Yandy Crush

Yandy Díaz (TBR): 3-4, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB.

The second half of the season is officially underway! And Yandy Díaz picked up right where he left off with a grand slam in the sixth inning. While it only just qualified as a barrel, clocking in at 99.6 mph, Díaz also put up a 102.5 mph single and 108.6 mph groundball as he flexes his resurgent average exit velocity this season (93.2 mph, up 1.0 from 2024).

Díaz has flown under the radar this season as a Top 50 asset, ranking 50th in wRC+ and 19th in Process+ so far this season. While his newfound average exit velocity and 113 Power+ have certainly played a big part in this step forward, he backs it up with a 109 Contact+ and 110 Decision Value+.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday:

Kyle Stowers (MIA): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.

The newly minted All-Star outfielder hit his 20th and 21st homers last night, as he carried the magic of that late win for the National League team into an extra-inning, walk-off victory for the Miami Marlins. Will Stowers win every game in extra innings for the rest of the season? I’m going to go with no.

Kyle Stowers does have game-breaking potential, though, and could be a potential trade deadline target for a contender. Stowers ranks 80th percentile or above in average exit velocity, hard hit rate, barrel rate, launch angle sweet spot rate, and bat speed. Pitcher List metrics are also buying into the hype here with elite grades in Power+ (126), and above-average Decision Value+ (105), Process+ (115), and Hitter Performance (115).

 

Junior Caminero (TBR): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.

Since May 1st, few players have been hotter than Junior Caminero. His 19 homers and 51 RBI over that span rank seventh and sixth, respectively. Caminero kicked off the second half in a big way last night with a pair of homers, the first of which was an absolute behemoth, 114.6 mph, 439-ft dinger. There should be no doubt about his ability to keep this up either, with his 78.0 mph bat speed (100th percentile and 2nd in the league), Caminero is one of baseball’s premier power hitters and will continue to be for years to come.

 

John Rave (KCR): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.

The second half of the season brings with it some new names to note. John Rave has stepped into an everyday corner outfield role since Mark Canha went on the IL on July 7th. The 27-year-old Rave was tearing up Triple-A before getting his first cup of coffee with nine homers, 17 steals, and a .301/.382/.549/.931 slashline in 202 plate appearances. I’m not quite buying into the power here as the 30 home runs Rave has hit since the start of 2024 come as an overager in Triple-A, and he’s topped out at an 89.2 mph average exit velocity. A 51.9% groundball rate in the majors doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in his ability to continue to barrel balls like he did last night, either.

Now that that’s out of the way, though, I do believe there is a player worth watching here. With a 29.2 ft/s sprint speed (94th percentile), there’s even more stolen base upside than the four steals in 84 plate appearances he’s flashed already. Given the state of the Royals’ outfield, Rave should continue to receive regular playing time, so his fantasy success will hinge on how much he can tap into the hit tool he’s shown in the minors. A 105 Contact+, 102 Decision Value+, and 22.7% chase rate bode well for some positive regression.

 

Jordan Beck (COL): 3-5, 3B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB.

Jordan Beck picked up his 11th homer and steal of the year with last night’s “Combo Meal”. A broken left hand derailed his debut last season, but he’s bounced back nicely in 2025 so far. Beck’s seen increases in average exit velocity, barrel rate, hard hit rate, bat speed, and even sprint speed. While Beck may appear to lack a truly elite, standout tool, his biggest strength is that there are no flaws in his game. We don’t always give players enough credit for a 20+ home runs, 20+ stolen bases, .260+ batting average statline, and the reality is that Beck will help you in every category.

Brandon Nimmo (NYM): 2-3, 2B, 2 R, BB, SB.

Brandon Nimmo has quietly put up one of the best seasons of his career in 2025, currently on pace to set new career highs in home runs, stolen bases, and RBI. While it was his baserunning ability that was on display last night, this is mostly the result of a power surge that has seen Nimmo putting up a career-high 92.0 mph average exit velocity, 9.7% barrel rate, and 50.9% hard hit rate. Nimmo has also improved with each month of the season with his AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, ISO, and wRC+ getting progressively higher as the season’s gone on.

 

Roman Anthony (BOS): 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB.

Roman Anthony came into 2025 as the most hyped prospect in baseball, and on the surface, it appears he may have struggled under the pressure with only two home runs, two stolen bases, and 13 RBI in 124 plate appearances. However, Anthony’s .264/.371/.406 triple slash helped put him into the Top 100 in wRC+ (119), and the underlying metrics are in his favour. Anthony’s 93.8 mph average exit velocity, 11.4% barrel rate, 55.7% hard hit rate, and 73.8 mph bat speed all point to the elite power he’s shown in the minors translating to the majors already.

The 21-year-old has also demonstrated a mature approach at the plate, with an elite 19.2% chase rate and a 12.1% walk rate, both of which rank in the Top 5 among players 25 and under. Given that Anthony is doing all of this as one of the youngest players in the show, it’s only a matter of time before we see him emerge as one of the top superstars in baseball.

 

Edgar Quero (CHW): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.

Edgar Quero hit his second MLB home run last night to put the Chicago White Sox up early in the first with a 107.4 mph bomb that would have left all 30 ballparks. Quero didn’t exactly turn heads in the first half, with a .269/.348/.339 triple slash and a 97 wRC+, but those aren’t bad numbers from a rookie catcher either. Like Anthony, his approach is beyond his years, as Quero has recorded a 118 Decision Value+ and 19.8% chase rate, each fourth amongst rookies, and fifth and sixth respectively amongst catchers. Quero won’t hit for a ton of power, but the hit tool is definitely legitimate. The real question here is, how much playing time is available when you’re playing behind Kyle Teel on the depth chart?

 

Jorge Soler (LAA): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.

Jorge Soler has been a far cry from his 23-home run first half in 2023, but he’s still been a valuable contributor and may be heating up. Last night’s homer was an absolute bomb, clocking in at 109.1 mph and 420 feet. Since the start of July, Soler has three home runs, seven RBI, and a .250/.359/.594/.953 slashline in 11 games. All three of those homers clocked in at 107+ mph and would’ve left all 30 ballparks.

This may just be another hot streak from Soler, but he’s proven that you want to hop on board for those stretches.

 

Joey Loperfido (TOR): 2-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB.

Joey Loperfido’s career in Toronto got off to a rocky start with two homers, two steals, and .197/.236/.343 triple slash in 144 plate appearances. Since being called back up this year, though, he’s been on fire, hitting .412/.474/.647 with a homer and six RBI in six games. Now, the reality here is obviously somewhere in between the two. I’d buy closer to his ceiling, though, as the changes to his plate approach are real. Loperfido’s chase rate has dropped all the way to 21.4% (34.1% in Toronto last season), and it isn’t all pure luck as his 71 Pitch Runs grade is one of the lowest in all of baseball.