We are down to the final two months of the MLB schedule and pennant chases are the top priority. The dust of the MLB trade deadline has settled and owners no longer have to factor in how a change of scenery might impact players on the trade block. The deadline for trades varies from league to league and with Fantasy baseball waiver wire opportunities becoming slimmer, improving your roster can be dependent on identifying undervalued players on the verge of a breakout. Those players will shoot up 2019 Fantasy baseball rankings for the rest of the season and give you a leg up on the competition. Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado, Rangers utility man Danny Santana and Reds outfielder Josh VanMeter have all caught fire and could be worth targeting late this year. But before you make any trades, be sure to consult SportsLine data scientist Ariel Cohen's Fantasy baseball rankings 2019 and trade chart. He'll help make sure you're getting the best possible value in any trade scenario.
Cohen is the creator of the ATC (Average Total Cost) Projection System. He was a finalist for two FSWA Awards in 2018 -- Baseball Article of the Year and Baseball Writer of the Year. Cohen and his Fantasy partner, Reuven Guy, have used the ATC system projections to finish in the money in NFBC, RTSports, Tout Wars and other national leagues, racking up plenty of division titles.
This trade evaluator tool is extremely user-friendly. You simply download an Excel file and input the players you are giving away and receiving. The tool will then give you a value. "C" is an even deal; anything above is a win for you, and anything below is a loss. You can only access this must-have tool at SportsLine.
In this week's 2019 Fantasy baseball rankings and trade chart, we can tell you that Cohen's MLB projections are fading Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi. The 24-year-old showed power, speed and above-average contact ability in his rookie season last year, hitting 14 home runs and stealing 32 bases in 75 games. He also slashed .276/.306/.498.
However, this season, Mondesi has seen his hard-hit contact rate drop from 43.1 percent to 38.0, while his groundball rate has risen from 41.3 percent to 47.9. That's largely a function of Mondesi seeing fewer fastballs and more changeups, which is skewing his spray chart even more to the pull side. Mondesi hasn't made the adjustment yet, which is why he's down to No. 64 in SportsLine's rotisserie Fantasy baseball rankings from No. 22 just three weeks ago.
Another player on the move this week: Orioles OF/1B Trey Mancini. The 27-year-old has hit 24 home runs in each of the last two seasons and now he's sitting on that number entering August.
Mancini's .315 BABIP is perfectly in line with his .317 career average and his consistently improving walk and contact rates show he's developing a more refined plate approach every season. He's also improved his swing path to take advantage of his natural power, as he's hitting flyballs and line drives 56.5 percent of the time after doing so at a 45.4 percent clip a season ago.
Mancini has hit seven home runs and has five multi-hit games since the All-Star break. That's why he is up to No. 43 in the rotisserie Fantasy baseball rankings after being No. 99 just three weeks ago.
The evaluator is also fading a slugger who has dropped outside the top 15 to inside the top five just three weeks ago. Additionally, it has updated the value of players dealing with injuries like Scherzer (back) and Eloy Jimenez (contusion). Getting the right value for players like these could be the difference between winning a title or going home with nothing.
What are the Fantasy baseball trade values for every player in head-to-head and rotisserie leagues? And which slugger has fallen precipitously after being ranked in the top five three weeks ago? Visit SportsLine now to see the Fantasy baseball trade evaluator and chart, all based off the projections of one of the top Fantasy baseball analysts in the nation.
