Andrew Vaughn, 1B (CHW)
Vaughn hit his first home run of the season on Wednesday, and it was his third hardest-hit ball of the game. He also posted a 109-mph knock and a 106.2-mph flyout that went 404 feet. Vaughn does all the things that a capable hitter with good average potential does. He makes good contact, sprays the ball around the field and hits it hard, but the biggest question with the former No. 3 overall pick is whether he develops 25+ home run power. It's not going to happen with a 50% ground ball rate and up-the-middle approach. Not that he should change. He's an above-average hitter as it is, but it just feels like the power will come. He is approaching 1,000 career at-bats so if it is coming, we will probably see it soon.
Marcus Semien, 2B (TEX)
Semien continued his torrid pace. Although he did not extend his home run streak to four games, he finished 3-for-5 with two RBI's and a stolen base. Semien is as aggressive as ever at the plate, swinging at a career-high 49% of pitches, and yet he's posting the highest Z-Contact rate of his career at more than 91 percent. So he's incredibly effective on pitches in the zone that he is seeing more outside the zone. Because he's so hot, he's taking hacks at it. Things will be better when Corey Seager returns and Semien doesn't have to hit in front of Travis Jankowski. Not that it's really hurting him right now. It would just be nice to see at least 40% of pitches inside the strike zone.
Brady Singer, SP (KC)
Singer continues to struggle. He allowed five runs on six hits and three walks in five innings on Wednesday. That makes three straight games of allowing five or more runs, and his ERA now stands at an unsightly 8.14. It probably isn't all as bad as it seems. For instance, his xFIP is 3.85, based on a 25% HR/FB rate and 52% LOB percentage. He is suffering bad luck, but there are legitimate concerns. Opposing hitters are massacring his fastball with an average exit velocity over 95 miles per hour, and he isn't missing batts. He only got seven whiffs on 97 pitches Wednesday. The good news is the Royals aren't going to turn away from their former first-round pick, and why would they? They're 4-15 and going nowhere. He will have an opportunity to bust out of this rut, but fantasy owners should look for other options until Singer stabilizes.
Jack Suwinski, OF (PIT)
Making his first start against a lefty this season, Suwinski was 0-for-2 with two walks and a sacrifice fly. Suwinski took advantage of Coors Field in the first two games of the series, hitting three home runs and driving in four. The left-handed free swinger has absolutely crushed righties this year, averaging nearly 96 miles per hour off the bat along with a 16.7% barrel rate and 62.5% hard-hit rate. His 61% flyball rate contributes to a particularly low BABIP, but there's reason and history to believe that will regress. Although he strikes out a good amount, if he can maintain a quality of contact even remotely close to where it is now, Suwinski will post a good enough batting average combined with a lot of home runs. He is worth a pickup in most formats.
Mason Miller, SP (OAK)
Hard-throwing prospect Mason Miller made his Major League debut on Wednesday. He allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five batters in 4.1 innings. Miller hit 100-mph on the radar gun on 15 different pitches, but his lack of effective change-of-pace pitches will cause problems against major league hitters. He threw his 4-seamer 65% of the time, and Cubs hitters were able to adjust enough to only swing and miss six times. He has a good slider that essentially works as an offspeed pitch, but he could really benefit from gaining more confidence in his changeup. He has the tools to become an elite strikeout pitcher, as evidenced by his 39 strikeouts in 20.2 minor league innings. That is for his career, and that's a problem. Health has limited his availability and impacted his development, but an electric performance at the Arizona Fall League and his plus fastball are enough to allow the A's, who are going nowhere, to give their young flamethrower a chance.
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