In the first edition of this fantasy baseball Statcast review, we established the importance of players getting the barrel to the ball. You will likely win your fantasy baseball offensive categories if your lineup includes players consistently recording barrels.

Barrel percentage (BRL%) is the rate a player records barrels across their batted ball events (BBEs). Below are the BRL% leaders from 5/1 to 5/14, how their BRL% compares to the two weeks prior (4/17 to 4/30) and the subsequent fantasy baseball outlook.

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*All players must record a minimum of 40 plate appearances (PAs) in both windows to qualify for this week’s fantasy baseball statcast review.

Aaron Judge (OF – NYY) – 37.5% (+24.6%)

Aaron Judge separated himself in BRL% over this window, which is a polite summary. His rate of 37.5% is more than 16 points higher than runner-up Vinnie Pasquantino. In 37 at-bats, Judge recorded 12 BRLs on only 32 BBEs. This BBE total places Judge 98th overall in the category during this stretch; a testament to how well he is seeing the baseball. Judge logged four home runs, nine RBI, nine walks, nine runs scored and a batting average of .317. Relative to the field, most of these numbers crack the top 20, but none of them are inside the top five. Judge managers would be right to expect more production, but the significant jump in BRL% could lead to a monster summer from the Yankees star. Judge is a cornerstone piece for his managers and should not be shopped in the trade market this early in the season.

Vinnie Pasquantino (1B – KC) – 21.1% (+11.3%)

Vinnie Pasquantino continues to build his BRL% in May. Before 4/17, his BRL% was 3.6% over 61 at-bats. This window yielded 43 at-bats and eight total BRLs on 38 BBEs. The Royals’ 1B hit only one homer but still managed to slug .535. His six doubles certainly contributed to the 11 RBI he produced, which was tied for seventh overall in the last two weeks. On the season, Pasquantino is in the top 10 at 1B in both RBI and runs scored. He is 15th at his position in home runs. This hot stretch makes Pasquantino an interesting trade option for his managers who have offensive depth but need pitching. His slash line of .236/.318/.419 is down from his career averages. If Pasquantino managers hold him they should expect a slight increase in production that will level off later in the year.

Marcell Ozuna (DH – ATL) – 20.8% (+7.9%)

Marcell Ozuna continues his quest for baseball’s RBI crown with a nice jump in BRL% in recent weeks. In this window, Ozuna had three home runs, 10 RBI and seven walks. He carried an impressive OPS of 1.043 anchored by his .611 slugging average. Believe it or not, this is a slower stretch on the season for Ozuna. There is no reason for his managers to panic, however, as Ozuna is second in all slash line categories to Shohei Ohtani at DH. He has also matched Ohtani’s home run total of 12 and is likely to finish in the top three at his position on the season. Do not trade Ozuna.

Shohei Ohtani (DH – LAD) – 20.0% (-6.3%)

It’s no surprise to see Shohei Ohtani toward the top in BRL% over any stretch of games. He managed to crack the top five in this cycle despite a 6.3-point drop in the category. Ohtani is one of two players in the top five in BRL % over both windows; the other being Cal Raleigh. The Dodger DH led all players in batting average at .447, was tied for second in home runs with five and added 11 RBI. Ohtani leads MLB on the season in batting average, slugging average and OPS. He is the best all-around player in baseball and should not be made available by managers unless they are interested in a complete overhaul of their rosters.

Cal Raleigh (C – SEA) – 20.0% (-7.3%)

The Big Dumper’s quality of contact has been on the upswing over the last month. Cal Raleigh led the previous window in BRL% at 27.3%, making his decline over the past two weeks understandable. The Seattle catcher recorded five BRLs on 25 BBEs in this window. He had four home runs, 11 RBI, eight runs scored and a disheartening 16 strikeouts. Raleigh contributes power to his managers’ lineups but will lag in batting average and on-base percentage. The Seattle offense is also in the bottom third of MLB in runs scored. Raleigh is tied with Ryan Jeffers for the lead in home runs at catcher with 10 but is hitting only .218. Raleigh is a solid trade piece for his managers as the home run total is flashy early in the season. If traded, it will be hard to replace Raleigh’s power at catcher but he may be able to command an important piece to help round out rosters.

Fantasy Baseball Statcast Review: Top 20 BRL% Leaders

5/1 through 5/14

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