Bobby Witt Jr., SS (KC)
Witt appears to be heating up as his three hits on Wednesday give him six hits in the last three games, but fantasy owners are probably most excited about the three stolen bases he had in Kansas City's 10-1 win at Texas. That gives him five steals this season as he takes advantage of his ridiculous speed. Witt would do well to hit the ball in the air less. His 53% flyball rate does not complement the type of player he is. With that being said, he's still unlikely to suffer a BABIP as low as his current .243 mark so the batting average is inevitably going to rebound, but his best quality is his speed and Witt is truly capable of finishing at the top of the leaderboard in the stolen base category.
Sonny Gray, SP (MIN)
Gray continued his excellent start to the season with five more scoreless innings on Wednesday. He has a sparkling 0.53 ERA, although he didn't come near the career-high 13 strikeouts he had in his previous outing. He got five K's in Wednesday's start against the White Sox. He has been fortunate to overcome hard contact and a lot of fly balls without giving up any home runs. Expect that to change, although he did limit the hard contact on Wednesday. There is obvious regression in store, but Gray has a lot of tools in his arsenal to address the expected change in fortune. As long as he's healthy, you're likely starting him in all formats, but anticipate the home runs to come.
Tyler O'Neill, OF (STL)
O'Neill filled the box score on Wednesday, hitting a home run and stealing a base while scoring a pair of runs. Although he is striking out a lot (he had a pair of K's on Wednesday), O'Neill is starting to look more like the 2021 version than 2022. Both of his hits left the bat with an exit velocity over 100 miles per hour. In fact, O'Neill has already hit 10 balls over 100 miles per hour and five over 106. Health held him back in 2022, but the power/speed upside is high.
Marcus Stroman, SP (CHC)
Stroman delivered another strong start on Wednesday, although he allowed his first runs of the season and was saddled with his first loss. He allowed two runs in six innings while striking out six batters. He actually displayed a little more velocity, hitting nearly 92 on his cutter, which normally averages around 89. There should be a moderate concern over Stroman's walks. He has allowed eight walks in 18 innings whereas he normally registers a relatively low walk rate. It's something to monitor as the season progresses, but he is nonetheless getting strikeouts and a whole lot of ground balls, which will serve him well when the weather warms up in Chicago.
Jose Urquidy, SP (HOU)
Urquidy shut down the Pirates on Wednesday, throwing six scoreless innings, although he allowed a season-high three walks and struck out a season-low two batters. It was his first scoreless outing, but it actually may have been his worst pitching performance on the periphery. He benefited from a low BABIP while dealing with a high BABIP in his two previous starts. It's all to say: Urquidy is what Urquidy is. He doesn't strike out a lot of guys. He doesn't walk a lot of guys. He is going to give up home runs and his ceiling isn't particularly high. While not certain, he will probably remain in the Astros rotation, even after Lance McCullers Jr. eventually makes his return.
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