1 day agoSt. Louis Cardinals catching prospect
Jimmy Crooks has enjoyed a strong start to the 2025 campaign at the Triple-A level. Crooks has posted two multi-hit outings through his first three contests and tallied four RBI with a 2:2 BB:K. He also hit his first long ball of the campaign in the season opener. This is a promising start for the Oklahoma product as he spent his entire 2024 campaign at the Double-A level. Across 90 contests at Double-A in 2024, Crooks posted a strong .321/.410/.498 slash line with 19 doubles and 11 round-trippers. He held a 43:78 BB:K and swiped four bags. The 23-year-old is currently considered the No. 4-ranked prospect in the St. Louis system on MLB.com. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Crooks' production at Triple-A, but he will face an uphill battle to reach the majors as the Cardinals have two capable backstops in the majors.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
1 day agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Kyle Tucker went 2-for-3 with a home run and a double in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Oakland Athletics. The 28-year-old plated one run, scoring thrice, walked twice and struck out once. Tucker has been white-hot at the dish to start the year, hitting a superb .353/.450/.853 with nine extra-base hits (five doubles, four HRs), one steal, and a 6:6 K:BB ratio. Furthermore, he leads the MLB with 12 hits, is tied for the league lead with 11 RBI, and places second in runs scored (9) behind
Shohei Ohtani. Tucker will line up again at Sutter Health Park on Wednesday, squaring off against left-handed pitcher
Jeffrey Springs in the Cubs' series finale against the A's.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
1 day agoThe San Diego Padres have signed outfielder
Jackson Merrill to a nine-year contract extension worth $135 million. The contract can max out at $204 million and includes a $30 million club option for a tenth season, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. Merrill was drafted with the 27th pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Severna Park HS. The 21-year-old made his MLB debut last summer and performed at an elite level, posting a .292/,326/.500 slash line. He tallied 24 long balls with 16 stolen bases. Under the hood, he generated an elite .372 xwOBA, .303 xBA, and a .534 xSLG, which were all well above the average marks. In addition, Merrill was placed in the 97th percentile in range and 90th in arm strength. Fantasy managers should expect Merrill to be the everyday center fielder in San Diego for the next decade. He should continue to be viewed as a high-end OF2 in all fantasy formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Robert Murray
1 day agoAthletics first baseman
Nick Kurtz went 3-for-6 with a home run during their victory on Tuesday evening. Kurtz launched a two-run shot in the fifth inning. Kurtz was selected with the fourth overall pick in last year's MLB Draft out of Wake Forest and has been performing at an elite level through his first taste of Triple-A. Across his first four regular season games, Kurtz has tallied at least one hit in each contest and posted two three-hit outings. Kurtz has gone deep twice during this hot start and added two doubles. He has tallied six RBI and scored five runs. Last season, the 22-year-old received a brief 12-game taste of the minor leagues after being drafted. Across 12 games split between Low-A and Double-A, Kurtz posted a .368/.520/.763 slash line. If he continues this elite production at Triple-A, he will be in contention for an MLB debut later this summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
1 day agoChicago Cubs outfielder/designated hitter
Seiya Suzuki went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run during their victory over the Athletics on Tuesday evening. Suzuki wasted little time as he launched a three-run shot in the opening frame off Athletics right-hander
Luis Severino. This home run also scored outfielders
Ian Happ and
Kyle Tucker. After tallying just two hits over his first four games, Suzuki has turned the corner. He has now tallied at least two hits in each of his previous three contests. During this stretch, he has launched his first two round-trippers of the campaign and tallied six RBI. The 30-year-old has seen steady progression since making his MLB debut during the 2022 season. Last summer, he launched a career-best 21 home runs and held a .283/.366/.482 line. He will look to post his fourth-straight multi-hit performance on Wednesday against Athletics southpaw
Jeffrey Springs.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 day agoAthletics designated hitter
Brent Rooker went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run during their loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday evening. Rooker went deep in the opening frame off Chicago Cubs left-handed pitcher
Justin Steele. This two-run shot also scored outfielder
Lawrence Butler. Later in the contest, he would cross home plate a second time on a
Shea Langeliers home run. Rooker has turned the corner since going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts on Opening Day, going 7-for-22 with two home runs, five RBI, and four runs across his previous five contests. Last summer, the 30-year-old posted an impressive .293/.365/.562 slash line with 26 doubles and 39 home runs. His home run total was the fourth-most in the American League. He will look to stay hot on Wednesday, facing
Jameson Taillon.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 day agoAthletics catcher
Shea Langeliers went 2-for-4 with a two-run blast during their loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday evening. Langeliers hit a single in his first at-bat off Chicago southpaw
Justin Steele. Then in the third inning, Langeliers would take Steele deep with a two-run blast, which scored
Brent Rooker. Since going 0-for-3 on Opening Day, Langeliers has posted a solid .267/.353/.667 slash line with two home runs, five RBI, and a 2:2 BB:K over his previous four games. Last summer, Langeliers enjoyed a career year as he went deep 29 times and held a .224/.288/.450 slash line. The 27-year-old generated a strong 12.8 percent barrel rate with a .456 xSLG. Even though he does not draw walks often, his elite power upside gives him significant value in all formats, especially at the catcher position. He will look to stay hot on Wednesday, facing Chicago right-hander
Jameson Taillon.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 day agoDetroit Tigers starting pitcher
Casey Mize tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings en route to defeating the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday evening. Mize allowed just one hit and served up three free passes while striking out six. The lone hit was tallied by the first batter he saw,
