Welcome to the 2023 Fantasy Baseball Week 19 Stock Up-Stock Down article!
We are playing August baseball now, and the playoff push is upon us. The league trade deadline has passed, and so have many fantasy league deadlines, but that does not mean there aren't moves to make. We are getting into a fun prospect time of the year, and there are always a few retreads who explode the last month. These guys may not be sexy, but they can certainly help get you over the line as your marquee trade acquisitions inevitably get hurt.
Now, without further ado, let's inward-dive into the 2023 Fantasy Baseball Week 19 Stock Up/Stock Down list!
2023 Fantasy Baseball Week 19 Stock Up-Stock Down
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Stock Up
Mike Tauchman, OF, Chicago Cubs
After taking 2022 off to play in Korea, Mike Tauchman was back on a big league roster in 2023. He has been a welcome surprise for the Cubs this year, posting a .817 OPS in 65 games.
Mike Tauchman, post All-Star break stats:
.363 AVG
1.048 OPS (.425 OBP, .623 SLG)
4 HR
20 RBI
12.6% K%
10.3% BB%— Ryan Herrera (@ryan_a_herrera) August 9, 2023
It looks like Tauchman is the newest cub to catch fire after the All-Star break. The 32-year-old has been on fire since the calendar turned over to August. He has a .407/.469/.741 slash line and a 218 WRC+. Like Frank Schwindel and Patrick Wisdom before him, this success is unlikely to last, but you don't really need it to. Use Tauchman to help float your outfield while waiting on Cedric Mullins or Mike Trout to return, or to finally remove the corpse of Alex Verdugo from your roster.
Davis Schneider, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays
Nobody is having a more fun end of Summer than Davis Schneider. After starting the year as a low-end top-30 prospect in the Blue Jays organization, Schneider has forced the front office's hand with his play. He had a .421 wOBA and 21 home runs in Triple-A and made the big league club take notice.
THIS KID IS INSANE.
Davis Schneider becomes only the SECOND player in MLB HISTORY to record 8 hits and 2 home runs in their first three games. pic.twitter.com/ZGZqPxJLYG
— Covers (@Covers) August 6, 2023
He has not taken his foot off the gas since getting the call. He hit a home run in his first career at-bat last weekend and is 9/17 through the 4 games he's played. He also hit another homer for good measure. I don't know if Schneider will have any long-term merit, but he has a great eye and a hot bat at a position not known for its power. Pick him up and ride the wave.
Emerson Hancock, SP, Seattle Mariners
Let's do a flashback to March. The Mariners have an exciting young arm. He hasn't pitched above Double-A, but he has the stuff to be effective in the bigs immediately, all he needs is a shot.
While we were all busy thinking that guy was Emerson Hancock, the Mariners called up Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo. Two young arms who excelled at Double-A. Now that Woo is on the IL, it is finally Hancock's turn.
My report on #Mariners Emerson Hancock after peeking at his velo and shapes.
I'll say this--dude loves throwing the ball in the zone. ?
He's got more George Kirby in him than Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo. pic.twitter.com/PaBNfC79AH
— Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) August 9, 2023
The 24-year-old has had an up-and-down year in the minors, which is probably why we haven't seen him sooner. He has shown the ability to be lights out, but his 4.32 ERA is ballooned by a couple of 8-run implosions. He has shown more stability since the start of July and could stick in the rotation if he can limit those implosions.
Emerson Hancock since June 6th
10 Starts, 57.2 IP, 2.97 ERA, 3.40 FIP
8.9 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9, .222 BAA pic.twitter.com/4Ew5Jn6Nph— Broken Mariners Fan (@IISwitchII) August 8, 2023
Hancock has the ability to transcend the giant blob of pitchers out there in a small sample. Pick him up and use him as long as the Mariners do.
Stock Down
Willy Adames, SS, Milwaukee Brewers
This is probably overdue, as Willy Adames has been disappointing for most of the season. In 103 games this year, Adames is hitting a lowly .201 with a .662 OPS and 17 home runs. That is a far cry from the 30 home run asset we saw last year.
He has been a little bit snakebit; just when he started to show signs of life, he took a fastball to the face and the backslide began anew. I have been waiting for Adames to positively regress and explode all season, but at this point, I'm comfortable saying it probably isn't going to happen. He has a .152 average over the past few weeks and a 24 WRC+ to go along with that. This may just be a lost year for Adames.
Ezequiel Duran, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Texas Rangers
I still like Ezequiel Duran a lot. I liked him last year with limited appearances and I like him this year when he's been more highly utilized. Unfortunately, he has been on the schneid a bit recently.
Duran has been very pleasantly surprising as a utility fill-in for the Rangers. Over 90 games he has a .277 average, .796 OPS, and a 117 WRC+. That is about as good of a utility player as you can hope for. With Josh Jung going down with a thumb injury right as Corey Seager returns, Duran should maintain his playing time going forward.
Unfortunately, it may not be the production you want. Over the last few weeks, Duran is hitting .135 with a .416 OPS. He has a WRC+ of 13 and is striking out 35% of the time in that span. He seems to be pressing a bit, and he could right the ship, but I wouldn't trust him if I was fighting for the playoffs. Bench him and try to find a juicier orange on the wire.
Thanks for reading the 2023 Fantasy Baseball Week 19 Stock Up-Stock Down. Be sure to check out more Fantasy Baseball content from the F6P team!
