Jarred Kelenic (OF-ATL) continued to produce out of the leadoff spot as he went 2-3 with a solo homer and a walk against the Pirates on Saturday. The 24 year-old may *finally* be figuring things out at the big-league level as he's now batting .283 with 9 dingers, 26 RBI, 26 runs scored, and 3 steals (albeit in 5 attempts) through 237 PA on the year, with an above-average wRC+ of 122. Kelenic has produced out of the leadoff spot while filling in for the injured Michael Harris (who moved into the spot for the injured Ronald Acuna, Jr.), and was hitting .306 with 5 homers, 13 RBI, 10 runs scored, and 3 steals (in 4 tries) through 93 PA in June entering Saturday's contest. Locked into the top of the Atlanta lineup and producing, Kelenic should be widely rostered and started in fantasy.
Vinnie Pasquantino (1B-KC) continued his recent power surge as he went 2-4 with a solo jack against Cleveland on Saturday afternoon. The 26 year-old started the season slowly, but has turned things around a bit as of late and is now batting .240 with 10 homers, 54 RBI, and 38 runs scored across 332 PA, with a wRC+ of 105. As usual, Pasquantino has not fanned often (13.5%) while walking a good bit (9.5%) and registering a lot of loud contact (his Statcast profile includes a 46% hard-hit rate, 7.5% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 91.5 mph). He's now homered 3 times in the last 6 games and since he's on the upswing, he might make for a good trade target in fantasy leagues.
Zac Gallen (SP-ARI) returned from the 15-day IL (hamstring) to start against Oakland on Saturday and he didn't miss a beat as he fired 6 shutout innings in which he allowed just 1 hit and a walk while racking up 7 punchouts on 77 pitches (50 strikes). The 28 year-old righty now boasts a 2.83 ERA, 9.5 k/9, 2.3 BB/9, and 3.21 xFIP through 12 starts (63.2 IP) on the year. Gallen's performance is very consistent overall with what he did in both 2022 and 2023, when his ERA, xFIP, K/9, and BB/9 were all pretty close to this season's figures. His 11% swinging-strike rate is pretty par for the course while, as is his 76% contact rate. The opposition's hard-hit rate is high at 40%, but it was the same number a season ago and apparently wasn't an issue. Gallen is slated to take on the Padres in San Diego on Friday.
Tanner Bibee (SP-CLE) continued his solid sophomore campaign against the Royals on Saturday afternoon as he picked up the win (6 IP, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K). The 25 year-old righty threw 66 of his 89 pitches for strikes while a pair of his pitches were hit out of the yard. Bibee now owns a 3.47 ERA, 10.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, and 3.29 xFIP across his first 17 starts (93.1 IP) of the campaign. While his ERA isn't quite as good as last season's 2.98 mark, his 4.22 xFIP last year pointed to some good luck helping him out while the fact that his xFIP is lower than his ERA this year indicates that he's improved significantly. Indeed, both his K/9 and BB/9 are better than they were a year ago, when he registered an 8.9 and 2.9, respectively. Bibee is missing more bats (13% swinging-strike rate in 2024, was 11% in 2023) while also allowing less hard contact (down to 26.5% from 30%). He's slated for a start against the Giants at home on Friday.
Spencer Schwellenbach (SP-ATL) might possess an unsightly 5.40 ERA though his first five big-league starts, but the 24 year-old righty is actually an intriguing fantasy play for Sunday. Schwellenbach has put up some encouraging peripherals, with a 3.76 xFIP, 8.4 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9 through his first 26.2 IP in the majors, with a strong 14% swinging-strike rate. He's gotten opposing hitters to chase often (38% o-swing%) and has maintained a below-average 75.5% contact rate while limiting loud contact (26.5% hard-hit rate). The problem so far has largely been luck, especially a 61.5% strand rate. A big part of what makes Schwellenbach so interesting for Sunday's slate is his opponent, a Pirates lineup that ranks #29 in MLB in team OPS against righties with a putrid .642 mark.
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