Major League Baseball

Covered by Will Thompson

💣💣Willy Adames, SS SF (MLB)

2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, K

The Giants offense has struggled for a while now, but quietly Willy Adames has started to get hot at the plate. Since July 1, Adames is hitting .314/.386/.706 with 5 HR in 14 games. The power surge is the most notable improvement there. He’s not going to be a 30 HR hitter going from Milwaukee to San Francisco, but him staying hot is vital to this Giants lineup getting going again. 

Addison Barger, RF TOR (MLB)

4-for-4, 2B, R

We here at Prospects Live love Addison Barger and the man has simply not cooled off at the plate. He had four hits in the win yesterday and the Blue Jays hot streak has carried right over from the all-star break. Barger’s 54.3% hard-hit rate is 10th in all of baseball. 

Jo Adell, CF LAA (MLB)

2-for-4, HR, R, RBI, K

Adell hit his 21st home run of the season yesterday, setting a new career-high and we’re still in July. He’s on an extended hot streak at this point and all the arrows are pointing up. Adell has cut down his K rate to 23% while his hard contact rates have spiked, with his hard-hit rate up to 50% and barrel rate up to 17%. The outfielder also has a .401 xwOBA compared to his .352 actual wOBA. The defensive metrics are ugly this year with Adell in center, but if the Angels can get him back to RF, this might be a future 5 WAR player. 

Kyle Schwarber, DH PHI (MLB)

2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB, 2 K

The hero of the ASG just cannot stop hitting home runs, whether it’s in a swing-off or an actual game. Schwarber’s grand slam was the big swing of the game and he’s now homered in both of his games back from the all-star break. His career-high mark in homers is 47 and with 32 already, that mark might be in danger. A possible 50 HR hitter that’s shown no signs of slowing down is going to make a lot of money this winter. 

Bryce Harper, 1B PHI (MLB)

2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K

Harper has absolutely mashed since coming off the IL, hitting .333/.448/.729 with seven doubles and four home runs in those 13 games. The power coming back is the most encouraging, especially because it was down this year leading up to this run. The Phillies lineup needs this version of Harper and he’s turning around his season in a big way. 

🍔🍟Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF CHC (MLB)

2-for-4, HR, R, RBI, K, SB

PCA is the king of combo meals at this point, it’s just what he does regularly. He had his fingerprints all over this win for the Cubs, making plays in CF, wreaking havoc on the bases, and hitting the ball over the wall. His 5.1 fWAR ranks third in baseball, trailing just Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh. Ohtani is amazing and still the overwhelming favorite to win another NL MVP, but PCA isn’t as far off as it seems. 

‼️Shota Imanaga, LHP CHC (MLB)

7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Watching a guy be as dominant as Imanaga is with a 91 MPH fastball is a real treat. That’s the type of life his fastball has at the top of the zone to make it play up and the Red Sox couldn’t lay off the splitter in this outing. The lefty’s K rate is just 18% this year though and he will always give up his fair share of homers so the peripherals aren’t great, but Imanaga is one of those guys that will always outperform his expected numbers. 

‼️Kumar Rocker, RHP TEX (MLB)

6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Man did Kumar Rocker need a dominant start like this or what? He dominated the Tigers cold lineup and this is more the type of pitcher he has to be. With his current stuff and deadzone fastball, he’s not going to generate many whiffs, so he’s throwing a lot of sinkers and cutters to generate weak contact. The Rangers have plenty of starting pitching and are quietly very much still in the WC race and if Rocker can be a reliable backend starter for them that will help a ton.  

Jacob Wilson, SS SAC (MLB)

2-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, K

Wilson has started the month of July a little slow, but expecting him to hit .340 the whole season was probably unrealistic. Even so, Wilson possibly being a 15 HR hitter with his contact skills is pretty insane.  

Nick Kurtz, 1B SAC (MLB)

3-for-5, HR, 2 2B, 2 K

Nick Kurtz has turned into an absolute monster. Three XBH for the rookie yesterday and he’s now hitting .270/.342/.591 with 18 HR and a 150 wRC+ in his first 60 games. Not only that, but Kurtz is hitting .417 with 5 HR in his last 10 games. Even the most optimistic of Kurtz fans out there I don’t think saw this kind of production coming this early. Just imagine what he can do with a full season at the plate, he’s a special talent.  

