As Week 3 of the baseball season commences, I thought it would be appropriate to give my take on some players who are on fire this season. These are the players you should continue to hold on your roster as they should be productive until your fantasy baseball comes to an end. Again I would like to state that these will be the players that did not attract much attention at the start of the fantasy season, so there will not be names like Bryce Harper or George Springer on this list even though I believe they will be big contributors to fantasy teams this year.
Eric Thames, Milwaukee Brewers, 2017 (.368/.455/.921)
It seems only appropriate to start this list with the man some people call the Korean League's Babe Ruth. He is in the midst of an 8 game hitting streak and has hit 5 home runs in the last 4 games. Thames has a hard contact percentage in 2017 of 55.6% which is ridiculous and his soft contact percentage is a measly 11.1%. His plate discipline has also been extraordinary as he has only swung at balls outside the strike zone 20% of the time. When he has swung at a ball in the strike zone he has only missed 7.0% of the time this season. He will soon be eligible for first base and outfield, which will make him even more valuable than he already is. I have been benching him however when he goes up against left-handed pitching due to his poor production against left-handers in his career. Thames could put up 30+ home runs this season while posting an on-base percentage above .350, so there will be a lot of runs coming from Thames' bat. Now obviously he will not continue to hit at this level the rest of the season, but he is showing us that the numbers he posted over in Korea can translate into strong major league numbers in the U.S.
Nomar Mazara, Texas Rangers, 2017 (.340/.377/.620)
In my fantasy baseball draft, I drafted Mazara above his usual draft slot of 224.9 by selecting him with my 156th pick. It has worked out for me so far this season as Mazara is 2nd in RBI's and 8th in HR's. I think Mazara has one of the biggest ceilings in the game as he has the potential to be a rare four tool type player. The fact that he is only 21 years old and is already hitting major league pitching like it's nothing shows us just how valuable he will be to the Rangers in the future. One of the things that should concern any fantasy owner about Mazara is the fact that over his major league career he has only hit .228/.278/.260 against left-handed pitching. I put him in the same group as Cargo, because you dread when a left-hander is on the mound and facing them. I just do the same thing I've done with Thames and that is switch him out for another outfielder when a left-hander is on the mound. Let us not forget that as a 20 year old Mazara showed us his power potential by mashing a 491 ft. home run against Hector Santiago and the Angels.
Mitch Haniger, Seattle Mariners, 2017 (.294/.410/.588)
Anyone that knows me will not be surprised to see Haniger posted on this list. I have been raving about this 26 year old rookie since last year when he hit .321/.419/.581 between AA and AAA for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Haniger has only missed 8.0% of the strikes he has swung at in 2017. I do not believe however Haniger will stay above the .290 mark much longer, but his skills to continuously get on base will provide a good amount of runs for the Seattle Mariners and any fantasy team that owns him. He is already making a strong case for NL ROY, and if you would like to read more about Haniger you can on my Preseason Sleepers List.
Corey Dickerson, Tampa Bay Rays, 2017 (.340/.389/.620)
Dickerson's poor 2016 season of .245/.293/.469 has obviously stuck out like a sour thumb in fantasy owners minds as he is still only 34.7% owned in ESPN fantasy leagues. Yes, Dickerson used to play in hitter friendly Coors Field, but he still matched his career high home run total of 24 while playing for the Rays in 2016. Dickerson had always hit for a good average before 2016, and even with his poor 2016 campaign he is still a career .281 hitter. I do not believe Dickerson will continue to be a top 15 outfielder, but he should finish somewhere in the top 30 by the end of the season. It will not take much to put Dickerson on your roster as you will most likely just have to go to the free agent market and click add button by his name. If you would like to read more about Dickerson, like Haniger he is listed on my Preseason Sleepers List.
