Major League Baseball

Covered by Will Thompson

Chandler Simpson, CF TB (MLB)

2-for-3, 2 R, RBI

Since being called up to the big leagues again, Simpson has been fantastic. In those 11 games, the speedster is hitting .371/.410/.429 with 5 SB and just one strikeout in 39 PA. He constantly wrecks game with his speed and at least the returns defensively in a small sample have looked solid since returning to the Rays. I’m certainly a fan of Simpson, but I don’t think even the most optimistic Simpson fans could have predicted he would be hitting .304 for the season at this point. This guy continues to do the exact same thing no matter what kind of pitching is on the other side, he’s incredible. 

Yohel Pozo, C STL (MLB)

1-for-1, HR, R, 3 RBI

Pozo didn’t start this game but launched an epic pinch-hit three-run bomb way out of Wrigley to take the lead for good. The 28-year-old has been awesome when he’s in the lineup this season and his story is especially cool given he was stuck in Triple-A for three years in between his big league stints in 2021 and this year. His shot sets up a big rubber match between the Cubs and Cardinals today. 

Michael Busch, 1B CHC (MLB)

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

Is there a hotter hitter in the big leagues right now than Michael Busch? Make it four home runs in the first two games of this series and he’s turned himself into easily a top five first baseman in the game at this point. He’s got a 162 wRC+ this season and most impressive of all he’s cut his K rate from 28% last season to 22% this year. The Cubs and Dodgers Busch for Zyhir Hope swap is looking like a massive win for both sides. 

Ceddanne Rafaela, CF BOS (MLB)

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

For all of you who said “all Ceddanne Rafaela has to do is be a league average hitter to be a stud” well congratulations, the day has finally come. With his big game yesterday, Rafaela now has a 101 wRC+ and has a .899 OPS since June 1st. What’s behind that? Pulling and lifting the ball more to turn all his hard contact he’s had all season into XBH instead of long flyouts to center and right-center. I’m starting to really buy in here because the defense is among the best in all of baseball. 

Roman Anthony, RF BOS (MLB)

2-for-5, RBI

Roman Anthony is scorching hot at the plate following a slow start to his big league career. Over his last eight games, he’s hitting .382/.432/.529 with five doubles as he’s settled into the middle of the Red Sox lineup. Anthony is still hitting the ball on the ground too much, but he’s got a 53.6% hard-hit rate and 12.5% barrel rate combined with chasing just 20% of the time. He is well on his way to becoming a superstar. 

George Springer, LF TOR (MLB)

2-for-6, HR, R, 2 RBI

I asked if there was any hotter hitter in baseball than Michael Busch and well, if you were to say anyone else it would be George Springer. The Jays have won seven games in a row and Springer’s insane heater has been right in the center of it. Over his last 14 games, Springer is hitting .472 with 6 HR and 21 RBI. Yes that’s correct, 21 RBI in 14 games. I don’t think he’ll keep up a 150 wRC+ all season, but him being healthy and producing is a gamechanger for Toronto’s lineup. 

‼️Ryne Nelson, RHP ARI (MLB)

7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

After Eduardo Rodriguez laid another egg the previous game, Ryne Nelson gave the DBacks a start they desperately needed. The righty carried a perfect game into the 6th inning and has quietly had an excellent season. Since being moved into the rotation, Nelson has a 2.79 ERA while pitching to weak contact. 

Matt Olson, 1B ATL (MLB)

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

Olson is just a model of consistency at this point and he’s had another great year despite his team’s struggles. He reached base five times in another game where the Braves bullpen fell apart late. Olson’s quality of contact has been excellent as well, posting nearly a 55% hard-hit rate and a career-high 17.2% barrel rate. 

💣💣Pete Alonso, 1B NYM (MLB)

2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, BB, K

As someone who was very high on Alonso coming into free agency last winter, I have totally flipped now. He’s a new player and while he still has power, he’s sacrificed a little of that to make more contact. Perhaps the most surprising of all is his doubles. Alonso leads the NL in doubles with 25 and is going to soar past his career-high mark of 30. Him becoming more well-rounded has been massive for this Mets lineup and Alonso is going to be rewarded handsomely this offseason. 

Brandon Nimmo, LF NYM (MLB)

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

The Yankees came into this game struggling and got dealt a brutal blow with the announcement of Clarke Schmidt likely needing TJS. Nimmo added to that misery by burying the Yankees quickly with a first inning grand slam. He’s a much more aggressive hitter this season and fell victim to some poor luck early on, but he’s been a .300 hitter since June 1. I’m buying lots of Brandon Nimmo stock, I think there’s more to come here. 

