Andy Pages, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Pages was the difference maker today for the Dodgers, going 1-3 with R, HR, 4 RBI, K on one hard hit ball. Pages had a really mediocre May, slashing .259/.283/.407, but he has really turned it on in June, slashing .308/.296/.558. As you can tell, he refuses to walk, doing so at just 4.8% this year. The good news is that he doesn't strike out too much (18.1%), and therefore puts a ton of balls into play. His 38.3% LA Sweet Spot means that his approach matches up perfectly with his offensive profile - and the result is a .281 BA/.283 xBA. While he doesn't hit the ball super hard (37.4%), he does pull the ball in the air a ton (18.4%), so he'll run into homers still. This is a sneaky complete player who also runs at 81st Percentile speed. He needs to be rostered in all formats.
Ben Rice, DH, New York Yankees
Rice went 1-3 with two hard hit balls on the day. Rice got famous when he went on a homer spree late last year, and he continued that by starting off 2025 on a strong note. Unfortunately, things have taken a turn in June, where Rice is slashing .140/.196/.209, which is beyond unacceptably low. The good news is that absolutely nothing is wrong with him. Rice's offensive profile is elite. His .487 xwOBACON is sky high, and he runs a super manageable 22/8 K/BB% ratio. He's pulling balls in the air at 25.5%, and his .293 xBA is a ways away from his current .227 BA. Screaming buy low. Do it. Go into debt if you have to.
Grant Holmes, SP, Atlanta Braves
Although it was against a weaker lineup, Holmes made a statement today. He went 6.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 15 K. He allowed one homer and only two hard hit balls. The homerun is unfortunate, as it overshadows an otherwise dominant outing. He collected a 45% CSW, driven by 16 whiffs on the Slider. Holmes had some hype as a deep sleeper coming out of spring training, but the season for him has been more mediocre than breakout. He has a 4.14 xERA, 4.68 FIP, and 3.73 xFIP. Those numbers are a bit high when you consider his solid 25.4% K rate and 48.4% GB rate. While I love the true outcomes, sometimes guys just have a propensity to leave stuff in suboptimal locations, and they get hit. Holmes has a .398 xwOBACON against and 43.8% Hard Hit rate against. The conclusion is that Holmes has really good stuff, stuff that can make him fantasy relevant. But the execution is VERY inconsistent, which can limit his ceiling.
Mackenzie Gore, SP, Washington Nationals
Gore danced around a lot of contact today. He went 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR. He allowed an outstanding 12 hard hit balls, while only posting a 23% CSW! No bueno. We'' chalk today up to bad execution. Gore is posting a sky high 34.9% punchout rate and 33.5% whiff rate, both astounding figures for a starter. His biggest flaw is his flyball problem, as his FB% currently sits at a very high 30.7%. Combine that with a league average pull rate against and a 45% Hard Hit rate against, and you're going to have some homerun problems. Those will not be avoidable with him. But he only allowed one today, so 12 hard hit balls is an anomaly for someone who gets so much miss. I can overlook today, and still view him as a fantasy ace.
Alec Bohm, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies
Bohm has been a frustrating player for fantasy purposes, but he had a great day today going 2-3 with 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, K on one hard hit ball. On the surface, Bohm has some really nice elements as a hitter. He hits the ball hard 48.6% of the time, and he's running an 89.9% zone contact rate, both of which are career highs. Unfortunately, Bohm's launch shapes are awful. He pulls the ball only 26.6% of the time, and he hits groundballs at 50.5%. This guy needed a swing change years ago. He has an 8.1% Pull air rate. The homeruns are not coming. The good - there is excellent reason to believe the batting average is well insulated. He is good at making contact and hits it hard enough to get past some fielders. The bad - there won't be homeruns, he doesn't run, and his contact is too good for him to walk. AVG can be one of the toughest categories to come by, which keeps Bohm relevant.
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.
