George Springer
Springer did very little against the Angels, notching just one hit in 12 at-bats. But he was a huge factor in the series against the Mariners, hitting .455. He also added a homer, three RBIs and four runs scored in the three-game set. He continues to be a key to the Astros’ offense and is having a great season overall.
Best Pitcher: Justin Verlander
If you have Verlander on your fantasy team, you’re probably pretty happy about that this week. In two starts, he tossed 15 innings, allowing just one run on four hits with two walks and 19 strikeouts. Verlander is looking more and more like the eventual Game One starter for the Astros in the postseason, providing great value for the trade.
Worst Hitter: Cameron Maybin
This isn’t entirely Maybin’s fault, as he only started two games this week. He went just 1-for-7 in those games, however, with one RBI and one stolen base. If you picked up Maybin for his base-stealing prowess, you might be disappointed. He simply isn’t playing enough to be worthy of fantasy consideration.
Worst Pitcher: Mike Fiers
Next: Astros need to clinch the AL West by themselves
This one, however, is pretty much all Fiers’ fault. He got a spot start in place of Lance McCullers, and it didn’t go well. Fiers gave up eight runs on ten hits in 3.2 innings, then earned a suspension for throwing at Luis Valbuena. It would be hard to justify giving him another chance if McCullers continues to have issues, so don’t bother holding out hope for him.
***Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference***