Gundog Millionaire

Gunnar Henderson (BAL): 3-3, 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, SB.

In retrospect, this should probably be Francisco Lindor at the top but hey, I’m a sucker for the hit by pitch. Gunnar got hit twice tonight. Let’s talk about Dev Patel’s second-best movie (go see Monkey Man, it was sweet) Gundog Millionaire.

Gunnar Henderson is the next massive star, right? He may already be a star, actually yeah, I just talked myself into it, he is. Wednesday, that star shined bright in what was at first a blowout win, but the Angels did crawl back. The stat of note so far for Gunnar are those stolen base totals. He’s sitting at five already for the season, he had 10 total for the 2023 season. Is a 40-40 season on the horizon? I’d put a dollar beat on that if that were an option, I’m sure it is. We knew the speed was in the profile but for Gunnar to show it off early this year, there’s a heavy chance he will end up a Top 5 scorer in all formats by the end of the season.

I’ve been a big Gunnar fan since the time he was drafted. Fun fact, remember when Martín Pérez was good in 2022? Like actually really really good? In a dynasty league, I traded Martín Pérez for Gunnar straight up. Feels good to this day. His tools are loud and each day it feels like he’s improving. I know he’s basically a star now but he has the potential to be the face of baseball. Just keep him away from the MLB The Show cover. The Madden cover curse is real and it’s looking like the MLB The Show cover curse has just begun with Jazz and Vladdy.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Wednesday

 

Francisco Lindor (NYM): 4-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.

Lindor raised his average tonight from .174 to .206. Pretty Neat. I’m sure Lindor did not expect to start the season like this, not many did especially those of us who took him in the third in our dynasty league start-up draft. I stand by the pick. Tonight Lindor looked like the Lindor of old, a sight for the sorest of eyes. He’s striking out a lot and he’s not hitting the ball as hard as he usually does. However, he’s a player that deserves the benefit of the doubt. The player above, Gunnar, had an absolutely dreadful April last year. It’s early, let these guys get their feet under them and their minds right. If someone in your league is panicking about Lindor, swoop in.

Connor Wong (BOS): 4-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Two players with two home runs, and neither was the main write-up. I truly am a sucker for the hit-by-pitch. I like Connor Wong for the fact the Red Sox deserve a decent catcher after all of the busts they’ve dealt with, mainly Blake Swihart. Remember him? Yeah, you do. Wong may not be the best catcher in baseball but he is capable of games like this, making him pretty darn valuable. The Red Sox are in the thick of it to start the season. Wong isn’t the main piece but he is definitely an underrated cog. In a two-catcher league, he has value.

Rafael Devers (BOS): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.

I’ve done this before but let’s do it again. Join hands everyone, everyone join hands. We are making a prayer circle for the health of Rafael Devers. As stated above, the Red Sox are indeed in the AL East race and Devers is a main cog to their success, if not the main cog. He’s been banged up to start the year and they need him in the worst way. Try to feel the prayer circle cause we need him to stay healthy for fantasy purposes.

Tyrone Taylor (NYM): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Taylor has been solid for the Mets so far putting up a respectable slash of .318/.354/.432 in the early goings. He won’t wow but Taylor has proved that he makes for a more than serviceable fourth outfielder on a team. I don’t see much for fantasy purposes, maybe for extremely deep leagues, but do keep an eye on him week to week.

Andy Pages (LAD): 3-5, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI.

Pages has been a prospect for what has felt like a decade. I was eyeing him in a prospect draft in, I want to say 2019, held him through the COVID season, and dropped him finally last year. I’m honestly kind of regretting it right now, he’s looked decent so far. The stats don’t jump out but in that lineup, he could put up some great numbers. Keep an eye on if his defense holds up.

Evan Carter (TEX): 2-4, 3B, HR, R, 2 RBI.

So, Evan Carter can swing the bat. Noted, note that. To begin his first full year in the MLB, Carter has looked like a 21-year-old. Honestly, he’s looked better than a 21-year-old. I know his stats haven’t been thrilling, but the positive is, he’s at least holding his own. Give the kid some patience.

Brent Rooker (OAK): 1-2, HR, R, 3 RBI, 2 BB.

One of the few bright spots on the A’s this year and last, Rooker had himself a nice game Wednesday with a ding dong and two walks; Rooker doesn’t walk a ton so it’s really nice to see that stat show up. The A’s are getting a bad wrap so far this year, I mean, the Rockies and White Sox exist. Rooker is probably the best bat in the lineup with Gelof struggling and possibly hurt. He’s a solid option in deep outfield leagues, but he will strike out.

Willi Castro (MIN): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.

This I love to see. I was weirdly high on Willi Castro heading into the year. For one, he has a ton of eligibility. For two, he isn’t bad at baseball. Win-win situation. That being said, he’s been terrible to start the year, no real way to sugarcoat it. He should be a good source of stolen bases, but even those aren’t showing up. He isn’t rosterable right now but do keep an eye on him.

Shohei Ohtani (LAD): 3-6, 3 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI.

These next two players I am going to write only two sentences on because we know how special they are. Shohei Ohtani is still the best player in baseball, even though he isn’t pitching.

Juan Soto (NYY): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.

There is an argument that Juan Soto is the best player in baseball. I still say Shohei, but both are future Hall of Famers.

Elly De La Cruz (CIN): 3-5, 2B, R, RBI, 3 SB.

Man, I may need to draft up a formal apology to Elly De La Cruz. He’s still striking out a ton but my god is he hitting the baseball hard and running wild. I’m no longer going to be super pessimistic about Elly, however, these are his highs. We’ve seen his lows and they are not good. Let’s see if he can make adjustments to make those lows, not so low.

Mookie Betts (LAD): 4-6, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI.

Same as Ohtani and Soto, there isn’t much to write about Betts. He’s the early front-runner for NL MVP and he’s just been outrageous, he was no different Wednesday.

Wilyer Abreu (BOS): 4-5, 2 2B, R, RBI.

I did a write-up on Abreu last year after an incredible game and since then, I’ve kept my eye on him. It’s clear the Red Sox really like him and Rafaela, even though Abreu can get platooned. Both have shown signs of being solid to good MLB players. Abreu has been great to start the year. He still isn’t always starting against left-handed pitching, but let’s see if the Red Sox start to give him more opportunities to be a true full-time player.

Alec Bohm (PHI): 4-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB.

Bohm is on a heater and needs to be mentioned before finishing this. 4-for-4 evening tonight and he’s done nothing but produce multi-hit games recently. Ride this wave if possible.