Major League Baseball

Covered by: Greg Hoogkamp

‼️ Bryan Woo, RHP SEA (MLB)

7 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, 7 K, HRA

Woo is another arm with a special fastball, but it is elite for different reasons. Woo has one of the best low-release, high-carry fastballs in the game. His five-foot release height combined with 15 inch IVB creates all sorts of problems for hitters, especially when he locates it well, which is most of the time. Woo dialed it up in this one averaging 96.5 mph, up a tick from his season average. With Friday night’s 7.0 IP, Woo has now reached 6.0 or more innings in all 25 of his starts this season, a truly remarkable achievement in our current pitching environment. Beyond his elite fastball, Woo has some of the best command in the game; he currently has just a 4.8% walk rate, so every baserunner he allows is truly earned. He will give up some hard hit balls, but when there aren’t any runners on base, he limits damage and keeps the M’s in ballgames. Woo is as trustworthy a pitcher as you can find.

‼️ Luis Morales, RHP ATH (MLB)

6 IP, 2 H, ER, 6 K, HRA

Morales made his third start (fourth appearance) for the Athletics on Friday, throwing six innings of one-run ball allowing just three baserunners. Morales is a flamethrower, averaging 97.1 mph on his fastball this season and in combination with his wipeout slider (42.9% whiff rate) provides a lethal 1-2 punch. His command needs some further development, but even reducing his walk rate from its current 12.7% to 11 or even 10%, Morales could take several steps forward. If this is what he can do with two pitches working, what could this look like with a more developed changeup? This could go in a few different directions, but one of them is right to the front of the A’s rotation.

💣💣 Yoan Moncada, 3B LAA (MLB)

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

Back in 2017, I made the three-hour trip to Rochester just to see Moncada play while he was still playing for Triple-A Charlotte. He was the number one ranked prospect at the time and I wanted to see what all the buzz was about. Fast forward eight years and we have yet to see the realization of this once highly-touted player. Moncada, now 30, is putting together his best season outside his 2019 outlier year. His .239/.330/.478 line, while nothing special to look at, has come with a career-high barrel rate (13.4%) and 46.5% hard hit rate. His double-dong game gives him 11 on the season making him a useful third basemen in leagues of 12 or more teams.

‼️ Nathan Eovaldi, RHP TEX (MLB)

7 IP, 4 H, ER, 9 K

Nate Eovaldi might get some Cy Young votes this season; he’s been outstanding. Eovaldi has always been great at limiting walks, but this season he’s combined the stellar control with stifling base hits, (.192 BAA) leading to a 0.85 WHIP over 130.0 IP. Eovaldi has dramatically dropped his 4-Seam usage this season (more than 15%) while elevating the use of his cutter and curveball. This diversification has led to positive run values on all but one of his pitches. All this said, Eovaldi is performing like an ace and should be an elite SP option down the stretch.

🍔🍟 Luis Matos, RF SFG (MLB)

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

The fantasy production we hoped for has just never materialized for Matos. In the low minors, he showed a .300 bat with 20-steal speed. Since he’s moved up into the high minors, the average has dropped and steals have dried up. Perhaps he’s met his match and the best pitching in the world is too much to handle, however, nights like Friday night give us a glimmer of hope. Matos’ exit velocities are middling although a max of 111.6 mph is above-average and his contact rates are good (86.8% Zcon and 79.2% overall). His home park doesn’t do him any favors and he hasn’t done much with the opportunities he’s been given. Matos has intrigue, but is a watch-list guy in most formats.

💣💣 Willy Adames, SS SFG (MLB)

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

Last week, we mentioned that Adames was starting to put things together and on Friday he slugged two more home runs (106.8 and 102.9 mph). We also mentioned that his 2024, contract season will likely be an outlier for his career. Adames plays in a pitcher’s park and has not been near as aggressive on the basepaths which limits his fantasy ceiling. He is still a starting shortstop in 12-team leagues and should be a .230, 30-homer, 10-steal player (which is very valuable) for seasons to come, but don’t expect any more .251, 32/21 seasons.

