MLB Hitters Trending Upward: Bryce Harper, Jarren Duran, Yandy Diaz, Lane Thomas, Anthony Santander and More

Discussing several MLB hitters who are trending in the right direction over the past couple weeks of play.

It’s been over three weeks since I did stories on MLB hitter trends (upward and downward) and as we hit the midway point of the regular season, it’s a perfect time to revisit this topic.

Let’s take a look at the hottest hitters over the past 15 days. We’ll cover the coldest hitters in another story, so be sure to check back for that.

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Top Hitters

Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper leads the MLB with 22 hits over the past 15 days. He’s hitting .400 in that stretch.

Harper has seven doubles and five home runs among those hits, along with 11 RBIs, 14 runs scored, four walks and nine strikeouts. He’s also stolen a base. 

The hot stretch has Harper creeping up the Fantasy Baseball Trade Value Chart.

Boston Red Sox’s Jarren Duran and Tampa Bay Rays’ Yandy Diaz are each at 21 hits over the past 15 days.

Duran has a .389 average, with five doubles and two home runs along the way. He’s drove in nine runs, scored 11 times, walked four times and struck out on 15 occasions. Duran has five stolen bases over that stretch as well.

Duran has shot up the trade value chart as well and is now a must own in all fantasy leagues.

Diaz has a .356 average over the past 15 days, with three doubles and homers among his hits. He’s also got 11 RBIs, six runs scored, one walk and 12 strikeouts over that span.

Diaz got off to a slow start at the plate this season, but is now looking more like the hitter he was a season ago. His trade value and own percentage are both on the rise and he’s back to a near must start in all fantasy formats.

Washington Nationals’ CJ Abrams and Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm are both at 20 hits in the past 15 days. 

Abrams has six doubles and a homer among his hits, along with six RBIs, 10 runs scored and three stolen bases. He’s walked six times and struck out on five occasions over this stretch.

Abrams is inside the top 50 on the trade value chart after being drafted around pick 126. I don’t know if Abrams can keep up his pace in some stats, but it’d be hard to move off of him considering where you likely got him in your fantasy draft.

Bohm is a very similar story, with an ADP around 150 but a ranking inside the top 40 on the trade value chart right now. Every time he looks to be slowing down at the plate, he heats right back up, so at this point, I’d just hang on to him and enjoy his fantasy success.

Among his 20 hits in the past 15 days, Bohm has five doubles and three home runs. He’s also got 12 RBIs, six runs scored, two stolen bases, two walks and five strikeouts over that span.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani leads the league with eight home runs over the past 15 days, while Baltimore Orioles’ Anthony Santander has seven bombs.

Ohtani also has three doubles among his 15 hits in that span. He’s drove in 17 runs, scored 14 times, walked on 12 occasions, struck out seven times and stole a base.

Ohtani is neck-and-neck with New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge for the top fantasy hitter right now. As a result, Ohtani should pretty much be untouchable in fantasy leagues.

Santander is a bit of a surprise name in the No. 2 slot. The hot stretch has pushed him inside the top 35 on the trade value chart, and is begging fantasy owners to sell high on him. 

He has 13 hits over the past 15 days, but the home runs are his only extra-base hits. Santander also had 16 RBIs, nine runs scored, three walks and eight strikeouts over that span.

Because of his low average and lack of production outside the home runs, I would be in favor of trading Santander high. You might not get as much power from the return player, but a higher average and more consistent fantasy showings should be the target.

New York Mets’ Francisco Alvarez has played 12 games over the past 15 days. He’s got a .471 average and .561 on-base percentage in that timeframe.

Alvarez has four doubles and three home runs across his 16 total hits. He’s also got nine RBIs, six runs scored, seven walks and eight strikeouts.

Alvarez missed a good portion of the season but has seen his trade value and own percentage skyrocket over the past week or so. Our records show he’s owned in just 74% of leagues, so he’s still maybe available in your standard league if you are in need of some help at catcher.

Cincinnati Reds’ Jonathan India has a .465 average and .531 on-base percentage over the past 15 days.

India has seven doubles and one home run among his 17 hits in that span. He’s also tallied four RBIs, seven runs scored, three stolen bases, four walks and seven strikeouts.

He’s not the all-around fantasy player that some of these other guys are, but he’s available in about 40% of leagues right now, and can provide some decent fantasy value for the short term. Roll with India until he cools off at the plate a bit.

Washington’s Lane Thomas has 16 RBIs on his 16 hits over the past 15 days. He’s got five doubles, four home runs and two triples among those 16 hits and also scored 13 times. Thomas has a stolen base, three walks and 15 strikeouts over that timeframe as well.

Like Alvarez, Thomas missed a big chunk of the season. His own percentage is up to 90% (and probably should be closer to 100%) and his trade value is starting to rise again. You might want to buy Thomas now, because his value might just keep rising as the season rolls along.

Mets’ Brandon Nimmo is also a top-50 player on the trade value chart right now. He went around pick 100, so he’s definitely been a pleasant surprise for fantasy owners.

Nimmo leads the league with 18 runs scored over the past 15 days. He’s got 17 hits and seven walks over that span. Nimmo has five home runs, two doubles, 14 RBIs and 10 strikeouts in that time as well.

Looking at his season average (.242), I’d call this a sell high time with Nimmo. He provides nice fantasy value, but is too inconsistent for my liking.

The last player I want to mention here is Atlanta Braves’ Austin Riley. He got off to an awful start at the plate and then dealt with an injury, but is starting to look like his old self again.

In the past 15 days, Riley has 18 hits, including four doubles and five home runs, and five walks. He’s also got 10 RBIs, 11 runs scored and 10 strikeouts over that span.

Riley was a top-35 pick in fantasy drafts this year, but after the cold start and injury, currently sits 108th on the trade value chart. His value should rise considerably before the end of the season, and you still should be able to buy somewhat low on Riley if you are in need of a fantasy third baseman.

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