Fantasy Baseball 2018: Jesse Winker is a must own
By Bill Pivetz
Jesse Winker is heating up at the right time. If you need an outfielder for the second half, he is widely available in fantasy baseball leagues.
The Cincinnati Reds may not be high in the standings but their offense is actually pretty good. We know of the usual suspects in the lineup but there is one player forcing his way into the conversation. If you need to add an outfielder or want depth for your fantasy baseball team, Reds rookie Jesse Winker is someone worth adding.
Winker has played in all but 11 games for the Reds this season. He is hitting well in the process. In his 82 games, Winker is hitting .286/.398/.424 with seven home runs, 39 RBIs, 32 runs and 43:46 K:BB ratio.
The summer months have fared Winker well so far. After a disappointing May, hitting .174 with one home run and three RBIs, he finished June with a .308 average, five home runs and 20 RBIs. July is looking just as good. Heading into the All-Star break, Winker has a .462 average, one homer and seven RBIs.
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Winker has good plate discipline, as you can see by his on-base percentage. He had more walks than strikeouts in May, June and July. He struck out just three more times than walked in April. Winker has a 5.7 swinging strike, 40.3 swinging, 21.5 O-Swing and 85.8 contact rates.
In his last 14 games, Winker has recorded a hit in all but three games. He recorded six multi-hit games and is currently on a seven-game hit streak. He’s been hitting sixth over the last two months, which is when his hot streak (is it a streak if it lasts longer than two months?) began. Winker was hitting leadoff in the first two months.
Winker showed off his skill in the final two months of the 2017 season. He finished with a .298 average, seven home runs, 15 RBIs, 21 runs and a 24:15 K:BB ratio.
Great American Ballpark is a hitter-friendly park and Winker is taking advantage of that. He’s hitting .320 at home this season. The Reds begin the second half with a 10-game homestand.
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Winker is owned in just 17.1 percent of ESPN leagues, but it’s up 6.6 percent over the last week. Use the break to assess your team and figure out what your team’s needs are. Winker could help in a lot of areas in the second half.