Brandon Crawford, SS, SF
Crawford remained scorching hot on Thursday, going 3-6 with a HR and 6 RBI in a blowout win over the Reds. Since the start of May, Crawford has reached a new level, hitting .348 (16-46) with 7 HR's and 19 RBI in just 14 games. His career high in HR's is 21, but he's already more than halfway there with 11 and it's not even the end of May. His 41.2% FB% is well above his career average of 33.7%, but he also a ridiculous 28.6% HR/FB, which dwarves his previous career best of 17.8% set last season. His EV and HardHit% are both at their highest since 2015, and perhaps more significantly, his Pull% on FB's has been at 40% both this season and last - that number hadn't topped 27% in any of his first 9 seasons. The power breakout seems to be at least somewhat legit, although to be fair, it kind of started last season when Crawford hit 8 dingers in 54 games. He won't keep up this pace over the entire season, but we could be looking at a career year for the 34-year old, and he needs to be owned at least until he cools off.
William Contreras, C, ATL
Contreras went 1-4 with a HR and 3 RBI on Thursday, and now has 4 HR's and 13 RBI through his first 15 games this season. The lesser known Contreras will strike out plenty, but he has a superb 53.6% HardHit% and 93.4 EV which should ensure that he continues to produce when he does make contact. As a catcher with a .938 OPS for the season, it's incredible that he's owned in under 20% of ESPN leagues.
Adam Frazier, 2B, PIT
Frazier just keeps hitting, as he went 4-5 with a double, a run, and an RBI on Thursday to raise his BA to .339 for the season. Frazier is now 15-27 (.556) over his last 6 games, and has not struck out in 29 PA's during that stretch. Contact is Frazier's calling card as he has a tiny 9.9% K% for the season. He doesn't hit the ball particularly hard, but he does have an elevated 32.0% LD% which has helped boost his BABIP to .375. The line drive rate will likely come down, but Frazier should continue to be a good source of BA and runs scored hitting atop the Pirates lineup.
Kyle Schwarber, OF, CHC
Schwarber hit his 7th HR of the season against the Cubs on Thursday, as he continues to break out of his early season slump. After hitting .190 with 2 HR's, 7 RBI, and a 30.1% K% through his first 22 games this season, Schwarber is now hitting .268 with 5 HR's, 11 RBI, and a 24% K% over his last 11 games. He has an excellent 50.0% HardHit% (entering Thursday) and should continue being a good source of power throughout the season.
Eugenio Suarez, 3B, SS, CIN
Suarez went 1-3 with a HR, 2 runs, and 2 RBI in a loss to the Giants on Thursday. He has struggled to the tune of a .157 BA this season, but at least his power stroke has started showing up, as he has now gone deep 6 times in his last 18 games. His 32.6% K% is the primary culprit for his woes, however his .170 BABIP is also to blame. Suarez has an elevated 49.0% FB%, which is good for his power prospects, but not very good for his BABIP. His 12.0% LD% is the 4th lowest in MLB and continues a downward trend from last year when he posted an 18.2% LD%, after 6 straight seasons with a LD% over 20%. His HardHit% has also dropped to 31.0% after 3 years of being north of 40%. It's not too late for him to turn things around, but for now, Suarez should only relied on for long balls and not much more.
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