Fire at Will

Will Smith (LAD): 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI.

I love writing about Will Smith because when I Google him for stats, I have to specify. There is also a video game content creator named Will Smith. The night Will Smith, the actor, slapped Chris Rock, everyone started tweeting at Will Smith, the content creator. Hilarity ensued. What a weird week that was.

Anywho, Will Smith the catcher, who looks like the bully from A Christmas Story, is probably one of the most consistent players in the MLB right now. He’s as steady as they come on offense and rock solid behind the dish. I would wager that his name would come up more than one would think on a list of GM’s “who to take if you’re starting a franchise list”. Also, when did the Dodgers sign him to an insanely team-friendly contract? I completely missed that this off-season.

Hopefully, you didn’t reach on him for drafts but if you got him at ADP, he’s doing exactly what he’s supposed to. He’s the third or fourth-best catcher this year I’d say behind William Contreras, Adley Rutschman, and maybe Salvador Perez. Maybe. I’d be pretty shocked if he slowed down over the course of the year, again, he’s extremely steady. Take these two home run games and smile.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Wednesday

 

Lane Thomas (WSN): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 SB.

I was not a Lane Thomas believer this off-season, his is a profile that is just so odd that it makes it difficult to assess. I said it in Sleepers and Busts and I’ll say it here now, if he can pull the ball at the rate he did in 2023, then he can repeat his success. He, Isaac Paredes, and Nolan Arenado all fall into this category; if they can pull the ball, good things happen. Thomas has been straight-up bad to start the year, but he was also dealing with injury. Thomas may be a nice buy-low right now if their manager is looking to get off of him. Outfield is a wasteland and if he can put up even similar-ish numbers to last year, it’s a positive

Andrew McCutchen (PIT): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB.

The ageless wonder. I still think McCutchen had one of the best peaks of the last few decades for an offensive player. He was one of the faces of baseball and he made the Pirates relevant again. The Pirates these days have some pitchers making them relevant but it’s nice to see Cutch on this possible wildcard team. Outfield, as stated before, is a wasteland, so Cutch still provided value in all formats.

Nelson Velázquez (KCR): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Outfield is a wasteland, I will say a third time, and that’s why I was sort of excited about Velazquez heading into the season. He’s filling my fifth outfielder spot in a deep 12-team five outfield league and honestly, he’s been solid enough to keep. He’s a pup at 25, he can hit the ball with authority, he just has some flaws in his game. I’m still a believer and nights like this bring some reassurance to those beliefs.

Matt Vierling (DET): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.

Here’s a guy that I still have no idea how to view. He’s shown that he can go on these runs where he looks like a must-start bat but in the past, he usually falls back down to earth in a big way. I choose to believe, so ride this wave if you can. The Tigers are playing decent baseball and Vierling is one of the reasons why.

Nick Gonzales (PIT): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

It’s really good to see Gonzales possibly breaking out. A high draft pick in 2020, his hit tool made him a top prospect, and in his previous auditions, strikeouts got the best of him. Well, I have good news for everyone, the strikeout rate is sitting at 21%, so this might be for real. He’s an easy player to stash and I’d wager there’s a chance he’s playing better than a few MI options out there. Go snag him before someone else does.

Willy Adames (MIL): 2-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.

Wait, Willy Adames isn’t bad? And he’s in a contract year? I was huge on Adames heading into drafts and strangely, walked away with only 1 share. These contract-year players can sometimes find that extra boost and it felt like Adames was one of them. Max Fried is also in a contract year, and yeah, he looks great. I think the only question mark with Adames is where he ends up playing next year. It really feels like the Dodgers go for him, but time will tell. He’s been great, the Brewers are fun, thank you for looking like yourself again Willy.

Nick Castellanos (PHI): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

Casty is off to a slow start. He has hit three home runs over his last seven games which is encouraging, but I’m sure some managers are a bit befuddled by this start. Like Lane Thomas, I wasn’t a huge believer in Castellanos, but their profiles are not the same. Casty can and needs to hit to all fields, and Thomas needs to pull the ball. So what is there to do? He’s another buy-low for me. It’s a long season, I’m sure someone is freaking out a little bit about his start. Take advantage and see if you can catch lightning in a bottle.

Nolan Gorman (STL): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

I said it last week. We are in a Nolan Gorman hot streak stretch. This is a good one besides the strikeouts, which seem to be a constant issue. Ride the wave dude, nothing more with Gorman. The man is going to hit home runs and he’s going to get hot, time it well.

Christian Yelich (MIL): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Seeing Yelich here made me very happy. He had not hit a home run since coming back from his back injury so this tells me he is feeling pretty darn good. Without these back injuries, I think we would be talking about Yelich the way we talk about Bryce Harper. Yelich only trials Harper by 8 WAR, so I think it’s apt. The name of the game, for both honestly, is health. He’s 32, an old, old man in sports years so health will be the talking point here.

Jason Heyward (LAD): 2-2, 3B, HR, 2 R, RBI.

Jason Heyward has 40 WAR, that’s wild. His defense has been either elite or damn near elite basically his whole career so it makes sense. It feels like this may be his last year. The Dodgers have some young outfielders that they want to get looks, and even with this mini resurgence with the Dodgers, he doesn’t look right yet. Things could change, not sure he becomes fantasy-relevant, but so far he hasn’t brought much in 2024.

Kyle Schwarber (PHI): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.

A stolen base dear reader. You are indeed reading that correctly. The perfect way to end the article, is with a Kyle Schwarber stolen base. He’s doing what he was drafted for so far in 2024, file that under “things you love to see”.

 

Photo by Kyusung Gong/Icon Sportswire | Featured Image by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)