Paul Goldschmidt, 1B (NYY)
Goldschmidt continues to thrive in his first season in New York. He added two hits and a walk on Wednesday, including his 13th double, while scoring the only run of the game. Goldschmidt's power numbers are way down from his best years, but he is embracing his role as a table setter for the middle of the lineup. He is swinging at the highest rate of his career while whiffing at the lowest rate. Goldschmidt's contact on pitches inside the strike zone is a career-high 88%, and his called strike rate is a career-low 16.6 percent. The quality of contact is diminished, likely a result of age regression, but Goldschmidt is offering a ton of value to the Yankees and fantasy owners with a .347 average, .404 OBP, 37 runs scored and even four stolen bases. Goldschmidt is the perfect antidote to the disease that is fantasy first basemen.
Noah Cameron, SP (KC)
The Royals are about to get Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans back, but it's hard to imagine they could justify optioning Cameron back to the minor leagues. The young lefty held the Reds to one run in 6.1 innings on Wednesday en route to his second career win. After leaning on his low-90's four-seam fastball in his first three starts, Cameron displayed an even mix of curveball, cutter, changeup and 4-seamer against Cincinnati. His slow curve generated a 36% CSW rate. Cameron hasn't allowed more than one run while going at least six innings in every one of his four starts. After allowing five walks in his debut on Apr. 30, Cameron has only surrendered three free passes since. He isn't showing off the elite strikeout upside he exhibited in the minor leagues, but as a young player getting his footing at the major league level, the strikeouts are auxiliary to his extraordinary ratios. Regression is a certainty, but Cameron's upside is undeniable. Take caution of the Royals' overcrowded pitching staff, however, which could impact the young southpaw.
Lance McCullers Jr., SP (HOU)
McCullers delivered his most dominant start of the season on Wednesday, punching out 12 batters while allowing three runs in six innings. It was his first time going six or more innings since Oct. 3, 2022. Since his disastrous performance on May 10 when he allowed seven runs in one-third of an inning, McCullers has gone 14.1 innings in three starts, allowing five earned runs and striking out 22. McCullers got the A's to swing and miss 18 times en route to finishing the game with a 37% CSW rate. The oft-injured starter has thrown 193 pitches over his past two starts and his velocity is increasing. Take his health with a grain of salt, but McCullers is finally showing off the skills that once made him one of the most exhilarating young pitchers in the game. He should be added in most fantasy formats due to his notable upside.
Griffin Canning, SP (NYM)
Canning did not take advantage of a weak White Sox lineup, suffering one of his worst outings of the season on Wednesday. The first-year Met allowed five runs (three earned) on four hits and four walks in three innings. He suffered his second loss of the season while striking out three batters. He has allowed more than three walks in two starts this season. After giving up 13 runs and striking out 46 batters in 47.1 innings over his first nine games, Canning has since allowed eight runs (six earned) with only four strikeouts in 5.2 innings over his past two starts. He walked 17 batters in the first nine games, eight in the past two. Another issue is the increased fly ball rate. He was excelling at keeping the ball on the ground, but his groundball rate over his last two starts is under 30 percent. The recent downward trend is a product of Canning benefiting from a very high LOB% and somewhat low BABIP. Regression is understandable, although there shouldn't be a concern that Canning will regress to his struggles of previous seasons with the Angels. The arsenal is better, and Canning is a solid starter. However, the Mets have Paul Blackburn, Frankie Montas and eventually Sean Manaea coming back from injury. That could ultimately squeeze him from the rotation.
Zac Gallen, SP (ARI)
The struggles continued for Gallen on Wednesday as the veteran couldn't take advantage of the weakest lineup in baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates scored six runs (five earned) on six hits and three walks in five innings. Gallen struck out three batters, his lowest total since Apr. 7. In his last three starts against Colorado, St. Louis and Pittsburgh, Gallen has allowed 15 earned runs while striking out 12 batters in 15.2 innings. During Gallen's best years he held opposing hitters to weak contact, but that has changed in recent seasons. After allowing a 93.4-mph average exit velocity to the Pirates on Wednesday, Gallen has a season-long EV around 91 miles per hour. Opposing hitters have an 11% barrel rate against him, part of which explains why he could be headed for the highest single-season home run total of his career. As the batted ball metrics suffer, so too does his K/BB ratio which is a career worst 2.17 (66 K/32 BB). There isn't a whole lot to suggest Gallen will benefit from positive regression, except that he has a career track record of excellent results. He simply belongs on most fantasy benches until he shows signs of a resurgence.
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