Shane Bieber (SP-TOR) earned a quality start against the Royals on Saturday, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk while fanning 4 over 6.1 IP. The 30 year-old RHP allowed a pair of homers while throwing 58 of his 87 pitches for strikes. Bieber has been solid overall in his first 35.1 IP of the season, posting a 3.57 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 1.3 BB/9, and 3.04 xFIP. Encouragingly, his control has been sharp as usual, which is a great sign for a guy coming off Tommy John surgery. Meanwhile, his average fastball velocity has come in at nearly 93 mph, another positive development after it sat at 91.5 in 2022-2023. These trends could make him a nice value pick in 2026 fantasy drafts. For now, he's tentatively slated to face the visiting Red Sox on Thursday.
Cade Cavalli (SP-WSH) was solid in a no-decision against the Mets on Saturday as he fired 5 shutout IP in which he scattered 5 hits and a walk while striking out 3 on 76 pitches (52 strikes). The 27 year-old RHP now owns a 4.23 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 4.14 xFIP through 9 starts (44.2 IP) on the campaign. While his stat line is unexciting, Cavalli has posted a 12% swinging-strike rate while the opposition has mustered a modest 83.5% in-zone contact rate against him. Meanwhile, his Statcast profile includes an 87 mph average exit velo, 4% barrel rate, and 39.5% hard-hit rate while the opposition's average launch angle of 4.4 has generated groundballs at a 55% clip. There's some potential for Cavalli to be a fantasy contributor in the future, even if at the back end of the rotation or as a streamer. Nationals management seems to be carefully managing his workload in 2025, however, as he has an extensive injury history. Even so, he's an interesting option for next weekend when the White Sox visit town.
Nolan McLean (SP-NYM) took the loss against the Nationals on Saturday afternoon as he allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6 over 5 IP. The 24 year-old righty kept the ball in the yard as he fired 59 of his 92 offerings for strikes. McLean now owns a 1.27 ERA, 9.7 K/9, 3 BB/9, and 2.91 xFIP through his first 7 big-league starts (42.2 IP). Although an 85% strand rate in particular has suppressed his ERA while his swinging-strike rate is underwhelming at 10%, McLean has helped himself by inducing lots of grounders (63.5% groundball rate). He started the season by amassing a 2.45 ERA, 10.1 K/9, 4 BB/9, and 3.75 xFIP in 113.2 IP in the high minors as he induced grounders at a 54.5% clip and missed more bats (12%). Overall, the profile isn't exciting given the control issues and that he doesn't miss a ton of bats. Up next is a favorable turn in Miami next weekend.
Bailey Ober (SP-MIN) got beat up by the Guardians on Saturday as he yielded 6 runs (all earned) on 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out just 1 over 5 IP. The 30 year-old righty did keep the ball in the yard as he tossed 56 of his 90 pitches for strikes in the outing. After several seasons of being a fantasy contributor, Ober's value has plunged this season as he now owns a 5.32 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, and 4.78 xFIP over 140.1 IP. His swinging-strike rate is a career-low 11.5% while opposing hitters have registered an 85% in-zone contact rate (83% career) and have made more loud contact than in the past as Statcast shows a 40% hard-hit rate, 11% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 90 mph. He should not be started next weekend as he lines up for a tough start in Philadelphia.
Drake Baldwin (C-ATL) went 1-4 with a 2-run blast out of the cleanup spot against the Tigers on Saturday afternoon. The 24 year-old may be making a last-minute push for NL ROY as he's now hitting .271 with 18 round trippers, 75 RBI, and 51 runs scored through 415 PA on the year. He's fanned at just a 15% clip while drawing walks at an 8.5% rate. Quantity and quality of contact have been strong for the young backstop, as he's mustered an 88.5% in-zone contact rate while his Statcast profile features a 50% hard-hit rate, 10.5% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 91.5 mph. An average launch angle of 6.7 has muted his power output a bit as it's generated a 48.5% groundball rate. Baldwin has heated back up recently, posting a .400 average, 2 round trippers, 9 RBI, and 5 run scored in his last 21 PA entering Saturday's contest.
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.com/baseballsample.htm Click here to register: http://www.fantistics.com/salesbaseball.php3
