The Brian King

Brian Anderson (MIL): 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI.

Another day, another drubbing of the Mets at the hands of the Brewers. Milwaukee blasted their way to a 10-0 win on Monday and followed that up with a 9-0 victory last night.

One of the Brewers’ offseason acquisitions led the way on Tuesday, as Brian Anderson mashed his way to a 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI line. The 29-year-old righty bullied Max Scherzer, doubling against him in the first and homering against him in the sixth before taking Brooks Raley deep in the seventh.

Anderson’s teammates didn’t let him do it all, though. Garrett Mitchell also popped two home runs, going back-to-back with Anderson in back-to-back plate appearances in back-to-back innings. That’s a lot of backs!

After two straight injury-plagued disappointing seasons to end his career as a Marlin, Anderon has gotten off to an incredible start in the land of beer and cheese. Through his first five games as a Brewer, Anderon has slashed .533/.579/1.200 with three home runs and 10 RBI.

It’s way too early to draw too many conclusions, but he’s been much more selective at the plate with his new ballclub, cutting his O-Swing%, the rate of pitches he swings at outside of the strike zone, to a career-best 17.9%. That’s led him to the best plate discipline numbers he’s ever had—a 21.1% strikeout rate and a 15.8% walk rate.

With an injury set to keep Luis Urías sidelined for about eight weeks, Anderson has a clear path to playing time. He’s started each of the Brewers’ five games and has already moved up in the batting order from eighth to fifth.

Anderson’s rostered in just 6% and 1% of Yahoo! and ESPN leagues, respectively. He’s worth a pickup as you churn through hitters at the end of your bench, especially if your team is shallow in the outfield or corner infield spots.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday:

Spencer Torkelson (DET): 3-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.

Torkelson posted his first solid showing at the plate last night, leading the Tigers to their second straight win over the defending World Series champion Astros. The former top prospect opened the scoring in the first by doubling home two against Framber Valdez and went deep in the eighth with a 426-foot blast to left-center field. Torkelson’s already set a new career-best max exit velocity this year and he’s cut his strikeout rate a few percentage points down to 15%. The jury’s still out on Torkelson, but those are certainly some encouraging signs for his fantasy managers and Tigers fans alike.

Ryan Mountcastle (BAL): 2-5, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.

The Orioles spoiled Andrew Heaney’s first start as a Ranger yesterday. Mountcastle punctuated a five-run second inning with a three-run home run off the right-field foul pole. The blast was Mountcastle’s second of the young season as he looks to bounce back from an underwhelming showing last year. Sure, he still hit 22 home runs, but after hitting 33 as a rookie in 2021, it’d be nice to see Mountcastle get back to that kind of power output.

Jose Siri (TB): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.

Siri’s hot start at the plate continued yesterday as the Rays reached double-digit runs in their 10-6 win in the nation’s capital. Tampa Bays’ power and speed combo threat is up to a .333/.375/.867 batting line with two homers and a stolen base through his first 16 plate appearances. The Rays love to mix and match their lineups, but Siri’s strong fielding ability should keep him in the lineup most of the time and therefore make him a viable fantasy option, especially if he can rein in his career 33.4% strikeout rate.

Bryan Reynolds (PIT): 3-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Despite asking for a trade this winter, Reynolds is still a Pirate and he’s also still raking in the batter’s box. He posted his second straight three-hit game yesterday, notching his fourth home run of the campaign in just his fifth contest. Both of Reynolds’ extra-base hits came against Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta, and both were absolutely crushed with exit velocities over 100 mph.

Xander Bogaerts (SD): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

In six games as a Padre, Bogaerts already has three home runs. That’s incredibly encouraging if you drafted the $280 million man in your fantasy draft because he managed just 15 long balls in 150 games last year. If this hot start continues, Bogaerts will prove to be a fantasy monster once again as he settles into an incredibly stacked San Diego lineup.

Josh Rojas (ARI): 3-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.

Rojas finally got on the board yesterday, reaching base for the first time this season while collecting three hits and a stolen base. It appears that Rojas is part of a third-base platoon in Arizona this season, as he’s started all three games when the Diamondbacks have faced a right-handed starter and Evan Longoria has started the three games with a lefty on the bump. If Rojas isn’t playing every day it’s a pretty big blow to his fantasy value. On the plus side, he’s on the strong side of the platoon and hitting leadoff when he cracks the lineup. You’ll need to be sure to check the Diamondbacks’ schedule before locking Rojas into a weekly lineup.

Ian Happ (CHC): 3-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB.

After an All-Star and Gold Glove season in 2022, Happ has picked up right where he left off. He reached base five times in the Cubs’ 12-5 win in Cincinnati, raising his batting line to .438/.609/.750. Happ and the Cubs weren’t able to reach a contract extension this winter, so he’s playing with big money on the line as he’ll reach free agency after this season. A huge year could be in store for the 28-year-old left fielder.

Kyle Schwarber (PHI): 2-5, HR, R, 2 RBI.

The Phillies finally won their first game of the year last night, downing the Yankees 4-1 in the Bronx. Schwarber got his team on the board early with a first-inning home run off of Domingo Germán, and it was a milestone bomb for the lefty slugger—the 200th of his career. The big night snapped an ugly 1-for-17 start to the season for Schwarber, and he should be good for another 35 or so homers when the season is all said and done.

Jason Heyward (LAD): 1-3, HR, R, RBI.

Two straight seasons of a wRC+ of 70 or lower put an end to his disappointing stint in Wrigleyville, but didn’t prevent Heyward from landing another MLB job this Spring. He signed a league-minimum deal with the Dodgers and after riding the bench the first four games has now started the last two, homering in each. His home run on Tuesday was the fourth hardest-hit ball of the day at 112.7 mph. Heyward reportedly retooled his swing in Los Angeles, and they have a solid track record of getting the most out of their players. I’m not ready to roll the dice on Heyward yet, but he’s at least worth keeping an eye on to see if those swing changes continue to produce results.

AJ Pollock (SEA): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.

Left field in Seattle is shaping up to be a platoon between Pollock and Jarred Kelenic for the time being, although the job is certainly Kelenic’s to claim if he finally translates some of his prospect hype to real production at the MLB level. In the meantime, Pollock should be playing about half the time, especially against left-handed starting pitchers. Despite drawing the start against lefty José Suarez, he didn’t actually homer until right-handed reliever Jaime Barría entered the game yesterday. Pollock took him deep twice, in the fifth and seventh innings, as The Mariners cruised to an easy 11-2 win over the division-rival Angels.

Matt Chapman (TOR): 3-4, 2B, R, RBI.

Chapman came into yesterday’s tilt with the Royals with a .533 batting average, and he actually raised it! The Blue Jays’ third baseman is on a torrid stretch in the season’s first week, slashing an otherworldly .579/.619/.842 with five doubles in 21 plate appearances. His .733 BABIP will come crashing down to Earth sometime soon, but a 16.7% barrel rate and 19% walk rate are both positive omens that may portend a strong season for Chapman at the dish.