Giancarlo Stanton-Yankees-OF
Giancarlo Stanton was 1-3 with an HR (12) against the Mariners. Stanton is hitting .246 with 12 HR, 22 R, 27 RBI, and 0 SB. He has stayed healthy so far and has looked like the power hitter we expected. Stanton strikes out too much (31% K) which leads to a lower batting average but he hits the ball so hard (19% Barrels and 53% Hardhit) that he makes up for a lot of it. He has been a nice bargain so far this year considering where you were able to get him in drafts. Fingers crossed that the Yankees and Stanton have figured out a way to keep him healthy.
Andrew McCutchen-Pirates-OF
Andrew McCutchen was 2-5 with an HR (7), 1 R, and 1 RBI against the Giants. McCutchen is hitting .224 with 7 HR, 22 R, 14 RBI, 1 SB. His strikeout rate is higher than normal (27% K) but he is still walking (13% BB) a lot. His average is low but he is hitting the ball hard (16% Barrels and 47% Hardhit) which is going to lead to success. He is going to see his BABIP rise (.274) if he continues to hit the ball that hard. He is 37 years old but Cutch is showing that he still has the necessary skills to succeed. It also helps his fantasy value that the Pirates are batting in the leadoff spot which will help his counting stats.
Matt Chapman-Giants-3B
Matt Chapman was 2-5 with an HR (8), 1 R, and 3 RBI in the win against the Pirates. Chapman is hitting .249 with 8 HR, 33 R, 27 RBI, and 5 SB in 211 PA. Chapman has bounced back nicely despite moving to a pitcher-friendly park in San Francisco. He has cut his strikeout rate down (24% K) while still being able to hit the ball hard (10% Barrels and 46% Hardhit). Chapman is going to continue to play every day and hit in the middle of the Giants lineup so he should continue to be a nice value given where he was drafted.
Julio Rodriguez-Mariners-OF
Julio Rodriguez was 0-4 against the Yankees. Rodriguez is now hitting .257 with 2 HR, 19 R, 14 RBI, and 9 SB. The stolen bases are on par with last year but the power is down significantly. He is hitting the ball hard (50% Hardhit) but not at the right angles (7% Barrels and 30% FB). Rodriguez has also seen his strikeout rate increase as well (28% +4%) which is not a good sign. He is hitting .339 against fastballs but his OPS is down from .907 last year to .773 this year. This is not a skill issue given he is just 23 years old. It is hard to stomach getting this level of production from your early first-round pick but you have to trust the talent and that he will figure it out.
Ozzie Albies-Braves-2B
Ozzie Albies was 1-3 with 1 R, 1 BB, and 1 SB in the win against the Cubs. Albies is hitting .269 with 3 HR, 22 R, 23 RBI, and 3 SB in 39 GP. He continues to have plus plate skills (16% K and 6% BB) but the quality of contact has disappeared (5% Barrels and 28% Hardhit). It is hard to determine how much this is related to the toe injury he went on the IL for. Either way, the quality of contact has to improve for him to come anywhere close to what fantasy owners projected for him coming into the year. Albies is looking more like a 20 HR/8 SB player instead of the 33 HR/13 SB he put up a year ago.
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