Juan Soto-Padres-OF
Juan Soto was 0-5 against the Diamondbacks. Soto started off the year slow (April-.202 AVG with 5 HR, 19 R, 11 RBI, and 1 SB). He has since turned it around and is now hitting .268 with 24 HR, 67 R, 75 RBI, and 6 SB on the year. He continues to have excellent plate skills (19% BB and 20% K) to go along with elite quality of contact (13% Barrels, 58% Hardhit, and 115.3 mph maxEV). Honestly, the only thing holding him back is also a strength which is his approach at the plate. His 19% walk rate is great for real-life baseball but limits his fantasy upside because it means fewer balls in play. If he were to put more balls in play his quality of contact would likely go down slightly but we would get more power and counting stats. Regardless, he has still been a top-25 hitter this year.
Gerrit Cole-Yankees-SP
Gerrit Cole went 6 IP and gave up 2 ER on 6 H, 2 BB, and 6 K's against the Marlins. Cole is now 10-3 with a 2.76 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He continues to be an elite fantasy starter. Despite the elite numbers he is posting this year, there are some cracks starting to show. His strikeout rate has fallen from 32% last year to 27% this year. He has been able to have success because he has been fortunate on balls in play (.272 BABIP) and men left on base (81% LOB). His 3.73 SIERA is the highest it's been since he left Pittsburgh. Cole is also down 1 mph on his fastball. This is picking nits because he is still the top-earning starter to date but will make for interesting talking points in the offseason when debating if he should be the first pitcher off the board.
Christian Yelich-Brewers-OF
Christian Yelich was 1-3 with 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, and 1 SB against the White Sox. Yelich has bounced back nicely this year following a down period (2021-2022). He is hitting .290 with 16 HR, 82 R, 66 RBI, and 25 SB. Yelich continues to show an elite plate approach (11% BB and 21% K) but the biggest difference this year has been the quality of his contact (9% Barrels and 52% Hardhit). The other important factor is that he has stayed healthy for the most part which has been an issue in recent years. He still hits too many balls on the ground (55% GB) which limits his power but as long as he is hitting the ball hard he should still be able to get to 20 HR. Right now he is on pace for a 20 HR/30 SB season with a plus batting average which puts him as one of the most valuable fantasy players not just outfielders.
Tanner Bibee-Guardians-SP
Tanner Bibee went 7 IP and gave up 2 ER on 7 H, 0 BB, and 5 K's against the Rays. Bibee has a 2.90 ERA and 1.21 WHIP through 108.2 IP. The WHIP doesn't quite meet the ERA, so his advanced ERA estimators (4.26 SIERA) suggest major regression. Bibee has a league-average strikeout (23% K) and walk rate (8% BB). He has been able to survive due to a low home run rate (0.83 HR/9) given his fly ball tendencies (42% FB) and good fortune when men get on base (81% LOB). The good news is that Bibee is just 24 years old with good stuff so there is still room for growth. He has a true four-pitch mix which is a strong foundation for success. He does need to figure out right-handed batters (.322 wOBA and 1.49 HR/9). Bibee should continue to roll in his next matchup against the Tigers.
Mitch Keller-Pirates-SP
Mitch Keller went 6 IP and gave up 1 ER on 5 H, 3 BB, and 7 K's against the Reds. Through 25 GS, Keller has a 4.27 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. He has been dreadful in the second half (9.11 ERA and 1.95 WHIP with 12% K:BB). The struggles have come from a major drop in his strikeout rate (27% to 19%). This was somewhat to be expected because his swinging strike rate (9%) never supported the 27% K he posted in the first half. Keller throws five pitches at least 10% of the time so he has the arsenal and velocity (95.5 mph) to succeed at the major league level. The problem for him is that he doesn't have a good offspeed pitch and primarily relies on the success of his fastballs which is not a long-term solution at the major league level. Keller is a bench in all formats outside of NL-only leagues at this point in the season despite pitching well today.
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