Now that July is upon us, the studs, the flops and the diamonds-in-the-rough of 2023 have already presented themselves, and it becomes all too easy for fantasy managers to begin overlooking and misevaluating players. With the first half of the season now behind us, a player’s overall stats can be deceiving and lull skippers into thinking they know the whole story. This, of course, can prevent ambitious fantasy managers from managing to their full potential.
To solve this issue, let us explore the last 30 days of 5 players, who over the past month, have defied what their overall season statistics say about their fantasy value and might be fooling you.
5 Players Whose Last 30 Days Tell the Full Fantasy Truth
Brady Singer, SP, Kansas City Royals
After valuing Singer with great optimism heading into 2023, the starter’s sporting of a 5.52 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP have been disheartening. Coupled with playing alongside the 25-win Royals, fantasy baseball’s aversion to rostering Brady Singer is justified.
However, in the shadows of Kauffman Stadium, Singer has quietly posted elite numbers over the last 30 days, especially in his last 3 starts. In that span, he owns a 2.70 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP, living up to his sky-high potential as of late. Although Singer’s lone W over the past month and poor K% hampers his recent success, the starter seems to have overcome his awful start to the year and is absolutely worth a look while he is still available.
On his 108th pitch of the day, Brady Singer gets Mookie Betts to ground out and finish the top of the seventh inning. Singer allowed one run on four hits to the Dodgers today, walking three and striking out four. #Royals
— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) July 2, 2023
Harold Ramirez, DH, OF, 1B, Tampa Bay Rays
Currently slashing .283/.324/.452, with padding from the league-leading Rays, Ramirez has rewarded those who trusted his 2022 was not a fluke. However, over the last 30 days, Ramirez is hitting a dreadful .240 with 12 RBI, 2 HR, and an OBP of just .270.
With the Rays gearing up to face one of the league’s hardest schedules down the stretch, Ramirez is quickly losing all value for managers. It may be time for skippers to consider benching or releasing the 28-year-old designated hitter, despite how encouraging his season has been thus far.
Ezequiel Tovar, SS, Colorado Rockies
Heralded as one of this year’s best sleepers with his promising combination of power and speed, Tovar was responsible for much of Colorado’s pre-season hype. However, after an extremely underwhelming start to the season, he quickly fell off fantasy radars. Currently slashing .266/.303/.430 with 8 HR, 41 RBI, and just 4 SB, Tovar’s sub-par roster rates are understandable.
However, the shortstop’s last 30 games indicate that Tovar is deserving of a roster spot under just about any skipper. Over that span, Tovar is slashing .316/.341/.521 with 5 HR and 19 RBI, having just come off a 13-game hit streak. While his stolen base count is not quite as advertised, fantasy managers should nevertheless be pleased with his recent performance and consider rostering the 21-year-old immediately if he is available.
I am, once again, BEGGING you to familiarize yourself w/ the name EZEQUIEL TOVAR. The #Rockies rookie SS just hit his 8th HR of the year, this one a 3-run shot extending Rox lead to 8-3 over the #Tigers in the 6th. He has 2 hits & 3RBI today already, riding a 13-game hit streak. pic.twitter.com/PMjrdVWM2K
— Kelsey Wingert-Linch (@KelsWingert) July 1, 2023
Joey Meneses, DH, 1B, OF, Washington Nationals
After tantalizing nearly every fantasy manager by slashing .324/.367/.563 with 13 HRs and 34 RBIs in just 56 games during his rookie campaign in 2022, the slugger’s 2023 has been so-so.
Despite a significant collapse in long ball production, Meneses has managed to find his way onto rosters by keeping his average up, hitting .279 so far this season. However, over his last 30, Meneses is hitting just .248 with 13 RBI and O HR. Specifically, over his last 15, his calling card average has dropped to .193, essentially providing managers with no value as of late. His recent performance would indicate it is time to move on.
Carlos Santana, 1B, Pittsburgh Pirates
After a streaky 2022 split between the Mariners and Royals, Santana’s fantasy value was a question mark heading into 2023. So far, this has held up. From a glance, he has slashed an uninteresting .239/.317/.403 with 9 HR and 43 RBI in 78 games so far.
Although adequate, Santana’s performance hardly moves the needle for most managers. Thus, he is still available in most formats. Fortunately, his promising 6 HR, 19 RBI, and .259/.310/474 slash line over his last 30 reveals that in spite of a dreadful May, the veteran actually possesses a much greater value than his numbers suggest. Santana’s recent power at the plate, in addition to the deadline rumors, make the first baseman worth rostering right now.