Kumar Rocker, SP (TEX)
Rocker was impressive in his major league debut, striking out seven batters in four innings. He allowed one run on three hits and two walks. The only damage came on a Justin Turner solo home run in his final inning of action. Rocker generated 17 whiffs in 74 pitches. Thirteen of those swinging strikes came on his fantastic slider. It was a great step for a post-hype prospect whose career was in question heading into spring training. Injuries and inconsistency have delayed his professional ascension, but his 1.07 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 33.2 innings combined at AA, AAA and MLB is indicative of how high the ceiling is. Expect an innings limit in 2025 and perhaps a few bumps along the way, but Rocker is one of those talents that will get drafted later in drafts but could deliver SP1 value.
Brent Rooker, OF (OAK)
Rooker crushed a 420-foot home run at 109.5 miles per hour for his 36th home run. He also stole his ninth base of the season as the numbers keep climbing in the 29-year-old's breakout season. The big right-hander is hitting .298 with 36 homers and nine stolen bases. He has 102 RBI's despite playing in one of the league's lowest-scoring offenses. His average launch angle is a career-high 18.6 degrees, but that is more reflective of a super low ground ball rate rather than a particularly high flyball rate. The average reflects a consistent effort to hit line drives, many of which will lead to home runs due to his superb quality of contact but others will land for hits. Therefore, his BABIP is incredibly high at .366 and his batting average reflects that boost. There's bound to be a modicum of regression to those ratios in 2025, but back-to-back seasons with 30+ homers is indicative of what Rooker brings to fantasy lineups.
Jackson Chourio, OF (MIL)
Chourio is a member of the 20/20 club in his first major league season. The young outfielder hit his 20th home run in the 8th inning of Milwaukee's 3-0 win at San Francisco. The dynamic 20 year old. Since the beginning of June, Chourio has a 90.6-mph average exit velocity and 46.7% hard-hit rate. His batting EYE is incredible for such a young hitter and his speed is off the charts. He still has some growing pains, like an underwhelming .103 ISO against left-handed pitching and an occasional struggle with pitches outside the strike zone, but he is only 20. Chourio offers five-category upside, but adjustments will be part of the process for the budding star.
Gleyber Torres, 2B (NYY)
Torres hit a leadoff home run for the Yankees on Thursday, his 13th homer of the season. It's been a disappointing campaign for the 27-year-old second baseman who had 49 home runs combined over the last two seasons. After hitting .273 with 13 stolen bases in 2023, Torres is hitting .250 with four thefts in 2024. However, since Aug. 21 he is hitting .314 with three homers and 16 runs scored in 21 games. His groundball rate is lower in that time span and his line drive rate is an impressive 25 percent. Still, his decreased quality of contact cannot be ignored when evaluating Torres' 2025 fantasy value. His xBA is .237. His hard-hit rate is 34.7 percent. That's not very good. There's a good possibility this is Torres' final run in New York. Where he signs and what his role will be could further define his fantasy potential, but he is no longer the top-five middle infield option it looked like he would become.
Sonny Gray, SP (STL)
Gray only allowed one run in two hits with nine strikeouts in six innings. He has gone at least six innings in four straight starts and has only allowed three runs in his past three. He is 11 strikeouts away from setting a new career high, and at 34 years old, his xFIP is a career-low 2.83. An unusually high HR/FB rate with a super low 68.5% LOB percentage are factors in why his actual ERA is nearly a run higher than his xFIP, but there is a lot to like about the veteran starter heading into 2025. The oft-injured starter is over 160 innings for the second straight season and his K-rate is rising. Gray is wrapping up the first of a three-year deal with the Cardinals and is a quality SP option after the top guys are taken off the board.
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