Victor Robles. This was a strong season debut for Mize, who was not guaranteed a spot in the rotation during camp. He had to win the role over veteran
Kenta Maeda. In addition,
Alex Cobb (hip) also opened the season on the injured list, which provided Mize with an opportunity. Last season, Mize logged 102 1/3 innings of work and held a modest 4.49 ERA with a 1.47 WHIP. The former first overall pick tallied just 78 punchouts but showed strong command with a 6.4 percent walk rate. Despite the strong outing, Mize is best left on your bench in his next start when he faces the New York Yankees.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 day agoSan Francisco Giants outfielder
Heliot Ramos went 1-for-4 with a solo blast during their 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday evening. Ramos went deep in the fourth inning off Houston starter
Hayden Wesneski. This was already his third long ball of the young campaign. Through his first five contests of the 2025 season, Ramos has tallied at least one hit in each game and has tallied five total extra-base hits, with three of them leaving the yard. He has added five RBI, scored six runs, and even swiped one bag. Last season, the 25-year-old appeared in a career-high 121 MLB contests and posted a strong .269/.322/.469 slash line with 23 doubles and 22 round-trippers. Given his strong start, fantasy managers should continue to start Ramos in all formats. He will face Houston ace
Framber Valdez on Wednesday.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 day agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Logan Webb allowed just one run with five hits and no walks across seven innings en route to defeating the Houston Astros. He tallied six punchouts. His lone blemish came in the fourth inning when
Jose Altuve hit a solo shot. This was a strong bounce-back for Webb as he allowed six hits and three earned runs over five frames in his first start of the campaign against the Cincinnati Reds. Last season, the 28-year-old logged 204 1/4 innings and held a 3.47 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP. He tallied 173 punchouts but was able to generate ground balls at an elite 57.2 percent rate. Since 2022, Webb has been a true workhorse, logging at least 192 innings in each campaign. Webb is tentatively scheduled to get a rematch against the Reds, who gave him trouble on Opening Day in his next start.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoArizona Diamondbacks third baseman
Eugenio Suarez continued his power run in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Yankees. The 33-year-old went 1-for-4 with a grand slam and a strikeout. Suarez hit an eighth-inning
Mark Leiter Jr. off-speed pitch just over the left-field wall to put the Diamondbacks up for good. He has picked up right where he left off in 2024 and is now slashing .278/.381/1.111 with five home runs and 11 RBI in his first 21 plate appearances. While his current HR pace is not sustainable, Suarez has offered high-end power for most of his career. The issue at times has been very low batting averages, but he could continue to be a fantasy surprise if he bats close to the .256 he compiled last season or better.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoArizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher
A.J. Puk converted the team's first save opportunity of the season in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Yankees. Puk came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by three. He got the first two outs on strikeouts, allowed a solo home run, and got the final out on a line-out. The 29-year-old came into the season jockeying for save opportunities with
Justin Martinez, who struck out the side in the eighth inning of the game. Both players offer plenty of strikeout upside, although Martinez did spend some time last season as the team's closer and recently signed a five-year, $18 million extension. The Diamondbacks should see plenty of save opportunities this season, so until one player grasps the closer's role, both are worth rostering in at least all roto leagues at this time.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoSan Diego Padres starting pitcher
Michael King had an excellent rebound start in Tuesday's 7-0 win over the Guardians. King pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and a walk with 11 strikeouts. He also hit a batter. The 29-year-old's performance was a relief for both the Padres and fantasy managers, as he lasted just 2 2/3 IP in his first start while allowing three runs and walking four. King emerged as a legitimate higher-end fantasy starter last season and has showcased high strikeout upside throughout his career. He has walked five batters in his first two starts, but that has never been an issue in his game. King will face the Athletics in Sacramento in his next start. He is worth starting in fantasy leagues, even though Sutter Health Park has done a poor job of keeping the ball in the park early on.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoMilwaukee Brewers outfielder
Christian Yelich had an overall productive game offensively in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Royals. Yelich went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two RBI, and a walk. He also stole his second base of the season. The 33-year-old clubbed an eighth-inning
John Schreiber cutter deep over the right-center wall for his first long ball of the season. It was an encouraging game for Yelich, who is slashing just .125/.300/.313 in his first 20 plate appearances of the season. Fantasy managers shouldn't be worried about Yelich's performance this early in the season, as health is his key issue. He has been a solid fantasy contributor when on the field throughout his career. Hopefully, this game can help get him going.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoMiami Marlins relief pitcher
Anthony Bender saw the team's first save opportunity of the season and converted it in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Mets.
Anthony Veneziano started the top of the ninth inning with a two-run lead, and Bender came in to relieve him with one out and runners on first and second. The 30-year-old shut the door with a fly-out and a ground-out. Given that two of the Mets' first three hitters in the ninth were left-handed, that could explain why the lefty Veneziano started the inning. The Marlins did not come into the season with a declared closer, although Bender and
Calvin Faucher seemed to be the likeliest candidates. Bender has been a solid reliever throughout his career, but he owns just 11 career saves in four seasons. He may be worth a speculative fantasy look in deep roto leagues at this time.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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