On the Schwarpath
Kyle Schwarber (PHI): 3-3, 3B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
In the battle between which UT guy you should have drafted first—Brent Rooker, Marcell Ozuna, or Schwarber—Kyle is off to an early lead. After a bloop single in the first inning, Schwarber legged out a 399-foot triple, his thirteenth in almost 4,000 at-bats (he’s not exactly known for his speed). He then followed that up with a patented Schwar-bomb—a 116.7-mph, 462-foot missile that nearly went into a restaurant in the right field mezzanine.
Ten games into the season, Schwarber is crushing the ball—he has a league-leading 97.9 mph average exit velocity, a .440 expected OBA, and the 17.9% Chase Rate is the best of his career. His Statcast metrics have always been a sea of red (minus the Whiff Rate, which is still just 21st-percentile), but there’s an early consistency that’s been missing.
Schwarber batted cleanup for the third time this year after exclusively leading off last season. The four-hole seems to suit him, with a 1.319 OPS there, compared to a .952 OPS when batting first. Given his power and the on-base abilities of Turner, Harper, and Bohm ahead of him, Schwarber might be in line for 120 RBIs if he hits fourth more often.
Oh, and last night he hit the hardest-hit ball by a left-handed batter off Chris Sale. Ever. This broke the previous record held by a guy by the name of…Kyle Schwarber. It’s always nice to break your own records.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday
Spencer Torkelson (DET): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
In about two weeks, Tork has gone from ‘Will he make the team?’ to ‘Is he an All Star?’ On a cold Michigan afternoon, 2020’s first overall draft pick continued to revitalize his career with a couple of extra-base hits, including a 106-mph ground rule double in the first inning and a 404-foot bomb, both off Carlos Carrasco. Interestingly, both barrels came off the first pitch he saw, so Torkelson is showing a newer, more aggressive approach. You might think this aggression has bumped up his swing-and-miss vulnerability, but although his K-rate is a career high 33.3%, his Chase and Whiff Rates are either league average or slightly below. His current .310 batting average is certainly not sustainable, but he could settle in as a .250-.260 hitter with 30-35 bombs and hopefully a 25 to 27% K-rate.
Victor Scott II (STL): 2-5, 2B, 3B, R, 2 RBI.
Another player who was questionable to make the roster, Scott found himself in the leadoff spot for the first time in his career—and even with Paul Skenes on the mound, he produced. Known as purely a speedster with few other tools, Scott is barreling an unlikely 12.5% of his batted balls and had his fourth multi-hit game of the season with a pair of XBHs. You should expect some regression here—his Squared-Up rate is only 14th percentile, so that Barrel Rate will drop—and his xBA is 56 points below his actual .280 average. Still, he had three batted balls over 95 mph, so while he’s projected to barely reach double-digit homers this season, he might surprise you.
George Springer (TOR): 2-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.
After several years of steady decline, Springer looked like he might be a DFA candidate this Spring, going just 4-for-37 with a double and a homer. That all seems like ancient history now, as Springer is mashing, with a .472 batting average and 1.287 OPS in 42 plate appearances. His Statcast metrics bottomed out last year with a 6th-percentile Sweet Spot % and a 20th-percentile Average EV, but both have skyrocketed in the early going. Is he finally fully healthy after years of being banged up? That’s what it looks like, and hopefully Springer can put a dismal few seasons behind him and see an age-35 renaissance. One bit of concern, though, is the K-rate—which has spiked to 28.9% when he’s usually a sub-20% whiffer. Springer might be selling out for more power this season, so far it’s working.
Kyren Paris (LAA): 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
There are heaters, and then there’s what Paris is doing. A long shot to make the team a few weeks ago, Paris continued his crazy hot streak with a first-AB homer that cleared the left-centerfield wall. Paris was a decent prospect back in 2019, drafted in the second round out of high school, but struggled in the minors and went 10-for-91 in his limited appearances with the Angels. So, what’s changed? Well, Paris supposedly is using the same batting coach (Richard Schenck) that works with Aaron Judge, and is hitting the ball considerably harder than ever, thanks to a new leg kick. His 15.4% barrel rate will certainly regress, and a 2nd-percentile Whiff Rate is concerning, but he’s got solid speed and could help in both average and steals.
Zac Veen (COL): 1-4.
After a torrid Spring, it was a surprise that Veen didn’t make the Opening Day squad, but then he batted .387 with a 1.150 OPS in his first week in Albuquerque, leaving the Rockies with little choice but to promote him. Veen batted seventh in the order in his Major League debut and faced a seasoned pitcher in Freddy Peralta. In his first appearance, he’d hit a flare down the left-field line, but it stayed in the air long enough for Isaac Collins to chase it down. Peralta got the best of him in his next at-bat, throwing five straight elevated fastballs for the K. But Veen found a way to reach base in the sixth, bunting his way to his first MLB hit. Going forward, he’ll be buoyed by the Coors factor in half his games and should be a good source of steals.
James Wood (WSN): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, BB.
Well, here’s a guy who was always going to make the team. Wood came up midseason last year and impressed as a rookie with five-tool potential, batting .264 with nine homers and fourteen steals. His advanced stats pointed to something even better, with a 92.8 mph average EV and a .351 xwOBA to go with a 52% Hard-Hit %. Now in 2025, the 6’7″ Wood is breaking out. The only concern? Like Springer, he’s got an elevated K-rate at 37.5%, which may make it difficult to sustain a batting average above .250 (at 28.9% last year, the strikeouts aren’t a fluke, either). Still, if he’s hitting the ball this hard, plenty will go over the wall. A 30/20 season looks possible, and I might take the over in home runs.
Sean Murphy (ATL): 2-4, HR, R, 4 RBI.
The Braves will take all the help they can get after starting the season 1-8, but the return of their starting catcher will provide a boost. It didn’t hurt that he homered in his first at-bat off Zack Wheeler. Murphy had a subpar season in 2024, with a career low .193 Batting Average and a .636 OPS, but a strained oblique last March was a lingering issue. Murphy’s debut this season was delayed after fracturing his ribcage in March, but he poured in a game-high four RBIs (and most importantly, looked fully healthy). Murphy can be a top-ten Catcher and a great replacement if you had Ivan Herrera.
Francisco Lindor (NYM): 1-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
See? We told you he’d be fine. After another slow start, Lindor is pulling out of the slump quicker than in years past, batting .346 so far in April. He clocked his first home run in this one, a 107-mph leadoff shot to the upper deck in right. Lindor started the season just 2-for-20, but now has a seven-game hit streak. All looks right again with the five-category superstar.
