MLB Hitters Trending Downward: Nolan Gorman, Julio Rodriguez, Juan Soto, Marcus Semien, Rhys Hoskins and More

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

After looking at some of the MLB hitters who were trending in the right direction yesterday, it’s time to discuss the hitters trending in the opposite direction.

The last time we did a story like this was in early June, and some big-name players made the list. Let’s look back at the past 15 days and discuss some of the worst-performing hitters. We’ll of course focus on some of the bigger fantasy names.

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Struggling Hitters

Among qualified hitters, St. Louis Cardinals’ Nolan Gorman has the lowest batting average (.070).

That equates to three hits over his past 43 at-bats. One of the hits was a homer, but he has just three RBIs and two runs scored over that span. Gorman has four stolen bases, three walks and a whopping 22 strikeouts over that span.

Gorman was a hot waiver wire option just before this recent cold stretch, but shouldn’t be owned in standard leagues or probably started in any other leagues. He could heat up again at some point, so Gorman is still a name to keep an eye on.

Kansas City Royals’ Maikel Garcia has five hits over his past 45 at-bats for a .111 average.

Garcia has just one extra-base hit (a triple) over the past 15 days, along with two RBIs and four runs scored. Garcia has stolen three bases, walked four times and struck out on 14 occasions.

Garcia was owned in just about every fantasy league prior to his cold stretch, but is down around 85% owned now. His own percentage should continue to dwindle until he gets going at the plate again. He’s a very solid fantasy option when he’s hitting, so he’s another guy to keep tabs on in standard leagues for when that happens.

Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez is arguably the biggest name player in today’s story. He’s got a .143 average over the past 15 days.

Rodriguez has six hits (including a home run) over that span. He has three RBIs and runs scored, no stolen bases, four walks and 11 strikeouts as well.

Rodriguez has been a pretty big fantasy disappointment this season. Still, he’s owned in nearly every fantasy league out there. His big name alone makes him more of a trade candidate than a drop one. 

You wouldn’t get nearly the value in return that you would have earlier in the season, but at least then you could have some confidence in your player to actually start and produce some decent fantasy numbers, which is something Rodriguez isn’t doing right now. I’d personally just stash Rodriguez and expect him to get his bat going again at some point instead of trying to move on from him.

New York Yankees’ Juan Soto is another big name who has struggled of late.

Soto has six hits over his past 37 at-bats, which results in a .162 average over the past 15 days. He has a double and two home runs among his hits, along with three RBIs. Soto has walked 17 times over that span, which has helped him score 10 runs. He’s struck out 11 times in that timeframe.

Soto is great in leagues that reward OBP or walks, but walks likely aren’t as big in your fantasy league as a double, homer or even single might be. 

He’s still got one of the top trade value marks in the league, but has dropped off significantly over the past couple weeks. If his walks and OBP aren’t cutting it in your league, most fantasy owners will look past his lower average of late and offer up a big return for Soto. Just make sure you are getting enough in return because when he’s even somewhat better with his average, he’s a top-end fantasy option.

Atlanta Braves’ Ozzie Albies has a .167 average over the past 15 days.

Albies has nine hits (three doubles, a triple and two home runs) over that span, along with seven RBIs and runs scored. He’s stole a base, walked three times and struck out on 11 occasions over that timeframe.

His overall numbers aren’t terrible, but he’s certainly not performing like one of the better fantasy second basemen in the game. A lot like Rodriguez and Soto, he’s still owned in nearly every league and starting for most fantasy owners. I’d maybe dangle his name on the trade block, but I also expect him to get rolling again at some point, so I’d much rather just bench him for now and then get him back into my starting lineup when he’s going good at the plate again.

Texas Rangers’ Marcus Semien has a .170 average over the past 15 days. 

Semien has nine hits (including three doubles), seven RBIs, three runs, one stolen base, three walks and seven strikeouts over that span.

At least Semien isn’t striking out a bunch, but he’s not exactly providing big fantasy totals either. He too is owned and started in just about every league, and is more a stash and wait candidate than anything else. You could try to trade him, but his trade value is also lower than where he was originally drafted, so I’d prefer to wait on him then sell low.

Milwaukee Brewers’ Rhys Hoskins has not only struggled to a .175 average, but also has tied for the second-most strikeouts (19) over the past 15 days.

Hoskins has seven hits (including a double and home run). A grand slam helps him to eight RBIs, but he’s only walked five times and scored three runs in that timeframe.

Hoskins was owned in 70+ percent of leagues for a while, but has dropped down to about 50% now. He’s a decent standard league fantasy backup when he’s performing adequately at the plate, but right now, he should only be rostered/played in deeper leagues.

Milwaukee’s Willy Adames is hitting .191 over the past 15 days. He’s got nine hits in 47 at-bats.

Adames has one double and two homers over that span, along with seven RBI. Adames has walked 10 times, which has also helped him score eight runs. He’s stuck out 10 times.

Even with the lower average, Adames has proven to be a much more patient hitter this season, which helps his overall fantasy value. Even in stretches where he isn't hitting well, he’s still been able to provide positive fantasy contributions. 

His trade value is high, and I advocated for selling him high last week, but also would be fine just riding with Adames after seeing this recent cold stretch at the plate, yet decent fantasy numbers.

Texas’ Corey Seager is hitting .191 over the past 15 days.

He’s got nine hits in 47 at-bats over that span. He’s doubled twice among those hits, while driving in three runs and scoring four times. Seager has one stolen base, two walks and 11 strikeouts.

Seager has been very underwhelming after being a pretty high draft pick this season. There’s still half a season to turn things around, but he’s on pace for pretty pedestrian numbers across the board (for a well-known fantasy player). He’s yet another guy who I would hold out hope on instead of trying to ship him off - the lower return is just not enough for a player picked that early.

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