Mason Miller, RP (SD)
Okay, this is getting ridiculous, Mason Miller! The star closer made his sixth appearance of the season on Thursday. He delivered his fourth-straight perfect inning. In 6.1 innings, he has allowed only one hit and one walk while striking out 16 batters. He has at least two strikeouts in every appearance and at least three K's in all but two. He threw four fastballs on Thursday: all four were over 101 miles-per-hour and one was clocked at 103.4. Meanwhile, his slider generates an 80% swinging-strike rate. This feels very unfair.
Eduardo Rodriguez, SP (ARI)
The bad news is Rodriguez gave up his first earned run of the season in the first inning of Thursday's game against the Mets. The good news is that was the only run he allowed all night as he finally managed to pick up a win after three excellent starts to begin the year. The veteran left-hander stymied New York hitters after Luis Robert Jr.'s home run, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out three. Rodriguez has really excelled at getting opposing batters to chase. On Thursday he threw fewer than half of his pitches in the strike zone but still managed to get 50 swings on 102 pitches. His 0.50 ERA is incredible. This obviously won't continue, but there's optimism that he's emerged from his injury-riddled first two lackluster seasons with the Diamondbacks. He should be owned in all formats while he remains hot.
Luis Robert Jr., OF (NYM)
Robert provided the only offense for New York on Thursday, walloping a 109.8-mph home run off Eduardo Rodriguez in his first at-bat. While it was his first home run since March 28, Robert is off to a tremendous start with his new team, slashing .333/.480/.487 with two stolen bases. There are a lot of facets to his game that are out of the ordinary for the seven-year veteran, including a 1.00 BB/K ratio after posting a 0.25 career mark with the White Sox. He's hitting way more ground balls and fewer fly balls than his historical precedents. The change of scenery offers some reason to believe his approach could change, but it's hard to believe this drastic shift in output is permanent. Expect regression to set in soon.
Sal Stewart, 1B (CIN)
Sal Stewart is making a lot of people who jumped his ADP look smart. The 22-year-old slugger is on fire. He reached base twice on Thursday, including his second home run in as many games. He is hitting .364 with four home runs and three stolen bases in 13 games. His quality of contact is ridiculous (93.6-mph EV, 17.1% Barrel) and his plate discipline is supreme (10 walks, 8 strikeouts). These are MVP-type metrics, and he's still learning the game. There will undoubtedly be regression as pitchers adjust and the book develops against him, but his vast skillset portends greatness for many years.
Javier Sanoja, OF (MIA)
Sanoja continued his strong start to the season with three hits on Thursday. Only three of his 13 hits have gone for extra bases but no one's going to complain when he's hitting .406 with seven RBI's. Power is not what he does well. He's a glove-first, contact-centric hitter who should thrive with a high BABIP due to his hard-contact groundball approach. His ability to hit pitches out of the zone makes him difficult to pitch against, and because the Marlins have him towards the backend of their lineup, he's presented with decent RBI opportunities. Furthermore, his defensive versatility enhances his fantasy value. Sanoja's ceiling is quite limited, but it's depth players like him that can really solidify a fantasy roster.
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