Kyle Manzardo (DH-CLE) continued his hot start to the new campaign by going 2-5 with a 2-run bomb against the Royals on Sunday afternoon. The 24 year-old did not impress in 156 PA as he made his MLB debut a season ago, logging a .234 average, 5 homers, and 15 RBI while fanning at a 26.5% clip. But Manzardo has been on a tear since spring training this year, as he posted a .321 average, 4 dingers, and 8 RBI in 56 PA this spring before, in his first 14 PA of the regular season, recording a .455 average, 2 homers, and 6 RBI while drawing 3 walks against 2 punchouts. Although he was underwhelming last year, his Statcast profile wasn't bad as he registered a 40% hard-hit rate, 9.5% barrel rate, and average exit velo of 89 mph. His 12.5% swinging-strike rate and 73.5% contact rate weren't awful, either. The season is (very) young, but Manzardo is looking good as a breakout candidate.
Heliot Ramos (OF-SF) continued his nice start to the 2025 campaign as he went 2-4 with a 2-run shot against the Reds on Sunday. The 25 year-old has now hit 2 homers on the young season as he looks to build upon his impressive 2024 campaign in which he registered a .269 average, 22 homers, 72 RBI, 54 runs scored, and 6 stolen bases across 518 PA, with a wRC+ of 120 attesting to his productivity at the dish. Ramos is prone to the strikeout (26% strikeout rate a season ago), but he tended to punish the ball when he got the bat on it, as evidenced by a Statcast profile that included a 47.5% hard-hit rate, 14.5% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 91.5 mph. His average is unlikely to be great (think about .250-.260), but he's a likely 25+ homer guy.
Taj Bradley (SP-TB) picked up the win against the Rockies on Sunday as he gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and no walks while striking out 7 over 6 IP. The 24 year-old righty kept the ball in the yard as he threw 52 of his 78 pitches for strikes in the contest. Bradley seems to be picking up where he left off last season, when he registered a 4.11 ERA, 10 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, and 3.2 xFIP over 138 IP. There's a lot to like here, as Bradley's control has improved since he made his big-league debut in 2023 (3.4 BB/9 that season) and he's also missed more bats (his swinging-strike rate was up to 12.5% last year from 11.5% in 2023). Hard contact is still a point of concern as Statcast indicates that the opposition recorded a 41.5% hard-hit rate against him last season (although down from 46.5% the year before). Up next is a probable start in Texas late this week.
Robbie Ray (SP-SF) carried a complete game into the 6th inning against the Reds on Sunday before falling apart in that inning. He allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk while fanning 4. All of the damage was done via the longball as he surrendered a pair of those while throwing 46 of his 78 offerings for strikes. The 33 year-old southpaw may have simply been gassed as it was his first start of the campaign and he threw a grand total of 34 IP in the majors in 2023-2024 combined. He sure looked sharp through the first 5 innings, as his fastball sat at 93-95 mph while he put his high-80s slider in particular to work behind the heater. Ray lines up to face the Mariners at home next weekend.
Max Meyer (SP-MIA) pitched fairly well in a no-decision against the Pirates as he allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits and a walk while fanning 7 over 5.2 IP. The 26 year-old righty fired 60 of his 93 pitches for strikes while surrendering one dinger. Meyer has yet to realize his potential in the majors, in part because of injuries, so perhaps Sunday's outing suggests that this could be a breakout season. Armed with a mid-90s heater that sat at 94-95 mph while he dialed it up to 97 on occasion to go with 90(ish) mph slider and high-80s change, Meyer has the stuff to be a quality fantasy arm, especially since he consistently registered a swinging-strike rate north of 13% in the high minors. But can he stay healthy? Up next is a probable start against the Braves in Atlanta next weekend.
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