Konnor Griffin (SS-PIT) made his MLB debut against the Orioles, going 1-3 with a walk and RBI double as he batted 7th. The 19 year-old is the #1 prospect in all of baseball lasted just 5 games in Triple-A to open the campaign before getting the call to the majors, hitting .438 with 4 R, 1 RBI, 3 SB, and a 24% walk rate against a 19% strikeout rate in just 21 PA at that stop. An exciting five-tool prospect, Griffin batted .333 with 21 HR, 94 RBI, 117 R, and 65 SB across 563 PA in the minors a year ago as he ascended from Single-A (231 PA) to High-A (234 PA) to Double-A (98 PA). Gifted with plus power and speed to go with a plus-potential hit tool, Griffin perhaps the most exciting prospect as we have seen since Mike Trout, especially given his physical tools as a teenager. While it's fun to think about what he can do in the majors, don't expect him to be a superstar now as Trout and countless other prospects took their time to settle in at the big-league level. But make sure he's rostered in your league since he's an immediate 20-30 candidate who can do much more.
Dillon Dingler (C-DET) went 1-4 with a 2-run blast as he batted 5th against the Cardinals on Friday afternoon. Through his first 22 PA of the season, Dingler is batting .300 with 2 HR, 7 RBI, and 3 R. Things will need to normalize, but it's worth noting that he's fanning a good bit (27.5%) and drawing few walks (4.5%) while his 88% in-zone contact rate that comes in just north of 2025's figure (87%) is encouraging. He certainly won't sustain his current rates of loud contact (72.5% hard-hit, 27.5% barrel, and average exit velo of 94.5 mph), but he was no slouch in the Statcast department a season ago (45.5% hard-hit, 9% barrel, and 90 mph average exit velocity). An average closer to .250 seems likely down the stretch, but there's more pop here than his total of 13 dingers a season ago suggests.
Ben Rice (C/1B-NYY) was productive against the Marlins on Friday afternoon as he went 2-5 with a 2B, HR, and 3 RBI out of the cleanup spot; he did fan in his other 3 plate appearances. The 27 year-old has been productive at the dish in the first week or so of the season, posting a .409 average, 2 HR, 8 RBI, and 7 runs through his first 26 PA of the season while fanning at a 23% clip and drawing walks at a 15.5% rate in that tiny sample size. He has absolutely blistered the baseball to the tune of a 71.5% hard-hit rate, 21.5% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 95.5 mph. That surely won't continue, but he did register an impressive 56% hard-hit rate, 15.5% barrel rate, and average exit velo north of 93 mph a season ago, so his current figures aren't THAT inflated. Pair that with a robust 91.5% in-zone contact rate in the early going of the campaign that tops last year's 87.5% and his fantasy owners have good reason to be excited.
MacKenzie Gore (SP-TEX) earned a quality start but did not factor into the decision against the Reds on Friday, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and no walks while racking up 9 punchouts over 6 IP; he did serve up a pair of dingers while firing 57 of his 88 offerings for strikes in the outing. The 27 year-old southpaw earned the W in his Rangers debut last week, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks while fanning 7 over 5.1 IP. Gore is coming off what was arguably his best MLB season yet in 2025 as he registered a 4.17 ERA, 10.4 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, and 3.78 xFIP across 159.2 IP. In the process, he recorded a career-high 13.5% swinging-strike rate while opposing hitters posted 72.5% overall and 82% in-zone contact rates, both of which are career bests. In addition to his subpar control, however, Gore showed a tendency to get hit hard when the opposition did get the bat on the ball, as Statcast shows a 44% hard-hit rate, 10.5% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 90.5 mph. While these issues may prevent him from becoming a fantasy ace, he can still certainly be a #2 arm. Up next is a home start against the Mariners on Wednesday.
Emmet Sheehan (SP-LAD) earned the win over the Nationals on Friday thanks to run support as he yielded 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2 over 5.2 IP; he surrendered a big fly as he threw 61 of his 98 pitches for strikes in the contest. It hasn't been a smooth start to the new campaign for the 26 year-old righty, who endured a rough season debut against the Diamondbacks last weekend, yielding 4 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while fanning 6 over just 3.1 IP. Fantasy owners should be patient with Sheehan, who is coming off a promising 2025 campaign in which he logged a 2.82 ERA, 10.9 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and 3.37 xFIP across 73.1 IP. In doing so, he missed lots of bats (15.5% swinging-strike rate) as the opposition's overall (69%) and in-zone (81.5%) contact rates were low. Sheehan was especially sharp down the stretch, posting a 2.42 ERA, 12.7 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and 2.86 xFIP in 48.1 IP after the calendar flipped to August. His next start will be a challenging one in Toronto.
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