Spencer Strider, SP (ATL)
Strider delivered one of the best pitching performances of the season on Monday, actually taking a no-hitter into the 8th inning before Jean Segura broke it up with a single. He finished with eight scoreless innings and only two hits allowed. He broke a streak of striking out exactly nine batters in each of his four starts this season by getting 13 K's on Monday. Strider got 31 swinging strikes on 101 pitches and finished the game with a 47% CSW rate. The zero walks was another encouraging result from Monday's gem as the Marlins simply had no answer. He is among the best in the game and needs to be started every week regardless of opponent.
Javier Baez, SS (DET)
Baez reached base three times in Detroit's win at Milwaukee on Monday. The struggling shortstop has shown a little life lately as Monday's two-hit effort extended his hitting streak to nine games. However, he doesn't have an extra-base hit in his last six games and still astonishingly hasn't hit a single barrel this season. Baez hit two balls over 100 miles per hour, including one at a season-high 109.7, but one was a double-play ground ball and the other was a low line-drive single. As is typical with the free-swinging Baez, he is taking big whiffs and either missing the ball completely, connecting at a soft spot of the bat or hitting it hard at a low angle. He can swing hard but he just has such a poor eye that he rarely finds the sweet spot to drive the ball. That explains his abysmal .222/.278/.264 slash line.
Kris Bryant, OF (COL)
Bryant returned to the Rockies lineup after missing Sunday's game with back and hip soreness. He had a pair of hits and a walk, improving his batting average to .298 and his on-base percentage to .372. Both of Bryant's hits on Monday were struck at more than 95 miles per hour, but the veteran slugger has displayed very little power in general, despite three home runs and the favorable slash line. In fact, he came into the day with a miniscule 27% hard-hit rate and a less than 85-mph average exit velocity. Health continues to interfere with Bryant's career, but even when available he is no longer the power-hitting MVP that thrived with the Cubs early in his career.
Sean Murphy, C (ATL)
Murphy continued to produce for the Braves, finishing Monday's game with three hits in five at-bats, including his sixth home run. He has a .385 ISO and .427 OBP as one of the dominant presences in the middle of Atlanta's potent lineup. Murphy is selling out a bit for power, with career high pull and flyball rates, and it is working as his excellent quality of contact is contributing to a 26.3% HR/FB rate. His plate discipline, meanwhile, is very good so his batting average is solid. At some point pitchers will try to take advantage of his pull-heavy approach, but Murphy has shown an ability to spray the ball in the past so he can make that adjustment. Still only 28 years old, the Braves have another bargain on their roster and he should continue to elevate into the top echelon of fantasy catchers.
Josh Jung, 3B (TEX)
Jung took Nick Lodolo deep twice on Monday for his fourth and fifth home runs. He is hitting .282 with a .494 slugging percentage. The Rookie of the Year candidate is striking out a lot but making solid contact when connecting. He has such a smooth swing with above-average power and his plate discipline appears to be improving. It was nice to see him hit one of the home runs off a curveball as breaking pitches have been his one Achilles heel. Further development with his K/BB rate will aid his ascent, but for now he is vastly outperforming his preseason draft value.
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