Kyle Stowers, LF MIA (MLB)

1-for-3, HR, R, RBI

When Stowers makes contact he absolutely crushes the baseball. He’s got a 53% hard-hit rate and an absurd 19.7% barrel rate, which is 6th in all of baseball. Stowers has the same barrel rate as Cal Raleigh just to put that into perspective. There are lots of swing and miss concerns, but even him going from a 35% strikeout rate to 30% this year makes a big difference. If he could eventually get down around 27 or 28% consistently, Stowers is going to be a problem. 

‼️Casey Mize, RHP DET (MLB)

7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

I watched most of this start and I’m honestly not sure whether to credit the majority of this to Casey Mize being good or the Guardians lineup being horrible. It was a lot of weak contact again for Cleveland, but limiting hard contact is something Mize has done a very good job of in his breakout season. Changing his curveball and leaning on that more than his slider has done wonders for him in 2025. 

Shohei Ohtani, P/DH LAD (MLB)

Pitching: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Hitting: 1-for-4, BB

This was undoubtedly Ohtani’s best start yet and his stuff looks exactly like it did when he last was on a big league mound in 2023. His command in particular looked excellent and because I’m impatient, I want the Dodgers to start stretching him out more now. The Dodgers are going to be extremely careful with Ohtani though with the goal of getting him stretched out for the postseason as the ultimate goal still. 

Mookie Betts, SS LAD (MLB)

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

There’s no sugarcoating it, it’s been a really rough year for Mookie Betts. The sharp decline in his bat speed over the last two years is concerning and his hard contact and barrel rates are career lows. Ultimately, he is still Mookie Betts and the Dodgers have plenty of talent outside of him, but he’s going to need more games like this to get back on track. 

Colson Montgomery, SS CHW (MLB)

3-for-5, 3B, RBI

It’s remarkable that Montgomery literally could not hit a baseball to start the season and then a brief stint at the complex changed everything. Maybe it was just a much-needed mental reset because this looks more like the player he was expected to be. Montgomery collected his first three big league hits yesterday, including a triple, to lead the White Sox to the victory. He should be the White Sox everyday shortstop moving forward. 

Yanquiel Fernandez, RF COL (MLB)

2-for-4, 2B

Colson Montgomery isn’t the only recently called up rookie to impress this weekend, as Yanquiel Fernandez has hit the ball well too. Fernandez has a weird profile, with massive raw power and a hyper-aggressive approach, yet he doesn’t strike out much because he’s such a good bad ball hitter. The 22-year-old is going to be streaky, but if he can lift the ball more he could be a monster, especially at Coors. 

Nick Kurtz, 1B SAC (MLB)

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

Kurtz had a little run over the last few games where it seemed like he was striking out every AB, but he snapped out of that yesterday. He’s had an awesome season for a rookie so far, hitting .246/.312/.508 with 13 HR with a 120 wRC+. Yes there’s a lot of swing and miss, but he doesn’t chase much so the Z-Contact will get better eventually. Any rookie with over a 16% barrel rate is going to be just fine. 

‼️Luis Castillo, RHP SEA (MLB)

7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K

Castillo wasn’t his normal self in June, but this start against the Pirates is much more like it. The righty dominated the suddenly hot Pirates lineup, pounding the strike zone and generating 16 whiffs at a 30% clip. He is allowing career-high hard contact and barrel rates against him so that’s something to monitor in the second half. 

Triple-A

Covered by Trevor Hooth

Carson Whisenhunt, LHP SF (Triple-A)

5 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

The devastating changeup of Carson Whisenhunt has been on a bit of a rough run lately. In June he had a 6.91 with 21 strikeouts and 12 walks in 27.1 innings. This was his first outing of July. There are starts where Whisenhunt has been really good. I’ve been a fan since his ECU days and am just waiting for him to get the chance with the Giants. 

🍔🍟Tyler Locklear, 1B SEA (Triple-A)

2-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB, K, SB

It seems more and more like I write about Tyler Locklear every week when I cover this level. Granted that’s just once a week, but he’s now up to 13 homers and 14 steals while hitting .294 on the season. Through five games in July he already has 3 home runs. When coupled with his 7 last month, the power is really starting to come around.