Elly De La Cruz, SS, CIN
De La Cruz filled the stat sheet on Monday evening, going 4 for 5 with 2 HR, 1 2B, 7 RBI, 4 R, and 1 SB. It was not your average four-hit day, either. All of De La Cruz's hits had an Exit Velo of 102 MPH+, and his flyout registered at 99 MPH. In 2024, the 23-year-old proved his bat is powerful (91.8% Exit Velo and 25 HR), and his legs are fast (67 SB, 100th percentile sprint speed). If Elly can temper his bat control a bit, he will have an even more ridiculous season in 2025. Last season, he owned a 33.4% Whiff% (8th percentile) and 31.3% K% (6th percentile).
Tyler O'Neill, OF, BAL
O'Neill collected four hits and drove in a run on Monday against the Red Sox. With an 11.8% BB% and 5.9% K%, he's hitting a robust .571 with a homer and five RBI across 17 plate appearances this season. The oft-injured O'Neill had a resurgent season with Boston in 2024, slashing .241/336/.511 and smacking 31 homers in 113 games. The power and talent have always been there for the 29-year-old; he just can't stay healthy long enough to let it all come together. O'Neill has played over 100 games in two seasons in his seven-year big league career, the 31-homer campaign a season ago and a 34-homer season in 2021. Last season, his 33.6% K% and 34.1% Whiff% ranked in the 2nd and 5th percentile, respectively. However, O'Neill's 17.3% Barrel% ranked in the 98th percentile, and his 48.8% HardHit% ranked in the 90th. That's what you can expect from the new O this season: plenty of strikeouts but also plenty of thump.
Martin Perez, SP, CHW
Perez hurled 6.0 shutout innings against the Twins on Monday afternoon. The 33-year-old fanned nine batters, which equaled his career-high, and walked three across 93 pitches. After having a career year in 2022 (2.89 ERA, 196.1 IP), Perez put up back-to-back pedestrian campaigns in 2023 and 2024. Monday's game aside, the veteran southpaw doesn't miss many bats and will be a risky play every time he takes the mound for the White Sox this season. Perez's 21.0% Whiff% and 18.1% K% ranked in the 13th percentile in 2024, while his .277 xBA and 5.38 xERA ranked in the 7th and 5th, respectively.
Andrew Benintendi, OF, CHW
Benintendi went 1 for 3 with a three-run home run on Monday afternoon, giving him two homers and six RBI through 15 plate appearances this season. Benintendi is off to a good start in his third season with the White Sox. However, his first two seasons in Chicago were the worst of his career. He did smack 20 homers in 2024, which tied his career-best mark from 2017, but he hit just .229, which was a career-low. The 30-year-old did display solid plate discipline (25.1% Chase% and 18.4% K%), but his batted ball metrics were abysmal. His 34.1% HardHit% ranked in the 19th percentile in 2024, and his 6.3% Barrel% ranked in the 32nd. Benintendi has never been a particularly hard hitter, but his ability to see pitches and hit line drives made him effective. He posted a career-low 19.1% LD% and career-high 42.4% FB% last season, which explains the spike in power and diminished average.
Pete Alonso, 1B, NYM
Alonso hit a Grand Slam for his first dinger of the season on Monday night. After starting the season in hibernation, the Polar Bear broke out in a big way, also adding a single and walk in the contest. Alonso's 34-homer, 88-RBI 2024 season was a disappointment by his high standards. His career-high 42.1% GB% (career 38.8%) bears most of the blame. Alonso's 45.9% HardHit% and 13.0% Barrel% stayed solid, but an abysmal 30.5% LA Sweet-Spot% (14th percentile) sapped the 30-year-old's power.
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