Pete Alonso, 1B, NYM
Alonso hit a Grand Slam on Friday for his only hit in five trips on the night. He now leads the league with 17 dingers while his 41 RBI rank second behind Adolis Garcia's 48. The Polar Bear is the quintessential modern day hitter. He will strikeout (21.8% K%), but he is patient enough to take walks (11.7% BB%), and he is looking to do damage when he swings. Alonso has been more patient and selective at the plate this season and it has him on a torrid power pace. With a career-low 29.8% O-Swing% and 9.8% SwStr%, the big First Baseman is on pace to hit around 60 homers this season. He is slashing .233/.330/.547 with a .373 wOBA and 141 wRC+ in 197 plate appearences thus far.
Michael Kopech, SP, CHW
Kopech took a perfect game into the 6th inning of Friday night's contest against the Royals. His bid at perfection was haulted when Michael Massey hit a broken bat single into right field with one-out in the inning. Kopech quickly erased his one "mistake" by inducing an inning ending double-play two pitches later. He finished the game with ten strikeouts, no walks, and the lone hit across 8.0 innings. Kopech continues to be a much better pitcher at home than on the road. He now owns a 3.48 ERA and .290 wOBA at home in his career, while those numbers on the road sit at 4.42 and .337, respectively. The 27-year-old has had a rough start to the season, so a home start against the abysmal Royals offense (28th in wOBA) was just what the doctor ordered.
James Paxton, SP, BOS
Paxton earned his first victory since 2020 on Friday night, hurling 6.0 innings of one-run ball in San Diego. He surrendered five hits, walked a pair, and struck out five in the outing. The southpaw has worked his way back from Tommy John surgery and various other ailments that essentially kept him sidelined since the COVID shortened 2020 campaign. Friday's outing marked his second start in 2023, and third since 2020. Hopefully, this is the start of a feel-good comeback campaign for Paxton. His velocity was fantastic on Friday, averaging 96.1 MPH (high of 98.0), which is a very positive sign from a player with such a long layoff and injury history. He hasn't had a real season since 2019, so it's hard to predict what's to come from Paxton, but he was a solid starter for a handful of seasons before the injuries, and he owns a 2.45/3.32 ERA/xFIP with an impressive 11.45 K/9 so far this season. So there is reason to be optimistic and he is most likely available in your league (12.5% owned in ESPN leagues).
Brandon Bielak, SP, HOU
Bielak continues to provide scarey, yet effective outings for the Astros, as he gave up one run on five hits and three walks across 5.0 innings on Friday night. The basepaths were littered with As in the early innings on Friday, but nine strikeouts helped Bielak avoid much damage in the outing. His hefty 1.77 WHIP has put the 27-year-old in some precarious situations this season, but he has yet to surrender more than two earned runs in any of his four starts. So don't be fooled by Bielak's tidy 2.89 ERA as his 90.3% LOB% is sure to dip and give him an ERA closer to his current xFIP which is 4.26.
Shane McClanahan, SP, TBR
McClanahan hurled seven innings of shutout ball but was unable to improve upon his Major League-leading seven wins as the Rays failed to score until the bottom of the 8th. The Southpaw faced off with the Brewers who have been terrible against lefties this season (29th in wOBA vs LHP), and the result was as expected. He gave up six hits, walked one, and struck out seven in the outing. The seven scoreless frames dropped McClanahan's ERA to 2.05 to go along with a hefty 10.74 K/9 this season.
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