Agustin Ramirez (C-MIA) went 1-4 with a solo blast as he batted 2nd against the Cubs on Monday. The 23 year-old has quickly established himself as a key piece of the Marlins lineup as he's hit .267 with 6 homers, 12 RB, and 11 RBI in 95 PA since getting the call to the majors. Ramirez has controlled the plate pretty well - especially for a rookie - with a 20% strikeout rate against a 9.5% walk rate while posting a 78.5% overall contact rate and 86.5% in-zone contact rate. Even more impressive is his Statcast profile, which features a 52.5% hard-hit rate, 12.5% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 92 mph. Can he hit .250 with 25+ bombs over a full season? Seems quite possible.
Austin Hays (OF-CIN) went 3-5 with a 2B, 2 RBI, and a run scored against the Pirates on Monday. The 29 year-old may have never quite lived up to expectations in Baltimore, but he's enjoying a productive season in Cincinnati as he's now batting .330 with 6 homers, 19 RBI, 17 runs scored, and 2 steals over his first 96 PA of the season. That's a small sample size and there's a lot of ball left to be played, so expect that average to dip as his unsustainable .397 BABIP declines. A 26% strikeout rate is also the highest of his career while his 69% overall contact rate and 82.5% in-zone contact rate are both below his career norms (75.5% and 86.5%, respectively). His success to date rides on his Statcast profile, which boasts a career-best 45% hard-hit rate, 15% barrel rate, and average exit velo of 91 mph while his average launch angle of 17.1 is a career high. Less contact, but better quality. Sounds good for the power profile, but the average... definitely going to drop a good bit. Hays is, after all, a .263 career hitter.
Cam Smith (3B/OF-HOU) went 2-4 with a 2B, a run scored, and an RBI against the Rays on Monday. The 22 year-old has picked things up a bit after sitting on the 14th and 15th as he's registered 6 hits (including 2 2B), 2 BB, 2 RBI and 3 runs scored over his last 15 PA. Overall, the 22 year-old rookie is batting .243 with 3 homers, 13 RBI, 15 runs scored, and a stolen base in 127 PA this season, with a wRC+ of 110. Smith has struck out a good bit (28.5%) but he's also drawn some walks (11%). His overall contact rate (69.5%) and in-zone contact rate (77%) are not great, and his Statcast profile isn't impressive with a 39.5% hard-hit rate, 7% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 86 mph. But he may be figuring things out and should be monitored in fantasy. After all, he was only drafted last season and is figuring out professional baseball at the highest level on the fly.
Luis M. Castillo (SP-SEA) was stellar against the White Sox on Monday as he fired 7 shutout IP in which he scattered 3 hits and walked none while fanning 5 on 94 pitches (64 strikes). The 32 year-old righty is in the midst of an underwhelming campaign in which he now owns a 3.20 ERA, 7 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and 4.44 xFIP over his first 56.1 IP (10 starts). The gap between Castillo's ERA and xFIP points to a 5.5% HR/FB in particular suppressing his ERA, although the xFIP doesn't trust the low-K/meh-BB combination. Castillo's average fastball velocity is down a full tick from a season ago to 94.5, which was down a full tick from the year before. His swinging-strike rate is also down, from 14.5% in 2023 to 12% last season to just 10% so far in 2025. Unsurprisingly, the opposition's overall contact rate is up to 79.5% (72.5% career) while their in-zone rate is up to 86.5% (81% career). Alarmingly, his Statcast profile shows a career-worst 45% hard-hit rate, 10.5% barrel rate, and average exit velo of 91 mph. He's definitely a player to fade, but then again he lines up to face a Houston lineup this coming weekend that ranks #24 in team OPS against RHP (.687).
Mitch Keller (SP-PIT) pitched well in a no-decision against the Reds on Monday as he surrendered just 1 run on 2 hits and a walk while fanning 5 on 91 pitches (59 strikes). The 29 year-old righty now owns a 3.88 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, and 4.14 xFIP through his first 10 starts (58 IP) on the year. Compared to seasons past, his swinging-strike rate is down a bit to 8.5% (9% career) while the opposition is making a bit more contact than usual with an 82% overall contact rate (80.5% career) and 89% in-zone contact rate (87.5% career). Meanwhile, opposing hitters are making more loud contact as Statcast shows a 41.5% hard-hit rate (38.5% career), 7.5% barrel rate (push), and average exit velo of 89.5 mph (88.5 career). With nothing under the hood especially impressive, one can see a bit of regression coming. Keller lines up to face the Brewers at home this coming weekend; the Brewers do rank #27 in MLB in team OPS against RHP (.666).
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