Shrimp Fried Bryce
Bryce Harper (PHI): 3-4, 3 HR, 3 R, 6 RBI.
After starting the season 0-for-11, Bryce Harper finally got going in a big way last night. The two-time MVP found his power stroke, going 3-4, 3 HR, 3 R, 6 RBI in the Phillies’ 9-4 win over the Reds.
It was a cold and drizzly night at Citizens Bank Ballpark – one of those days you expect little offense with fly balls not cutting through the cold and rain – but Harper had no trouble beating up Cincinnati pitching. He started the game by taking Graham Ashcraft deep in the first and fourth innings, both solo shots. Harper’s big blow came in the 7th inning, a 422-foot grand slam against Brent Suter, breaking the game open and putting the exclamation point on one of his best performances.
Tuesday was Harper’s second three-homer game of his storied career. He collectively hit 1,209 feet of home runs! He was so locked in that the one out he made was a 355-foot, 99.9 mph line drive that had a .380 xBA.
Harper’s been plagued by injuries over the past two years, but now that he’s fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery and is starting the season healthy, it’ll be fun to watch one of baseball’s best hitters put up the gaudy numbers we’ve come to expect from him.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday:
Garrett Cooper (CHC): 3-4, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.
In the rain at Wrigley, the Cubs hung an ugly number on the Rockies and Kyle Freeland. Cooper collected all but the easiest part of the cycle yesterday. He started things off with a triple in the second inning, homered in the sixth, and added an eighth-inning double. Cooper looks like he’ll be playing strictly against lefties, so you can consider him a streaming option in deep daily or NL-only leagues.
With the Cubs scoring 12 runs, Cooper wasn’t the only North Sider with a big day. Seiya Suzuki blasted his first homer, a 115 mph shot that was the hardest-hit ball of the day. Cody Bellinger also went deep in a moment made for social media. With the Cubbie faithful chanting “CODY, CODY, CODY” he mashed the longest homer of the day – a 425-foot missile off the right-field scoreboard.
Marcell Ozuna (ATL): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Ozuna almost single-handedly brought his team a comeback win with his two late-inning solo home runs yesterday, but the rest of Atlanta’s lineup went a combined 3-for-27 as the White Sox pulled out the 3-2 win. The Braves’ DH has three home runs on the young season, providing his fantasy managers exactly what they wanted when they drafted the 33-year-old slugger.
Brandon Marsh (PHI): 3-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Marsh wouldn’t let Harper be the only Phillie getting in on last night’s fun. He tagged a homer of his own, a 356-foot opposite-field solo shot against Buck Farmer. Marsh is slashing .357/.357/.786 so far, but has only started one of Philadelphia’s three games against a left-handed starter. He’s worth a look in 12 and 15-team leagues, but you can avoid him in shallower formats.
Jose Altuve (HOU): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, RBI, BB.
Entering his mid-30s, it feels like Altuve is due to slow down his offensive production a bit, but he just keeps chugging along. The Astros inked the eight-time All-Star to a five-year extension over the offseason, and it seems like it’ll be a win-win. Altuve’s batting .360 and five of his nine hits have gone for extra bases.
Aaron Hicks (LAA): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Hicks collected the first hits of his Angels’ career yesterday with both his single and home run coming against Jesús Luzardo. The Angels’ right fielder saw everything well at the plate, notching three hard-hit balls on the day. Hicks has started four of the Angels’ five games, so his playing time alone makes him worth a look in deep fantasy formats even though a best-case scenario is something like a 15/10 season.
Maikel Garcia (KC): 2-4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, BB.
Garcia was a fun late target in fantasy drafts this spring and he’s been living up to the hype so far. In 123 games last year, he hit just four home runs but swiped 23 bags. So far this year, that power/speed profile has been reversed. He has two homers and zero steals, plus all five of his hits have gone for extra bases. He’s slashing .250/.273/.750. The steals will surely come in time.
Michael Toglia (COL): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Looking for a dart throw at a difference-making bat in super deep fantasy formats? Well look no further. Toglia’s a former first-round pick whose prospect pedigree has tanked. He’s struggled in two chances facing MLB pitching, but maybe things will click in his third go-around. He slashed .286/.355/.625 in Spring Training and connected with his first homer of the season last night. Although Toglia’s only started two of the Rockies’ five games so far, they should be taking a chance on any potential young weapon they have, so he may find more playing time if he can keep up the hot start.
JJ Bleday (OAK): 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.
Oh look, another formerly exciting prospect! Like Toglia, Bleday was a high draft pick – fourth overall in 2019 – and just hasn’t put it all together quite yet. Bleday’s second season in Oakland is showing promise early on though. Manager Mark Kotsay has penciled Bleday into the heart of the A’s lineup in every game so far, and he’s rewarded that placement with a .348 batting average and .436 wOBA. Bleday hit hist first homer of the season last night, a 409-foot drive to right-center field off of Brayan Bello. Bleday’s a fun name to pick up off your waiver wire if you need outfield help.
Brice Turang (MIL): 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 SB.
After posting just a 60 wRC+ in his rookie season, I wasn’t expecting Turang to burst out of the gates this year but here we are. His strong showing yesterday moved his early-season line to .500/.533/.643 and the best part is he already has six stolen bases. It seems like the Brewers will platoon him against lefties, but even being on the strong side of a platoon, Turang is a 30+ stolen base threat and at just 24 years old has the chance to continue to grow significantly at the dish.
Bo Naylor (CLE): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
No, it’s not just you thinking that, catcher is actually a deep fantasy position this year and Naylor’s one of the reasons why. The 24-year-old backstop found his power stroke last night, taking Mariners’ ace Luis Castillo deep for his first home run of the new campaign. In 230 plate appearances last year, Naylor posted a 123 wRC+ with 11 home runs and 5 steals. If he plays a full season, we could be looking at 15-20 bombs and 5-10 steals from your catcher. You can’t do much better than that.
Blaze Alexander (AZ): 2-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB.
Blaze isn’t just an incredible first name, it also describes his recent ascent to the big league roster. As a relatively minor prospect, Alexander slashed .291/.408/.457 in Triple-A last year and followed that up with a .400/.431/.655 line this spring. He’s started exclusively against left-handed starters, so his upside may be limited unless he can take playing time from Geraldo Podomo which isn’t an impossibility, especially if he keeps hitting the way he has so far. His .400/.455/400 batting line is worth a 136 wRC+.
Jorge Soler (SF): 2-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.
San Francisco’s new slugger sent one over the outfield wall for his first home run as a Giant last night. Soler got a curveball from Ryan Yarbrough in the sixth inning and didn’t miss it, giving the pitch a 384-foot ride to left-center. The big question surrounding Soler is whether or not calling Oracle Park home will limit his power potential. We haven’t seen him play a game at home yet, but he’s looked solid in limited action as a Giant, slashing .238/.370/.429.