Fantasy Baseball Hitters Trending Upward Over Past Seven Days: Gio Urshela, Brandon Nimmo, Ben Rice, Eugenio Suarez, Max Schuemann and More

Last week, I started a new series in which I look back on hitting stats over the past seven days to identify some of the top hitters in the MLB.

It’s a way to not only identify some potential waiver wire options, but determine which players of yours might have a little more trade value at this point in time.

Here’s the first story. Let’s now discuss the top hitters from the past week.

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Hitters Trending Up

Chicago Cubs’ Michael Busch and Detroit Tigers’ Gio Urshela lead the MLB with 10 hits each over the past seven days.

Busch has three doubles and two home runs among his 10 hits in the past week. He also has six RBIs, seven runs scored, one walk and four strikeouts over that span.

Busch appeared in the latest waiver wire story I did. In that article, I mentioned that Busch was a hot waiver wire name early in the season, and that he was a pretty solid option in standard leagues for several weeks.

He’s back in that exact same spot now and can be added and played in pretty much any league type. Busch is available in about 50% of leagues, so act now if you want to grab him.

Urshela has one double, triple and homer among his 10 hits in the past week. He’s also got six RBIs, four runs scored, one walk and three strikeouts over that span.

Owned in only 4% of leagues, Urshela is likely available in your league if you are looking for a hot hitter for a short-term run. I’d only consider Urshela in a deeper league, but also think he’s hitting well enough right now to start in those leagues. The hot stretch won’t last too long most likely, so act now.

New York Mets’ Brandon Nimmo and Cincinnati Reds’ Tyler Stephenson have nine hits each over the past week.

Nimmo is a slept on fantasy player in my mind. He’s on pace for 28 homers and over 100 runs and RBIs. That’s fantastic fantasy production, and he’s rarely mentioned among the elite fantasy hitters in the game.

In the past week, Nimmo has three home runs, two doubles, 10 RBIs, five runs scored, one walk and stolen base and seven strikeouts. The recent surge has his player rating up to 20.03 on FantasySP, which has him currently in 24th overall on the Trade Value Chart. 

I actually see room for improvement in his average based on numbers from previous seasons, so while he might not actually get to 100 RBIs or runs scored, I think his trade value should remain pretty high the rest of the season. If you drafted Nimmo, I’d simply enjoy his big season.

If your other fantasy outfielders are also performing well, Nimmo is a great trade option right now. You could land an elite infielder or pitcher, or get a couple nice depth pieces probably. If you choose to trade Nimmo now, just make sure you are getting a good haul back, because he’s a way better fantasy asset than a lot of people probably realize.

Stephenson is another player I covered in the waiver wire story. He has four doubles and homers over the past week. Stephenson also has 10 RBIs, six runs scored, no walks and three strikeouts over that span.

In the waiver wire story, I mentioned Stephenson had moved into the top 10 fantasy catchers in points leagues this season. That means he should be a waiver wire option in all league types, not just deeper formats. He’s owned in just 18% of leagues, so there’s a pretty good chance he’s available if you need help at catcher. Take advantage of things now before his numbers taper off.

Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh and New York Yankees’ Ben Rice join Stephenson with four homers over the past week.

Raleigh also had a double among his eight hits in the past week. He’s got eight RBIs, seven runs scored, two walks, a stolen base and five strikeouts also.

Raleigh is owned in 87% of fantasy leagues, and really should be closer to 100% now after his hot streak at the plate. He’s startable in any format. This power stretch won’t last too much longer most likely, so get him in your lineup tonight.

Rice got hot on July 4 and hasn’t slowed much since. He has just one other hit (a single) in the past seven days, but has drove in 11 runs, scored four times, walked once and struck out nine times.

He’s owned in 71% of leagues now and is a decent option in all league types. He should be rostered in most deeper leagues and dynasties already, and is at least worth stashing in standard leagues to see if he can keep things rolling moving forward. Rice might not stay this hot, but he’ll have the chance to play everyday until Anthony Rizzo is back, and that’s not expected until at least August.

Arizona Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suarez has 10 RBIs over the past seven days. He also has two doubles and three homers among his seven total knocks, and five runs scored. Suarez has three walks and four strikeouts over that span.

Suarez is most known for his power in the fantasy baseball world. He looks to be heating up for Arizona, and despite a .207 average on the season, Suarez has now delivered enough over the past week to consider adding.

Suarez is more of a streaming option in standard leagues - I’d look for a long-term option instead of adding him. He’s owned in 20% of leagues overall and it might not take long for him to be owned in most deeper leagues. The way he’s hitting right now, he can be added and immediately plugged into starting lineups. The hot streak likely won’t be long, so take advantage of Suarez while you can.

I’m going to discuss Oakland Athletics’ Brent Rooker again after mentioning him in another story yesterday. I think he’s highly underappreciated as a fantasy player.

In the past week (five games), Rooker has seven hits (including two doubles and one homer) and four walks for a .545 on-base percentage. He also has five RBIs, nine runs scored and a stolen base over that span.

Rooker is owned in 77% of all fantasy leagues, yet he checks in 29th on the FantasySP Trade Value Chart. If not for missing games earlier in the season, he’d likely be among the fantasy leaders this season. 

I get that Rooker strikes out a bunch, but he more than makes up for that with his other numbers. I bet if you add him to your fantasy team, you’ll find him in your starting lineup nearly everyday and a player you can count on for the most of the rest of the regular season.

Oakland’s Max Schuemann is the last player I want to talk about in this week’s story. He has seven hits and three walks over the past week for a .500 OBP.

He has a homer among his hits, along with three RBIs, four runs scored, two stolen bases and five strikeouts. His season numbers aren’t fantastic, but he’s playing often and getting on base at a great clip right now.

Schuemann is only a deep league option, as his 12% own mark suggests. He can play all over the field, which might add a little fantasy value to his name. If you are in need of some short-term fantasy help in a deeper league, Schuemann is a sneaky good option right now, especially in leagues where OBP is rewarded.