There’s a month left in the 2024 fantasy baseball season, meaning it’s crunch time. Even though there’s little time to make a run in roto leagues, it’s very much doable. And for head-to-head leagues, it’s playoff season. So, here’s a look at five hitters worth a look in fantasy baseball as we head into Week 21 of the 2024 campaign.
Michael Busch
We’ll start our Week 21 fantasy hitters list with Michael Busch, who’s largely been an effective infielder for the Cubs, albeit one who doesn’t receive major notoriety. Busch is in the midst of yet another solid month, as he entered play on August 25 with a .254 average with three home runs, nine runs scored, and 19 hits during the month.
The 26-year-old hasn’t put up gaudy home run totals (16) despite a loud opening month but it’s quite plausible he’ll hit 20 this season. He’s batted less than .254 in a month just once (May) this season and his presence in the top third of the Cubs’ lineup should mean ample opportunities to score over the final weeks.
Ernie Clement
Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement continued his career season this past week, as he rattled off a three-game home run streak during Toronto’s homestand against the Reds and Angels. His performance over the past month gave him a career-high 10 on the season.
Clement, a former top college prospect at UVA, batted .380 last season in what was an abbreviated stint in the Majors and he’s been productive over a larger sample size (336 PA) this season. He owns a .265 average on the season and rarely whiffs despite a sky-high Chase% (43.1%). Those in need of help with batting average might want to look at Clement.
Jhonkensy Noel
The case for Jhonkensy Noel is a curious one. The Guardians rookie put up loud — and I mean loud — batted-ball metrics in Triple-A this season. From the start of the 2024 MiLB season through June 30, Noel was ninth in Triple-A among recorded batted balls of over 100 MPH. And among the top 10, only James Wood had a higher percentage relative to pitches seen.
Noel joined the Guardians in late June and has been fantastic since, as he came into play on the 25th with 11 home runs and 29 runs scored. And just over the last five days, he recorded three multi-hit performances. Yes, the K% (29.8%) is high. But, it’s hard not to ride the wave right now with Noel.
Keibert Ruiz
Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz hasn’t developed into the dominant catcher some projected him to be a Minor League prospect. Ruiz ended July with a .216 batting average but he raised it up to .228 after a good August. The 26-year-old batted .274 with 13 runs scored and 20 hits over in August and he’s also been hitting home runs. The Nats catcher has eight since the start of July.
Daulton Varsho
We’ll finish our Week 21 fantasy baseball hitters list with another Blue Jay, Daulton Varsho. Varsho is in the midst of a hot stretch in August. as he currently owns a nine-game hitting streak and batted .303 in the month (as of 8/25).
Don’t expect a high batting average from Varsho over the last few weeks. But, he’s not far off from his third straight 20-home run campaign.