Fantasy Baseball Risers: Hitters and Pitchers Trending Up

Fantasy baseball assets gain and lose value all season, so it's beneficial to be tracking hot/cold streaks, and that's what we are going to look into in this article.

Let's look at hitters and pitchers trending up of late, so players who are posting good numbers. I used FanGraphs to check out stats from the past two weeks. Check back later for a look at players trending down.

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Hitters Trending Up

Elly De La Cruz - Cincinnati Reds

De La Cruz is a big-time fantasy name, and he leads the league with 21 hits over the past two weeks (May 4-18).

He has six doubles and a homer among the knocks, plus six RBIs, eight runs scored, three walks, a stolen base and 15 strikeouts.

De La Cruz is clearly a trade candidate only - you couldn't pick him up off the waiver wire in any leagues. He's a sell-high candidate now with how he's performed of late, but he's also a high-level fantasy hitter, so most are going to keep rostering him and enjoying his fantasy success.

If your fantasy team is struggling elsewhere and you need more talent, then flipping De La Cruz for a couple startable options might be your best path to success down the road, so don't make him untouchable.

Kyle Schwarber - Philadelphia Phillies

Schwarber is tied for the league lead with 16 RBIs over the past two weeks. He's another big-name player, so he is only a trade asset as well.

He has 14 hits over the past two weeks, including nine home runs and two doubles. Schwarber has 11 runs scored, six walks, a stolen base and 22 strikeouts.

Schwarber has been great most of this season, and has been a good fantasy asset for a good part of his MLB career. He's another one to keep rostering/utilizing if your fantasy team is doing well, but consider moving him for multiple assets if your fantasy team is struggling otherwise.

Miguel Vargas - Chicago White Sox

Vargas is tied for the league lead in runs scored (12) over the past two weeks.

He also has 14 hits, 12 RBIs, six walks, a stolen base and eight strikeouts in that span. Vargas has five homers and three doubles among his hits.

Vargas is up to about 95% owned in fantasy leagues, so a few of you could still add him for free. He's a trade candidate mostly though.

It's a time to sell high on Vargas if you do not believe in him in the long run. He'd be a better trade asset in deeper leagues, but he's worth putting on the trade block in standard leagues too, as some fantasy owners are desperate enough to go after Vargas.

JJ Bleday - Cincinnati Reds

Bleday has 16 RBIs as well over the past couple weeks.

He has 15 hits, including four doubles and home runs, plus a triple. Bleday has eight runs scored, nine walks, a stolen base and 10 strikeouts in that span as well.

Bleday is owned in about 72% of leagues at the moment. So he is a waiver wire option to a good amount of standard league owners still, and only is a decent trade asset in deeper leagues.

He's bound to cool off soon, so he's a good sell-high option, but again, that's really only for deeper leagues. Bleday is someone to utilize in the short term until his bat cools off, but he's not likely to be a season-long asset in all fantasy leagues.

Josh Naylor - Seattle Mariners

Naylor has a league-high eight stolen bases over the past two weeks.

He had 20 hits in that span, including three doubles and a home run. Naylor had seven runs scored, five RBIs, six walks and six strikeouts.

Naylor started the year poorly, but has turned things on of late. It's a good time to sell high on Naylor, especially if you rode with him through his early-season struggles.

He should perform somewhere in the middle of his horrible start and red-hot stretch of late. Capitalize on his higher value now before he trends back down.

Pitchers Trending Up

Cristopher Sanchez - Philadelphia Phillies

Sanchez has made three starts in the past two weeks, and gone 3-0 with no earned runs allowed in those outings.

He's allowed 15 hits and one walk over 24 innings, while striking out 30 batters along the way. Sanchez had a complete game shutout in that stretch.

Sanchez was a high-end fantasy starting pitcher coming into the season, and he's flashing that upside now. Sure, he could be sold high now, but he's more a pitcher to keep rostering and utilizing all season, as while he'll regress, there's not many pitchers better than him overall.

Jacob Misiorowski - Milwaukee Brewers

Misiorowski has made two starts over the past two weeks, and has another one scheduled for later today. He's 1-0 and hasn't allowed an earned run over 13 innings in his past two starts.

The Miz has given up just six hits and two walks in his past two starts. He's struck out 21 batters, showing his high fantasy potential.

Misiorowski has taken a step forward after showing glimpses of greatness in 2025. I believe in him in the long run, so I'd keep holding him if I already rostered him. If you are looking to trade for him, expect to pay up, as there's not many fantasy starters with higher values right now.

J.T. Ginn - Athletics

Ginn has logged 22 innings over his past three starts, and he's gone 2-1 with a 1.23 earned run average in that stretch.

He's allowed just four runs (three earned) on 15 hits and three walks in those three outings. Ginn has struck out 21 batters along the way.

On the pitcher leaderboard over the past two weeks, Ginn sticks out like a sore thumb while having elite pitchers all around him. He's been a good streaming asset as a result, and could maybe be sold high in some deeper leagues.

At 49% rostered though, he's more an asset to add on the waiver wire than one to chase through a trade. Get him rostered and roll with him until his production drops off.

Davis Martin - Chicago White Sox

Martin is nearly owned in all leagues now after a stellar start to his season.

He's been good of late as well, striking out 26 batters over his past three starts. Martin is 2-0 with a 0.95 ERA over 19 innings in those outings. He's allowed two runs on 13 hits and two walks.

Martin is a sell-high trade candidate right now after his stellar start to the season, and his good pitching of late. He's bound to regress at some point, so capitalize while you can. He'll net you more in deeper leagues, but is definitely a trade option in standard leagues now too.

Bryan Woo - Seattle Mariners

Woo has a 3-0 record and 1.00 ERA over his past three starts in the past two weeks.

He's allowed two runs over 18 innings, and has 26 strikeouts along the way. Woo has given up eight hits and six walks.

Woo is putting up those great stats after a couple rough starts in a row, which make his season-long numbers look weaker. He's definitely a sell-high candidate right now, but he's also capable of being a high-level fantasy asset, so I'm torn on whether to trade him away now or not.

It really comes down to your view of Woo. If you have enough pitching to get by without him, then maybe dealing him away for a player at a position of need is a smart idea. If your pitching staff is weak, then I'd probably just hold on to Woo and hope he keeps pitching well this season.