We are done with the first two weeks of the fantasy baseball season and boy has it been a fun one! As I sit here writing this on Wednesday evening, I still can’t get over just how many runs were scored on Tuesday. While I am a sucker for a good pitching duel, there is just something about seeing a ton of runs scored across the league that makes my heart happy.
You see, I’m a simple man. I love runs scored, hard-hit baseballs, bat flips, and deep diving into as much Statcast data as my little mind can handle. While all sample sizes at this point are of the small variety, there is still plenty of data that you can get excited about. Some of that data comes from some pretty unlikely sources as well. From post-hype sleepers to closers you’d probably never expect, this week’s article has some goodies in it that I think you’ll enjoy.
- Weekly Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
- Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Trade Value Chart
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Statcast Round-Up – Week 2 Standouts
Jarred Kelenic (OF – Seattle Mariners): SO. MUCH. POWER.
Coming into the season, Kelenic found himself getting labeled as a “bust” on a daily basis. He had that one pretty damn impressive September back in 2021 but other than that, there hadn’t really been much to write home about. In fact, he’d struggled so much at the big league level that he’d been sent back down multiple times in 2021 and 2022.
The version of Kelenic that showed up in 2023 is a whole different monster. He already has 11 batted ball events of 102.9 MPH or more. His average exit velocity of 93.8 MPH has him in the 90th percentile, but that’s not the only category in which he’s excelling. After struggling with his average in his career, he has a current xBA of .319, which is in the 90th percentile. His 60.9% hard-hit rate and .758 xSLG are in the 95th and 98th percentiles as well. Not only has Kelenic figured out how to hit for average, but the power has come out in full force as well.
If he keeps this up, the numbers Kelenic could put up over a full season would be a sight to behold. Especially after that monster home run he just hit to dead center at Wrigley Field. The Kelenic hype train is moving at full steam and you don’t want to miss it.
David Robertson (RP – New York Mets): The Unexpected King Of Statcast
So let’s be honest, when Edwin Diaz went down in the WBC, we all wondered who the hell was going to take over the closer role. Sure, the Mets had Robertson and Adam Ottavino but none of them were very intriguing options. Or so we thought. Ottavino has been ok thus far and just locked down his first save of the season, but Robertson has secretly been on another level.
Yeah, yeah yeah… I know he’s only pitched 6.1 innings in six appearances, but he’s been playing like a man possessed. In those six innings, Robertson has given up just one hit and no runs while picking up a pair of saves. And he’s done it in an absolutely dominant fashion. His cutter (30%), slider (62.5%), and curveball (50%) all have very impressive whiff rates. This has led to a league-leading xBA (.074) and xSLG (.081), and he’s yet to give up a hard hit or barreled ball.
As of now, Robertson is in the 100th percentile in hard-hit rate, xERA, xBA, and xSLG. He’s also in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity, 94th in strikeout rate, and 98th in whiff rate. Again, it is a small sample size, but Robertson has the makings of a dominant closer for a team in line to win 100 games. If he can hold off Ottavino, he could save 40 games with incredible metrics.
Garrett Mitchell (CF), Brice Turang (2B,SS), Joey Wiemer (RF) (Milwaukee Brewers): The Speed Trio Of Milwaukee
I wanted to get some speed on this list, which is a bit easier with the speed leaderboard now available. My plan was to just highlight someone unexpectedly fast, but once I got my eyes on that list, one thing stood out above the rest. The young trio of rookies in Milwaukee has some serious speed. Keep in mind that 30 feet per second is considered “elite” in the baseball world, and the Brew Crew has three guys already knocking on that door.
Garrett Mitchell is the fastest of the bunch by just a hair, followed by Turang and Weimer, respectfully. Mitchell’s current sprint speed is 29.3 fps, Turang is at 29.2, and Weimer is at 29.0. The average competitive sprint speed in baseball is 27 fps. One thing that has yet to be seen is how much the team will let these youngsters unleash their speed. As it sits, Mitchell has attempted zero stolen bases. Turang has attempted three and was successful on two of them. Wiemer, who I was the most skeptical about when it came to his speed, has also stolen two and attempted three.
Should they be allowed to be a bit freer on the basepaths, there is a chance all of them could reach the 30+ stolen base club. Not bad for a group of guys who also have a little pop in their bat as well. In particular, Mitchell has already hit three dingers and a triple. Keep an eye on these guys moving forward, as all three are still fairly available in deeper leagues. They have “valuable fantasy baseball option” written all over them.
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