Michael King, SP (SD)
King was dominant on Tuesday, striking out 11 batters in five innings while allowing only two hits and one walk. King finished with a 40% CSW rate, including nine whiffs on his four-seam fastball. King only allowed one ball in play to be hit over 80 miles per hour, a nice turnaround after allowing a 95.2-mph average exit velocity to the Braves on Opening Day. King has the ability to pile up the strikeouts, as evidenced by Tuesday's start, but his knack for limiting hard contact is what elevates him into the upper echelon of starting pitchers. Maintaining health after seeing a huge uptick in usage last year will be crucial to whether or not he delivers top-tier fantasy stats, but the upside is clear.
Jake Mangum, OF (TB)
Mangum continued his red-hot start to his career with three hits on Tuesday, including his third stolen base. Mangum is 29 years old, not your classic rookie, but there's no reason for the Rays to look elsewhere when he is hitting .636 to begin his career. Mangum doesn't offer a ton of fantasy upside. Even though he has three steals, he doesn't possess great speed. Even though he has seven hits in 11 at-bats, he only has two extra-base hits and never showed much power in the minors. He makes good contact, but his quality of contact is lacking. Don't rush too quickly to empty your FAAB budget on the advanced rookie, but he is certainly worth riding while hot.
Shane Baz, SP (TB)
Baz was dominant in his season debut throwing six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts. He allowed seven hits but did not issue a walk. It was an encouraging start for a player a lot of fantasy owners are hoping will break out this year. Baz deployed an interesting pitch mix on Tuesday, throwing his curveball more than any other pitch. He managed to hit 100 miles per hour at one point on his four-seam fastball, but the velocity delta on his curve and slider are devastating for opposing hitters. Availability has been a deterrent in Baz's young career, but the ceiling is extraordinary.
Will Warren, SP (NYY)
There was some good. There was some bad in Will Warren's season debut. The Yankees starter held the potent Diamondbacks offense to only one hit; however that one hit was a home run and he also walked four batters. He finished with two runs allowed in five innings while striking out four. He has flashed a lot of upside in the minor leagues, but it has not fully carried over to the majors. Warren's stuff is good. He showcased five different pitches on Tuesday, finishing with a 35% CSW-rate, but he gave up loud contact as Arizona hitters posted a 93-mph average exit velocity in his five innings of work. Warren's hold on a rotation spot is tenuous at best with the impending return of Clarke Schmidt, who is likely to be activated in two weeks, and the Yankees commitment to a veteran presence in Carlos Carrasco.
Thomas Harrington, SP (PIT)
The Pirates quickly closed the book on Carmen Mlodzinski in the rotation after the young hurler gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks in 3.2 innings on Monday. So they turned to another young pitcher in Thomas Harrington. Well, it didn't go any better for Harrington on Tuesday. He allowed six runs on seven hits and four walks in four innings while striking out two. Harrington obviously carried some debut nerves as the four walks were more than he has allowed in any minor league start since he was drafted 36th overall in 2022. In fact, Harrington's potential is dependent on impeccable control because he doesn't have elite stuff and won't end up striking out a ton of batters. He probably gets another opportunity in the Pittsburgh rotation and maybe he just needed to get one start out of the way, but he should not be trusted until he establishes some success at the major league level.
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