We have made it to the start of the MLB season, and there were some awe-inspiring performances.
As usual, there were some great showings and some rough ones to dig into. This weekly fantasy baseball column will help highlight some hot and cold players, risers and fallers. Some players are already rostered in many places. Other players may be widely available in fantasy baseball leagues, making a potential waiver wire claim a possibility.
This week, I will highlight some known and lesser-known players. So, let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball Week 1 (3/27-3/30).
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Fantasy Baseball Risers & Fallers
Fantasy Baseball Risers
Wilyer Abreu had a monster opening series to start the season. He hit safely in all four games with two home runs, two doubles and a .700 batting average. Abreu walked 33% of the time without striking out and even stole a base.
His 30% barrel rate and 50% hard-hit rate were also outstanding. Abreu will still sit versus left-handed pitchers, but a healthy Abreu versus righties appears ready for a solid 2025 season.
We knew Tyler Soderstrom was a power-hitting machine, and he flexed that muscle to start the season. He hit safely in all four games for a .467 batting average with three home runs. He barreled the ball 30% of the time with a 70% hard-hit rate, but also struck out 31.3% of the time.
Soderstrom will hit plenty of home runs this season, but the strikeout rate is still high, reminding us he may be pretty streaky at times.
Kyle Manzardo surprised most of us by starting versus lefties over the weekend and succeeding. Manzardo hit safely in two out of three games to start the season with four extra-base hits, including two home runs and six RBI.
All of the extra-base hits came versus left-handers. Manzardo hit .455 while walking 21.4% of the time and striking out only 14.3%. Excellent plate discipline with all that power is a great sign for Manzardo going forward in 2025.
Early in the offseason, it seemed Spencer Torkelson was destined for Triple-A, but a solid spring earned him a spot in the lineup. He did not disappoint, hitting safely in all three games with a .444 batting average. Torkelson hit a home run, stole a base and walked 35.7% of the time.
The Detroit first baseman showcased great plate discipline while barreling the ball 20% of the time with an 80% hard-hit rate. Torkelson is trying to remind everyone how good he was a couple of years ago.
Otto Lopez was an endgame pick or an afterthought in most fantasy drafts this season. That has quickly changed with his opening weekend. Lopez hit safely in three out of four games with a home run, a steal and a .333 batting average.
Lopez showcased excellent plate discipline with a 16.7% walk rate and a 5.6% strikeout rate while barreling the ball 14.3% of the time. Lopez is trying to have a breakout season for the Marlins.
Fantasy Baseball Fallers
Rafael Devers missed most of spring training as he returned from a shoulder injury. The season’s opening weekend made it seem Devers was still not up to speed. He went hitless over four games with 12 strikeouts for a 66.7% strikeout rate.
Devers should eventually break out and return to the stud we all know, but his start is still quite concerning.
Luis Arraez was drafted by many as a batting average asset to their fantasy teams. That did not occur over the opening weekend as Arraez went hitless over the four games. He did not strike out, which is on brand for Arraez, but a 57% groundball rate and 20% hard-hit rate will not translate to much success.
Arraez should turn it around, but he will not provide much fantasy value if he can’t hit over .300.
There were high expectations for Triston Casas this draft season, but he finished spring battling a hand injury, and maybe that was still bothering him over the opening weekend. Casas collected one hit over the four-game series for a .063 batting average.
More concerning was the fact that Casas struck out 41.2% of the time with a 56% groundball rate and 22% hard-hit rate. Casas may still hit 30 home runs, but he currently looks lost at the plate.
Dylan Crews was supposed to have a breakout season this year. The Nationals’ top prospect did not get off to the kind of start many would like to see for a breakout player. He went hitless over the first three games with a walk and a stolen base.
Crews struck out 66.7% of the time with a 33% hard-hit rate. He should get plenty of chances to figure things out, but fantasy managers may not have as much patience as the Nationals.
Michael Toglia was a popular power source during draft season, even though his overall hit tool and swing-and-miss are not great. Well, the latter was on display over the opening weekend. Toglia collected one hit — a double — for a .091 batting average.
Toglia struck out 50% of the time with a 20% hard-hit rate. He will get his home runs if he gets at-bats, but a low batting average with plenty of strikeouts will also be in store.
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