Evan Carter, OF, Texas Rangers
Carter made his 2025 debut, going 2-5 with R and K. While your leaguemates might hop on him trying to catch some post-hype sleeper effect, I'm personally hesitant. Carter was striking out at 25.6% in AAA prior to his callup, and was only hitting 27.8% of balls hard. I appreciate his 50.9% flyball rate and 6 SB. The HR and SB should come, but there could be some serious ratio cost, and he is currently slated to bat near the bottom of a struggling Texas lineup, so the R and RBI might be thin. This is an incomplete player right now that needs to prove it.
Andrew Abbott, SP, Cincinnati Reds
Abbott was excellent today, going 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K on three hard hit balls. You really can't ask for better. His average fastball velo was up to 92.8, compared to his 91.2 average on the year. That figure would tie a career high. It's a five start sample, but it is tough to deny the 2.25 ERA to start the year, and I was pleased to see he didn't walk anyone this time around. Even given his back to back excellent starts, I'd still say to tread lightly. The flyball issue hasn't gone anywhere. xERA (3.27), FIP (4.59), and xFIP (4.48) also say to tread carefully.
James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals
Wood had another solid day at the plate going 2-8 with R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 3 K on five hard hit balls. Wood is running a .477 xwOBACON, which might actually be low considering his 52.2% Hard Hit rate and 16.3% Barrel rate, but I'd actually attribute it to his large quantity of groundballs (58.7%). The plot really thickens on Wood's exit data when you consider that he hits opposite field flyballs (21.7%) at a considerably higher rate compared to the pulllside (4.3%). While unusual, Woods' high-end exit velos and bat speed make it easy to overlook. He is going to be expensive in 2026 drafts.
Tony Gonsolin, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Gonsolin went 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, HR in this outing, and allowed only four hard hit balls. This was only his second outing of the year, as he went 6 IP, 3 ER in his last. It is encouraging to see that kind of volume coming off injury, and given the Dodgers' pitching woes, I think it keeps coming. His velocity averaged 94.1, which is actually the second highest in his career. While Gonsolin didn't pitch in 2024, and had a rough 2023, his 2022 was excellent, as he tossed 130.1 IP and posted a 2.14 ERA. It is a really difficult exercise to conduct an analysis that projects his 2023 and 2022 onto 2025, so I won't do that, but if you're desperate for a starter, Gonsolin is a great option that might be on waivers still.
Eric Wagaman, 1B, Miami Marlins
Wagaman singled in his pinch hit at-bat against the Dodgers today. Is it weird that I'm writing about a part time player on one of the worst offenses in baseball? Yes, but hear me out. Wagaman has secretly been a stud, and the breakout can only be held in for so long. He's hitting balls hard 48.9% of the time and has a 31.9% Squared Up rate, good for 88th Percentile. While he's only walking at 5.8%, he's only striking out at 16.5%, mostly due to a high swing rate, and only league average chase and whiff rates. Wagaman finds barrels at a league average 8.5%, mostly due to hitting balls in the air at a league-average 53.2%. The reason you haven't heard about him is because his .298 wOBA is 54 points below his .352 xwOBA. Only 11 players have an equal or worse gap, but with a xwOBA above .350 as well. He is a sweet combination of good, yet unlucky. He boasts a .401 xwOBACON. This is a somewhat above-average hitter! If you're in dynasty or have a deep roster, this is an easy stash.
This is just a small sample our daily analysis, join our member area for tools that will help you win your fantasy championship. Click here for details: http://www.insiderbaseball.
