Brett It Be
Brett Baty (NYM): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.
It hasn’t quite been the MLB career that Brett Baty envisioned when he was named a Top-50 prospect by most experts just a few seasons ago.
In 191 games and 668 career plate appearances, Baty has a slash of .215/.278/.332 and a .610 OPS. Strikeouts have been a primary issue for Baty in his career, as he has a 26.8% strikeout rate. This year, the strikeout rate is 30.3%, a career high, and his walk rate is 4.5%, a career low.
Baty hasn’t had many opportunities with the Mets this season, so the high strikeout and low walk rates must be taken with a grain of salt. He’s only played in 22 games and has 66 plate appearances this season, primarily due to being optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on April 24th. He was with the Mets’ Triple-A team until May 5th, when an injury to Jesse Winker prompted New York to bring him back up to the MLB club.
This season, the 25-year-old utility player has a slash line of .210/.246/.387 with a .633 OPS. That alone isn’t impressive. However, on Saturday against the Cubs, Baty had a big day, even if the Mets came up short in a 9-8 loss at home.
Baty went 2-for-4 with two home runs, his first two of the season. He also scored two runs and collected five RBI. In 10 plate appearances in May, Baty is hitting .300 with a 1.200 OPS. He also has improved his batting average from .190 (on May 7th) to .210, thanks to consecutive two-hit performances against the Cubs.
The odds may be against Baty regarding being a regular in the Mets lineup this season, especially when Winker returns from the IL. However, a nice audition in Winker’s absence could prompt a team needing offensive help to trade for Baty before the July Trade Deadline.
Perhaps a change of scenery can help Baty finally live up to his once massive prospect hype.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday
Corey Seager (TEX): 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
The Rangers cooled a scorching Tigers team, winning 10-3 against Tigers starter Jack Flaherty. The Rangers got a big performance from Seager, who had three hits, two home runs, and three RBI. Not only has Seager been relatively healthy (107 plate appearances), but he’s also produced at the plate, with a .300 average, .866 OPS, and six home runs.
Shea Langeliers (ATH): 4-5, 2B, HR, R, 5 RBI.
The A’s bounced back on Saturday against the favored Yankees, winning an 11-7 slugfest. Langeliers had a big day as the Athletics‘ DH, collecting four hits, five RBI, and his eighth home run this season. The 27-year-old is hitting .248 for the year with a .784 OPS in 143 plate appearances. Even though the average isn’t high, Langeliers is one of fantasy’s more valuable catcher-eligible hitters.
Aaron Judge (NYY): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
The Yankees lost, but Judge continues his quest for another AL MVP award. The Yankees slugger hit his 14th home run of the season and added 3 RBI. Judge will cool off at some point (how much it will be is to be determined). It will likely not happen soon, especially with one more game remaining in Sacramento this weekend.
Matt McLain (CIN): 1-3, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB, SB.
The Reds scored 10 runs in the first inning and 13 in the game against the Astros. McLain contributed to that run total with three RBI and a home run, his fifth of the season. It’s been a rough return for McLain after missing all of 2024 due to injury. He’s only hitting .168 with a .601 OPS in 141 plate appearances. He’s still hitting the ball hard, as evidenced by his 48.6% hard-hit and 11.1% barrel rates. That said, McLain needs to start showing some results soon.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (SDP): 2-4, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB.
The Padres scored 21 runs against the Rockies on Saturday night (yes, that is not a typo). Tatis contributed to that lofty total with a home run and three RBI. Tatis is making his NL MVP case this year. He has eight home runs, eight stolen bases, and is hitting .317 with a .925 OPS. As long as the Padres continue to win, the “Tatis for MVP” chants will only get louder as the season progresses.
Carlos Narváez (BOS): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
After only scoring one run in 12 innings on Friday night against the Royals, the Red Sox scored ten on Saturday. Narváez was one Red Sox hitter who had a big day, as he collected three hits, two RBI, and his fourth home run of the season. Narváez has been battling with Connor Wong for innings behind the plate this season. With Wong struggling, Narváez may start pulling away with the position soon.
Kerry Carpenter (DET): 3-4, 3B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
The Tigers lost badly to the Rangers, but that didn’t stop Carpenter from having a big day. He had three hits, an RBI, and his ninth home run of the year. The 27-year-old outfielder isn’t walking much (1.5% walk rate), and his OBP is lower than fantasy managers would like (.309). However, he is hitting .290 with a .859 OPS, and his barrel rate is strong at 14.3%. Carpenter looks to be a dependable hitting force for the Tigers this year, as long as he stays healthy.
Bryce Harper (PHI): 3-5, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
It’s been a slow start for Harper this year (at least by his standards). He’s only hitting .242 (.285 last year) with a .792 OPS (.898 last year) in 177 plate appearances. However, he had a big day on Saturday in Cleveland, collecting three hits, two RBI, and a home run, his seventh of the year. The LA Sweet Spot percentage (85th percentile) and average bat speed (88th percentile) still look solid from Harper, so maybe this is the start of a much-needed turnaround for him.
Victor Caratini (HOU): 3-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Houston spotted Cincinnati a 10-run lead before they could get their first at-bat. However, they chipped away, thanks to players like Caratini. The Astros catcher had three hits, two RBI, and a home run, his second of the season. The 31-year-old catching vet has seemingly found a home as a dependable backup in Houston, as he is hitting .250 with a .795 OPS in 56 plate appearances this season.
