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Statcast leaders in Week 26 of the 2024 MLB season, according to Barrel%. Joshua Costello evaluates fantasy baseball add/drops based on advanced sabermetrics.
Hello, RotoBallers, and welcome to our hitter's advanced metrics leaders article for Week 26 of the 2024 fantasy baseball season! Today, we will be taking a look at players like Trey Sweeney, Eugenio Suarez, Pete Alonso, and more. As another week of baseball wraps up, I will recap which hitters had the most impactful plate appearances in the past few days.
For the first 11 weeks of the season, we discussed Statcast's Barrels per Plate Appearance stat, or Brls/PA%, but now we can transition. The weekly leaderboard for Brls/PA% has primarily stabilized, so now we can shift our focus toward Barrel% in the last seven days.
Statcast's Barrel Percentage stat, or Barrel%, works by dividing the total number of barrels by the number of batted ball events within the given period. The higher the Barrel%, the more often the hitter makes ideal contact with the baseball. By narrowing our range, we can zero in on the players who have made the best and worst contact within the past week. We will also examine other stats, but the Barrel% will be the main focus of this piece. Take advantage of the rest of our Statcast analysis for fantasy baseball, including weekly Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds.
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Barrel% Leaders
| Player | BBE | Avg Exit Velocity (MPH) | Max Exit Velocity (MPH) | Brls | Barrel% | |
| Trey Sweeney | 12 | 93.8 | 109.0 | 4 | 33.3 | |
| Jorge Soler | 16 | 97.7 | 108.6 | 5 | 31.3 | |
| Pavin Smith | 13 | 93.4 | 112.1 | 4 | 30.8 | |
| Tyler O'Neill | 14 | 91.0 | 110.0 | 4 | 28.6 | |
| Bryce Harper | 19 | 91.8 | 108.6 | 5 | 26.3 | |
| Aaron Judge | 19 | 97.4 | 115.3 | 5 | 26.3 | |
| Manny Machado | 16 | 93.1 | 113.4 | 4 | 25.0 | |
| Hunter Goodman | 16 | 94.5 | 107.5 | 4 | 25.0 | |
| Eugenio Suarez | 13 | 96.9 | 111.0 | 3 | 23.1 | |
| Pete Alonso | 13 | 83.3 | 108.6 | 3 | 23.1 | |
| Garrett Mitchell | 13 | 91.4 | 109.7 | 3 | 23.1 | |
| Max Muncy | 14 | 92.6 | 107.8 | 3 | 21.4 | |
| Jerar Encarnacion | 14 | 100.0 | 110.6 | 3 | 21.4 | |
| Connor Norby | 14 | 85.0 | 106.9 | 3 | 21.4 | |
| Julio Rodriguez | 19 | 92.0 | 112.6 | 4 | 21.1 | |
| Kerry Carpenter | 19 | 91.5 | 109.6 | 4 | 21.1 | |
| Jackson Chourio | 19 | 90.2 | 111.0 | 4 | 21.1 | |
| Andrew McCutchen | 15 | 85.8 | 104.8 | 3 | 20.0 | |
| Matt Chapman | 15 | 89.7 | 108.2 | 3 | 20.0 | |
| Matt Wallner | 10 | 94.0 | 114.1 | 2 | 20.0 | |
| Cody Bellinger | 21 | 89.6 | 105.3 | 4 | 19.0 | |
| Ezequiel Tovar | 21 | 94.3 | 109.0 | 4 | 19.0 | |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | 21 | 93.9 | 111.9 | 4 | 19.0 | |
| Ryan McMahon | 16 | 89.2 | 109.1 | 3 | 18.8 | |
| Will Smith | 16 | 91.8 | 105.1 | 3 | 18.8 | |
Notable Players
This week's leaderboard king is Detroit Tigers shortstop Trey Sweeney. Sweeney is not a qualified hitter, but let's look at his profile to see how his numbers are under the hood.
The Tigers' top prospect hit four barrels this week in 12 batted balls, suitable for a 33.3% Barrel rate in his last 21 plate appearances. The 24-year-old slashed .333/.429/.667 with two home runs, four runs scored, and five RBI.
The young Tigers hitter put together a decent week, but his xBA of .236 suggests he may be hitting over his head right now. Still, Sweeney does have elite-level stats in his profile, such as his .498 xSLG and 91.8 mph average exit velocity.
While Sweeney may not be as good in the long term, he could be a viable addition for the season's final two weeks. The young slugger could provide much-needed power output for teams requiring assistance in the home-run department.
Taking the ninth spot on this week's leaderboard is Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Suarez had an extraordinary week at the plate, so let's take a closer look at the veteran slugger.
The 33-year-old slashed .556/.579/1.111 with three home runs, eight runs scored, and four RBI in the past week. Suarez also recorded a 26.3% strikeout over his last 19 plate appearances.
Throughout his career, Suarez has been known as a power hitter. A power hitter on a hot streak may be the perfect addition to a playoff team. With two weeks left in the regular season, I advise fantasy managers to ride the hot hand.
It's time to talk about New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso. The 29-year-old is known as one of the better power hitters in the league, so let's see what his Statcast profile looks like.
The first thing that stands out when looking at Alonso's profile is that he owns an elite xSLG and Barrel% among qualified hitters this season. Those bright red categories are the qualities that make Alonso unique, even if the box score does not reflect his talent.
Over the past week, Alonso has hit .125/.400/.313 with one home run, four runs scored, and two RBI. While that is a poor stretch for the Home Run Derby winner, the Mets slugger can still produce counting stats while having a low batting average.
Fantasy managers worried about starting Alonso in the last two weeks of the season should be reassured that he is still a strong contributor in the power department, which is highly sought after.
San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman had a poor week at the dish. Nevertheless, he finished the week at 19th on the leaderboard, so we should closely examine his profile.
In the past seven days, Chapman has 15 batted balls that he turned into three barrels, which is suitable for a 20.0% barrel rate for the week. Chapman also slashed .190/.227/.524 with two home runs, two runs scored, and four RBI.
The 31-year-old platinum glover fits in the same category as Pete Alonso for the rest of the season. Chapman can be a valuable power source in the last few weeks, making him a desirable start.
The last hitter I want to highlight is Jose Altuve. The Houston Astros second baseman finished outside the top-25 leaderboard this week, but he still deserves a closer look due to recent success and name value.
Although his underlying stats and season-long numbers could be more impressive, Altuve's slash line over the past week gives hope for his potential contributions. Altuve slashed .308/.379/.385 with three runs scored and four RBI in his last 29 plate appearances.
The 34-year-old is in the 11th percentile in average exit velocity, and his xBA is at .264 this season. Although those stats are not particularly impressive, Altuve has always had sneaky home-run power and knows how to get the ball in play.
If Altuve can continue playing at his current level, the Astros second baseman could find himself on numerous league-winning fantasy rosters by October.
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