🆕 Carson Williams, SS TBR (MLB)

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

Carson Williams had a dream debut for the Rays on Friday night, hitting a home run in a three-hit performance. Williams is an elite defender which the Rays love, and he has a high power ceiling to go along with it (his home run was to straight away center field at 104.7 mph). His main deficiency is that he struggles to consistently put the ball in play. Williams 75.3% zone contact rate and 71.2% overall contact rate combined with a chase rate over 30% (30.3%) in Triple-A led to a 34.1% strikeout rate in 451 plate appearances. We’ve seen many players drop their K-rate in MLB because they no longer deal with the ABS system and the hope is that Williams will fall into this bucket. There’s no doubt Williams has the tools necessary to be an impact player at the highest level, but to reach his ceiling, he will need to make big strides with his bat-to-ball ability. He might struggle initially, but this cameo should give us a glimpse into whether he can make the necessary adjustments to be an all star caliber shortstop.

Jake Mangum, CF TBR (MLB)

4-for-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI, SB

Mangum is essentially a one-dimensional player, but that one-dimension is really, really good. Mangum posts strong contact rates (86.5 Zcon and 80.2 overall) and can run with the best of them (92nd percentile sprint speed). This makes Mangum among the best 2-category players out there (BA/SB). Mangum currently has a .283 batting average with 20 steals, but provides little to nothing in the other fantasy categories due to his lack of power. He’s an injury replacement or deep league bench option and nothing more.

‼️ Nolan McLean, RHP NYM (MLB)

7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 7 K, HRA

You wouldn’t know from the final score of the game (12-7 Mets win), but there was a very good pitching line hidden within the 19 runs and 31 hits. McLean, in his second career start, looks like he has been around for a while. He’s mixing his six offerings like a seasoned vet, not throwing any of them more than 28%. His sweeper is otherworldly, looking like it takes a left turn right before home plate. There will be bumps in the road, but his first two starts couldn’t have gone any better. He’s worth rostering in all league sizes moving forward.

Brett Baty, 2B NYM (MLB)

4-for-6, 2B, 3 R

Baty is still just 25 years old despite being regarded as a top prospect for several seasons. It hasn’t quite come together for him in his previous three major league opportunities, but could we be seeing some signs that Baty is starting to figure it out? The answer is maybe! The dual-eligible (2B/3B) Baty has shown some glimpses in 2025 of the player we thought he might be. In May he posted a .914 OPS and so far in August he has a 1.107 mark. This offsets the months of April (.598), June (.591) and July (.687). Despite the up-and-down results, Baty has shown growth with his batted ball data and is supported by excellent bat speed (87th percentile). Baty has a Max EV of 115.6 mph this season and currently holds a 13.2% barrel rate. His 23.8% K rate and 74.2% contact rate should not hinder the strides he is taking. He is doing most of his damage against fastballs, so proceed knowing that, but this high-pedigree profile is on the rise.

💣💣 Juan Soto, RF NYM (MLB)

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

Juan Soto is one of, if not the best hitter in baseball and somehow, he doesn’t seem to get the recognition he deserves. Part of this might be that his surface-level numbers are actually massively underperforming his expected numbers. Soto is currently hitting .251 with a .550 slugging percentage; his expected stats in these two categories are .300 and .633! Soto is currently running a .259 BABIP despite hitting the ball as hard as anyone in the game. His below-average sprint speed might have something to do with this, but he’s still 25-30 points below his projected number in this category and just last season his BABIP was .298. After a smoking hot June (1.196 OPS), July (.760) was a tough month for Soto. So far, in August, Soto is back to his typical production (.967 OPS) and is primed for a strong finish. All of the underlying metrics are pointing to Soto performing his best down the stretch.

👟 Francisco Lindor, SS NYM (MLB)

3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, BB, 2 SB

Lindor books his place each week on the Saturday Daily Sheet by consistently performing well. He had another standout fantasy performance on Friday night with three hits and two stolen bases. There isn’t much more that can be said about him other than he needs to be in your lineup every day and remains a top option (124 wRC+) at shortstop for this season and beyond.

🆕 ‼️ Shane Bieber, RHP TOR (MLB)

6 IP, 2 H, ER, 9 K, HRA

The second most popular Bieber in Canada and rising; Shane made his Blue Jays debut on Friday night and exceeded the lofty expectations people have set for him. Bieber was surgeon-like with the strike-zone, generating 15 whiffs and is already justifying the price the Jays paid (top-100 prospect Khal Stephen) for him at the trade deadline. According to TJStats, he had TJStuff+ scores over 100 (including a 115 score for his changeup) for 4 of his 5 offerings with usage rates ranging from 12-29%. Bieber averaged 92.7 mph on his fastball which would be the highest mark he’s recorded since his Cy Young 2020 season. Yes, this was the Marlins, but if Bieber can consistently deliver outings like this, the Jays (and your dynasty roster) will have an ace down the stretch.

