As we blitz through the 2023 MLB season, we have somehow arrived at Week 7 in our fantasy baseball leagues. How could this have happened!? We're still working through the kinks of the new rule changes and adjusting to the new normals, and here we are with six weeks in the rear-view mirror. Well, for many, it's time to start putting together some much-needed wins, so today we will talk about some strong hitting options who might be able to provide you with a much-needed offensive boost.
Now a month to a month-and-a-half through the season, we can say with relative confidence which hitters simply got off to slow starts and which ones have legitimately been struggling. Between batted-ball data, split stats, and the eye test, it's pretty easy at this point to know how to assess a player's raw skills and evaluate his floor and ceiling.
MORE MLB: DFS values | Breaking down the Cardinals' slow start
Our Week 7 offensive cheat sheet will pinpoint the players under 65 percent owned who should be rostered in all formats, the streamers and deeper-league guys under 50 percent owned worth targeting, and the prospects to keep in your queue on the off-chance they get called up soon.
Good luck and enjoy the warmer weather as we steamroll toward summer!
All rostership data is from Yahoo and based on 5x5 or 6x6 category leagues.
Fantasy Baseball Week 7 Cheat Sheet: Must-roster hitters
The following hitters are available in at least 35 percent of Yahoo leagues and should be added in all formats.
Lars Nootbar, OF, Cardinals (65 percent rostered) — Nootbar edured a slow start to the season, got hurt, and then came back stronger. He's seeing the ball out of pitchers' hands much better, and making good barrel contact on a semi-regular basis. He has also shown good instincts in the field and on the base-paths, so we think Nootbar is here to stay for a while as long as he can stay healthy (especially now that fellow Cards outfielder Tyler O'Neill just hit the IL with a lower back strain). Nootbar's absolutely worth a roster spot in every league size and format.
Javier Baez, SS, Tigers (59%) — Not long ago, Baez was a bonafide MVP candidate for the Cubs. Now he's an aging veteran in Motown, but he still has plenty of pop left in his bat and spring left in his step. Baez has three homers, four RBIs, and five runs over Detroit's past five games.
Mitch Haniger, OF, Giants (57%) — Haniger has started to pick it up a little bit for San Francisco, and we wouldn't be surprised if he finishes the season with 30-plus home runs if he can stay healthy (that's a big 'if,' we know). He had 11 dongs in just 57 games last season, and a whopping 39 in 157 games back in '21. If you need power, Haniger is a strong speculative add.
Harold Ramirez, 1B/OF, Rays (55%) — 'Barreled' Ramirez is more of a power streamer vs. righties — especially now that Jose Siri has returned from his recent injury and clogged up the Rays' OF depth chart — but I can't imagine leaving him on the wire of any five-outfield or 12-team leagues. He has already collected six homers and 15 RBIs on the season and sports a .333 average.
Esteury Ruiz, OF, Athletics (65%) — I'm only including Ruiz because if you need speed and runs, he's your guy. He has 16 steals on the season and has five steals and five runs over the past five days.
Fantasy Baseball Week 7 Cheat Sheet: Best waiver options & streams
The following hitters are available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and should be considered strong adds in all formats.
Riley Greene, OF, Tigers (50 percent rostered) — Greene has picked things back up after a bit of a slow start, most recently collecting one homer, five RBIs, five runs, and a steal. Some tough times will always come in Detroit, but Greene seems to make the most of his situation and just rake-and-shake whenever he gets the opportunity. He's too young and talented to leave on your league's wire.
Matt Mervis, 1B, Cubs (47%) — Mervis recently got the call for the Cubs, and the young power hitter should be gobbled up wherever available. He has hit safely in all three of his starts so far, adding two RBIs and a run. At last — something for Cubbies Nation to get excited about!
Joey Meneses, 1B/OF, Nationals (50%) — Meneses just continues to rake, even though it appears nobody seems to be paying attention. He notched 17 hits over a nine-game stretch to close out April, mixing in a homer, six RBIs, and three runs during that span. May has not slowed him down — he has seven hits over the past five games, including a homer, four RBIs, and five runs. Meneses is up to .277 on the season, and he's well worth an add.
Ezequiel Duran, 2B/3B/SS, Rangers (49%) — Duran has been mashing, tallying 14 hits over the Rangers' past nine games. Three of those hits were home runs, and he's added 10 RBIs and seven runs during that torrid stretch. His multi-positional eligibility is just icing on an already-sweet Duran cake.
Josh Bell, 1B, Guardians (49%) — Bell has lumbered through the majority of the season to date, but he has come alive a bit over the past week. During that span, he's hitting 6-of-18 with an .811 OPS and three RBIs. If you're hurting at first base, as so many fantasy managers are this season, you might want to ring that bell.
Fantasy Baseball Week 7 Cheat Sheet: Top prospects to watch
Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 1B, Reds (12 percent rostered) — Encarnacion-Strand has been hitting the cover off the ball for the Reds' triple-A affiliate in Louisville ever since he returned from a three-week absence due to a herniated disc. He went 4-for-his-first-13 with a walk, double, and home run, but then went nuclear. In 13 total starts, CES has seven homers, eight multi-hit games, and 14 RBIs and just 13 strikeouts.
Buddy Kennedy, 2B, Diamondbacks (0 percent rostered) — Kennedy leads all of triple-A with a staggering 1.503 OPS, so he's well worth a stash if you have an NA spot. He has clubbed three homers, he sports a .409 batting average, and he has yet to record a single strikeout. Keep him on your radar — pop like this doesn't grow on trees.
