Tampa Bay Rays Brandon Guyer Continues to Hit

By Bill Pivetz | May 27, 2016

May 4, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Brandon Guyer (5) hits a home run during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Rays outfielder Brandon Guyer continues his hot streak. If you are in need of some outfield help, Guyer is available in most leagues.

The Tampa Bay Rays are one of the franchises that can make lemonade out of lemons (with the help of some other ingredients). It was announced on Monday that outfielder Kevin Kiermaier will be out at least eight weeks with a fractured hand. Luckily, the breakout of Brandon Guyer has been enough to fill in for the Rays.

Guyer quietly had a pretty good season last year. In 128 games, he hit eight home runs, 28 RBI and a .265 average with 10 steals. He also had a 61:25 K:BB ratio. Guyer was a fixture throughout the outfield all season.

This season started out a little rough. His playing time was sporadic, only nine starts in April. May, however, was a different story. He was getting more playing time and, as a result, became a better hitter.

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In 19 games this month, he has five home runs, 11 RBI and a .312 average. For the season, he has six HR/14 RBI/.315. His most recent homer came off of Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, the fourth home run allowed by Fernandez.

Over his last 10 games, he has four home runs, including a two-home run game on May 15. While he isn’t stealing much, only one steal on the season, the power numbers are what owners like to see.

He is hitting atop the Rays lineup, giving him plenty of opportunities to get on base and score runs. His .412 OBP and 20 runs scored are first and second among Rays hitters, respectively.

Brandon Guyer is 30 years old, so the length of success may not be long, but it’s happening now and that’s all that matters. He isn’t walking as much compared to last year, 4.6 walk rate, and has a 17.6 strikeout rate, but he is making great contact with the ball and limits the mistakes at the plate. His 8.7 swinging strike rate is over two percent lower than last season.

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Brandon Guyer is owned in 11.0 percent of ESPN leagues, a jump of 6.5 percent over the last week. With the amount of outfielders available, he may not be the first name atop the list for fantasy owners. I actually dropped Kevin Pillar in favor for Guyer, and I play in a standard 10-team league.

If you play in a deeper league or have a disposable member of your roster, then go ahead and make the move. Give into the hot streak and enjoy the success.

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