🍔🍟 Royce Lewis, 3B MIN (MLB)

3-for-5, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, SB

The Slam King is back! Lewis slugged his 7th career grand slam in a Twins 9-7 victory over the White Sox. He also made a massive defensive play in the 8th inning, throwing out a tagging Miguel Vargas at the plate on a pop-up down the left field line preserving the lead. Lewis also swiped a bag, a skill that has all but disappeared for the Twins third baseman. After the 2023 season, many of us thought Lewis was transforming into a top-10 dynasty hitter. Injuries and inconsistent play have dropped him down the rankings, but no one is doubting the talent. When he is healthy and puts it together he can carry fantasy teams.

‼️ Brayan Bello, RHP BOS (MLB)

7 IP, 3 H, BB, 5 K

Bello dominated the Yankees in a huge win for the Red Sox on Friday evening. Bello allowed just three hard-hit balls (over 95+ mph) over his seven innings of work, getting timely double plays in the third and sixth inning to escape jams. Bello isn’t a strikeout artist (18.2% K-rate), but he does get a healthy amount of ground balls (49.4% ground ball rate) and soft contact. He accomplishes this with a “kitchen-sink” approach, mixing three fastballs with his sweeper and changeup. Bello is a solid back-end rotation option in most league formats.

🆕 Bubba Chandler, RHP PIT (MLB)

4 IP, 2 H, 3 K

It took until August 22nd, but Bubba finally made it! He piggy-backed fellow-rookie Braxton Ashcraft and earned the save in a 9-0 Pirates blowout victory against the lowly Rockies. Chandler was routinely hitting triple-digits with his double-plus fastball, averaging 98.4 mph for the outing. It’s been a forgettable couple of months for the Pirates righty after a tremendous start to the season. Chandler showed no signs of the command issues that plagued him over the last 10-12 starts throwing 29 of his 40 pitches for strikes. His next outing will most definitely be more of a challenge since the Rockies are a glorified Triple-A lineup. While he won’t provide a ton of value this season, he’s still one of the top young pitching talents in the game for dynasty.

‼️ Braxton Ashcraft, RHP PIT (MLB)

5 IP, H, BB, 6 K

I don’t normally write about pitchers if they didn’t reach 6.0 IP, but I think Ashcraft needs a shout here. The Pirates started him in a relief role (much like Chandler above) and have eased him into a starting role. The 5.0 innings on Friday are a career-high and the 25-year-old 2018 second round pick shoved allowing just two baserunners. Ashcraft doesn’t get the hype of his other org-mates, but he has been an effective pitcher since he returned from Tommy John surgery in 2023. Ashcraft sits at 96-97 mph with his fastball and compliments it with an excellent slider and curveball. He’s an under-the-radar arm to target in trade or drafts next season.

Zach McKinstry, SS DET (MLB)

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

Another strong game for McKinstry on Friday night; he’s been a useful utility piece for both the Tigers and your dynasty teams. McKinstry now has 11 home runs and 19 steals for the season and is eligible at 3B, SS and OF making him extremely versatile. McKinstry, who is a LHH, actually has reverse splits, meaning he is succeeding in the lineup against lefties (.892 OP) and righties (.764 OPS). He doesn’t hit the ball very hard (85.8 mph average EV, 30.5% hard hit rate), but he does give you a quality at bat and puts the ball in play (9.7% BB rate, 22.2% K rate, 84.4% ZCon, 77.6% overall contact rate). He’s a great bench piece for most league formats.

Triple-A

Covered by: Nate Rasmussen

💣💣 Ryan Clifford, OF NYM (AAA)

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

Ryan Clifford had a loud double-dong day yesterday, hitting his first 2 Triple-A home runs after hitting 24 in Double-A earlier this year. The lefty might never be able to make enough contact to get it done at the major league level, but he's a fun player with loud tools, and that counts for plenty.

‼️ Payton Tolle, LHP BOS (AAA)

5 IP, H, ER, 9 K