Welcome to the 2023 Fantasy Baseball Week 6 Stock Up-Stock Down article!
This series is meant to highlight players who are performing outside of their norm throughout the season. Great or ghastly, the goal is to attune you to players to pursue and alert you to players to drop. May it be on the waiver wire, FAAB, an orange to juice, or a good ole fashioned buy low/sell high trade.
We are starting to really get the season rolling now. Players have had time to go on and off injury lists, come back down to earth after a hot start, and find their groove after a chilly first handful of weeks. There's still more baseball in front of us than behind, but there is finally some actionable data we can use. Championships aren't won in May, but they are lost now. As always, I'll keep it reasonable, but there may be some slight blatant overreactions below.
Now, without further ado, let's hop into the 2023 Fantasy Baseball Week 6 Stock Up/Stock Down list!
2023 Fantasy Baseball Week 6 Stock Up-Stock Down
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Stock Up
Daulton Varsho, C/OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Daulton Varsho had a pretty cool April that saw him hit just .194 over 26 games. He had just six extra-base hits over that time, and just as many RBI. To say he was cold was an understatement, and it was looking like he could be platooned.
Since the Calendar turned to May, Varsho has found his swing again in a big way. In just seven games, he has equaled his amount of extra-base hits, hit one more home run than he did last month, and has nine RBIs. He is hitting a scorching .393 so far this month, bringing his 2023 average up to .238.
Blue Jays Daulton Varsho hits the 68th Home Run in PNC Park history that went into the Allegheny River #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/C7sKo7Jjti
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 7, 2023
His numbers for the year are now in line with his career averages, so the explosion may be almost done. However, if Varsho can just play to the same level he has in previous years from here on, he will be more than useful.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Oh look, the player who was traded to Arizona for Varsho, that's kind of neat.
Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are batting a combined .312/.349/.470 in 218 plate appearances for the D-backs.
— Jesse Friedman (@JesseNFriedman) May 10, 2023
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was a pretty darn useful outfielder for the Blue Jays since earning the full-time job in 2020 but found himself in a crowded outfield situation in Arizona. It seemed as though Gurriel Jr. was going to be a fourth outfielder for the D'Backs, but the demotion of Jake McCarthy has freed up some playing time. By the looks of it, the 29-year-old doesn't appear eager to give the youngster another chance.
Gurriel Jr. hit a respectable .273 in April, but is off to a scorching start in May, hitting .571 with a 2.129 OPS. That has him hitting .310/.368/.522 for the year, good enough for a 140 WRC+. The hot streak obviously won't continue at this pace, but if Gurriel Jr. can stay on the field, then he should be able to turn in an old-school performance for 2023. If you can still get him in your league, do it.
Second homer of the day for Lourdes Gurriel Jr.! pic.twitter.com/abR2G6PH9r
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 7, 2023
Harrison Bader, OF, New York Yankees
Harrison Bader started the 2023 season off on the injury list, but man oh man has he returned in a big way. Since coming up in St. Louis, Bader has historically been known as a glove-first player, usually providing just the bare minimum offensively for a starting outfielder (his career WRC+ is 99).
To kick off his 2023 season, Harrison Bader has been a man possessed. In his first six games back from injury, he is hitting .381 with a 1.379 OPS. He also has five runs and seven RBIs to go with two home runs in that time.
Bader has done what he can in a short timeframe to secure an everyday spot in the Yankees outfield for the foreseeable future. If you own Bader, enjoy it while it lasts, but do not trust it. While there may be a legitimate change in his offensive output in the Bronx, it will not be to a fraction of this degree. If you have a Yankee fan in your league, try and sell high on Harrison Bader.
HARRISON BADER WHAT!!! 2 HRs and 7 RBIs in his last 3 games 🔥🔥
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) May 7, 2023
Stock Down
Brandon Pfaadt, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Our first negative flip-flop of the year! How exciting.
If you tuned in last week, then you know I love Brandon Pfaadt and was very much looking forward to what he brought to the MLB. Keep your guys named Miller, I don't want them. Pfaadt is going to lead me to the promised land... right?
Oh how wrong I have been. Through two starts this year, Pfaadt is rocking a 12.10 ERA. 12.10! It would be one thing if he was just having bad luck, but his 15.65 xERA backs it up and then some. Hitters have a .409 average against Pfaadt and are hitting a home run on 20% of their fly balls. When you consider that 47% of Pfaadt's contact allowed is a fly ball, that adds up to a whole lot of bad.
Jorge Soler off Brandon Pfaadt:
112.5 mph, 468 ft HR
110.7 mph, 433 ft HR
I think he's seeing the ball well. pic.twitter.com/1XkUyXctsv— Theo DeRosa (@Theo_DeRosa) May 10, 2023
Sure, he probably won't be terrible forever, but those numbers, combined with my amateur body language literacy, spell someone who is very clearly in over their head right now. I've watched all of Pfaadt's MLB pitches and the guy honestly just looks petrified. That could just be his face, but it doesn't promote confidence. If you can sell to the resident prospect guru, go right ahead. If you have to hold, at least bench him until he shows signs of life.
Jack Suwinski, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Last week we praised Jack Suwinski, this week, we mourn him. Thems the breaks sometimes.
Since his hot April, Suwinski has cooled off significantly. He is hitting just .100 since the calendar turned and is striking out 41% of the time.
This is just who Jack Suwinksi is: an incredible athlete with a lot of holes in his swing. That type of player is going to run extremely hot and cold, just like this.
#Pirates Jack Suwinski is just 1-22 with a 48% K% over the last 7games.
A reminder that this is what he has proven to be. Runs hot and cold and can have huge swings in production in any given week. pic.twitter.com/OniLPu2PgH
— Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) May 8, 2023
I don't think anyone is going to jump on him if you drop him, just keep an eye out for his next run of success and try to re-juice the orange when the time is right.
Thanks for reading the 2023 Fantasy Baseball Week 6 Stock Up-Stock Down. Be sure to check out more Fantasy Baseball content from the F6P team!
