I hope you enjoyed the Fourth of July weekend. Here are some players of our nation’s pastime to keep an eye on.BuyCarter Jensen, C, KCI was a big Jensen booster before the season started because of his power, decent tool kit and insane 20.8% barrel rate in a short sample last year. He stumbled out of the gate this season, but over the past month Jensen has been out of his mind, with a .313 average and .583 slugging. He didn’t suddenly turn into Yordan Alvarez, but Jensen’s capable of looking like it for stretches. The power is real, and he won’t hurt you in batting average. Plus, he’s a catcher who plays every day (sometimes at DH) and leads off. Jensen is a huge fantasy asset.Alec Burleson, 1B, STLBurleson has added a little more power this year and become much more of a pull hitter — which may have taken him from solid to star. He now pulls half of his batted balls, and it has helped lift his HR/FB rate to around 14%. He’s also hitting the ball a little harder and his barrel rate is up a tick to 10.8%. He’s whiffing and striking out a little more, but the K rate is still only 15%. His xBA suggests an average in the .290s, while projections keep him in the .270s. Maybe he will fade into the previous version, but his bat control is good enough that I think he can keep this going.Joe Ryan, SP, MINThe Twins seem incapable of trading Ryan, but that doesn’t mean your leaguemates can’t. On the surface, Ryan looks slightly worse than usual, but in reality he’s been the same player, if not a shade better. His K% and BB% are still elite, and this year, he’s tamed his homer issue, though now he has a lower strand rate. By Pitching+, he’s having his best season yet. At worst, you’re getting a regular ace and there’s upside for a little more.SellTravis Bazzana, 2B, CLEIgnore the sell tag in dynasty leagues. For redrafts, I’m going largely on what he’s shown us so far, which leaves something to be desired. Bazzana can be a speedy, high-contact guy, but he’s not making enough contact. His 10.5% swinging-strike rate and 20.4% K rate would work fine with a little more power. Long term, he could grow into more power or (more likely) get a better handle on major-league pitching, but for now, I wouldn’t be surprised if the average dipped below .250, taking a few steals with it.
Buy Carter Jensen, sell Travis Bazzana, hold Trea Turner in fantasy baseball
Owen Poindexter discusses Carter Jensen's incredible value at catcher, Travis Bazanna's weaknesses and more trade considerations.