💣💣Eugenio Suarez, 3B ARI (MLB)

2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB

With each passing double dong day for Suarez, the asking price for him at the deadline continues to go up. He is now tied with Ohtani for the NL lead with 33 home runs in 2025 and given he’s by far the best hitter on the trade market, the bidding war between the contenders is going to force quite a return here. The Yankees, Cubs, Mariners, and more figure to be in the mix. 

Corbin Carroll, RF ARI (MLB)

3-for-5, 2 3B, 2B, 2 R, RBI

Suarez is getting all the headlines right now, but Corbin Carroll is still a star in his own right. He’s traded some swing and miss for added power and as a result he’s turning in the best offensive season of his career. His hard-hit rate is up to 50% (previous career-high was 40%) and his barrel rate is now 15.7% which is more than double his previous career-high. Also how often do you see two triples in a game? Carroll remains one of the most exciting players in the game.  

💣💣Anthony Volpe, SS NYY (MLB)

2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, K

Man did Volpe ever need a double dong day like this or what? It’s been an extended slump for Volpe at the plate lately and the pressure from the fanbase has really turned up. One thing is for sure though, Volpe has power and needs to swing to optimize it. The calls for him to switch to a contact based approach make no sense given the fact his bat to ball skills just aren’t that great to begin with. Volpe has to stick to what makes him unique, his combination of power and defense at shortstop.  

Trent Grisham, CF NYY (MLB)

2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI

It was an epic comeback in Atlanta for the Yankees and Grisham’s ninth inning grand slam off Raisel Iglesias was the big swing of the night. Grisham is one of the guys at the center of the Yankees crowded lineup concerns because every time he’s in there he continues to perform. Even though his playing time has become more spread out, he still has a .981 OPS in July. It’s a good problem for Aaron Boone to have, but he’s got a lot of guys to try and find ABs for. 

Hunter Goodman, C COL (MLB)

3-for-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI

Lost in the shuffle of Cal Raleigh and Will Smith’s incredible seasons at the plate is Hunter Goodman, who has had a true breakout campaign and hit his 18th homer of the season last night. The expected numbers continue to suggest regression is coming for Goodman, but it hasn’t happened yet. The defense behind the plate isn’t great, but the Rockies will gladly take Goodman’s offense in the lineup and is a controllable piece for them to build around. 

Ezequiel Tovar, SS COL (MLB)

3-for-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI

Speaking of young players for the Rockies to build around, Ezequiel Tovar is back and certainly fits that bill. He’s tooled up and if he ever learns how to not swing at literally everything, Tovar could quickly become a star in this league. The 23-year-old hasn’t been able to stay on the field much this year, but great to see him back. 

Shohei Ohtani, DH LAD (MLB)

2-for-5, HR, R, 3 RBI, K

The Dodgers seemingly don’t win baseball games anymore but don’t blame Shohei Ohtani, he continues to mash. The home run he hit last night was a majestic 448 foot blast to the opposite field, a type of shot that only Shohei Ohtani can create. PCA is closer than the odds will give him credit for, but Ohtani still has a pretty comfortable lead for the NL MVP award. 

🚑Isaac Paredes, 3B HOU (MLB)

1-for-2

It’s just been that type of season for the Astros. Paredes left this game with a hamstring injury and was placed on the IL this morning and figures to miss significant time. It’s another brutal blow for the Astros lineup, who has started to struggle lately and makes you wonder how many of these injuries they can possibly sustain before it catches up to them. 

Triple-A

Covered by Trevor Hooth

Josh Jung, 3B TEX (Triple-A)

1-for-5, HR, R, RBI

Two bombs in two games since the All-Star Break from Josh Jung. After this game he’s hitting .212 in seven Triple-A games, with these two homers being the only ones he’s hit in 33 at bats. He was demoted after MLB struggles, so he’ll be hoping to work his way back to the promise he showed just a couple years ago. 

‼️Justin Wrobleski, LHP LAD (Triple-A)

6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

The Dodgers will likely continue to bus Justin Wrobleski up and down this year so he can fill whatever role they need him to fill. He’s working as a starter in Triple-A where he’s posted a 4.18 ERA through 51.2 innings with 47 strikeouts.

Yonathan Perlaza, OF SD (Triple-A)

2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K

The 26-year-old outfielder is making a solid case to debut if an outfielder is needed at the big league level for the Padres. Yonathan Perlaza is hitting .303 with 11 home runs and an 11 percent walk rate through 337 at bats. He’s been good in his return stateside after spending last season in the KBO.