Takes Juan to know Juan

Juan Soto (NYY): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

I think this is the second time I’ve had to write about Juan Soto in 2024. If that doesn’t show he’s on an MVP path, I don’t know what will. Maybe his stats? No, no, that would never do it.

So we know Juan Soto is good and possibly the best baseball player of the current generation besides Ohtani. His bWAR for 2024 is already at 2.2 and he is looking better than ever in pinstripes. When he was traded there it felt inevitable that he would fit like a glove, but so far, this is even better than I thought. He’s brought a jolt of lightning that they’ve been missing these past few years.

Are they going to be able to pay him? I feel like there’s a mutual interest, but how are they going to pay him, Judge, and Stanton? And oh, yeah, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are on pretty large contracts as well. It sucks to say for Yankees fans, but I just don’t see a world where they are able to pay him.

And that contract is going to be about $500 million, right? I feel like it kind of has to be. If they can somehow find a way to trade Stanton, they’ll have to eat some of that money, but maybe they can get a percentage paid by the new team. Trade him to the Rockies, seriously. Their stupid ownership would do it.

For fantasy, I am going to give everyone some advice on Soto. Start him.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Wednesday

 

Nolan Gorman (STL): 2-2, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.

We are in the middle of a Nolan Gorman hot streak which means get him in your starting lineup by any means necessary. With a player like Gorman the sign showing he’s truly locked in is that walk. Keep riding this wave.

J.T. Realmuto (PHI): 2-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Realmuto is quietly having a better season at the plate in 2024. The last two years haven’t been disappointing, he’s still been able to put up numbers but they haven’t been what he’s shown in the past. Five home runs by the end of May is a solid place to be. He’s 33 these days, so the power may slowly go down, but he’s still a very reliable bat.

Bryan Reynolds (PIT): 2-5, HR, R, 4 RBI.

Reynolds is usually the picture of consistency at the plate. To start 2024 he hasn’t been bad, but his slug is way down so far. I have confidence that he can end the year with a home run total in the 20s and a more than solid OBP. If there’s anyone in your league freaking out about the Reynolds slow start, go snag him.

Matt Chapman (SFG): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.

Chapman is looking pretty Matt Chapman to start the year so far. I’ve never seen a player swing through so many middle-middle fastballs, and then finally actually connect and it’s an absolute tank. It honestly reminds me of Chris Carter, remember him? Chapman takes a much better at-bat than Carter though. This is who you’re going to get with Matt Chapman. I’m not sure he gets to 20 home runs this year, maybe right at 20. He’s going to play every day which will be valuable.

Elias Díaz (COL): 3-5, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Díaz is having a great year so far for the Rockies. If you waited on catcher and took a lower-level backstop, I do hope it was Díaz. He will sit a decent amount, but it seems like whenever he’s in the lineup, he does something positive. He isn’t a total fantasy stud but he’s also not chopped liver.

Luis Arraez (SDP): 4-5, HR, R, 2 RBI.

A home run people, he did it. And he absolutely crushed it at 96.5 mph off the bat. He’s such a fun player honestly. He doesn’t hit the ball very hard, I saw he was one of the slower swings with that new swing speed stat, but he gets on base, man. Baseball is about getting on base so Arraez will always have value. The problem is, his value takes a bit of a dip for fantasy purposes.

Marcell Ozuna (ATL): 1-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.

Ozuna has to be the fantasy MVP so far this year. His ADP was like 130 I think, and if you drafted him, you’re looking like a genius. I think this continues all year and he just has a ridiculous season. There will be ups and downs sure, but there may be a 40 home run season incoming.

Aaron Judge (NYY): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.

Juan Soto has a really good teammate in this Aaron Judge guy. Man, if they played the rest of their careers together? My god. Aaron Judge is insane and there isn’t much else to say. Pray for health.

Nelson Velázquez (KCR): 1-2, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB.

I liked the idea of Velázquez heading into the season. I knew he wouldn’t play every day but he felt like a really solid deep league target. So far, not so good for Nelson. He’s getting some playing time but he hasn’t been able to do much with it. He isn’t worth an add unless you’re really struggling in the outfield.

Max Kepler (MIN): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.

Now here’s a guy. A really good guy. Kepler is off to a fantastic start and I don’t really see signs of slowing down. To start the year he was a great deep league play but right now he’s someone to monitor even in three outfielder leagues. He’s good for one or two IL stints a year, but right now, he needs to be in your lineup.

Corey Seager (TEX): 2-3, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB.

He’s feeling better, that much is clear. Thank god. I was getting a little worried about April Corey Seager and how that start bled a little into May. He’s hitting home runs again and he just looks more like himself over the past few weeks. Same as Kepler, Seager is good for an IL stint or two. Here’s hoping he can stay healthy and continue to get back to form.