Double Slam Burger
Jake Burger (MIA): 2-2, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.
The genius of McDonald’s is that, no matter where you are in the world, you know exactly what your food is going to taste like. Doesn’t matter if you’re 2,000 miles from the nearest living cow. Doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle of the Dubai desert. That Big Mac is going to taste like a Big Mac.
Sometimes, drafting players in fantasy baseball is like that too. There are, of course, the guys you draft hoping they’ll take that next big step. The prospects you hope will blossom into superstars. Maybe they’ll cut their strikeout rate. Or get more aggressive with pitches in the zone. Return oodles of value for you and help prove to your friends and peers that you do, in fact, know ball.
But then there are also the guys where you’d be fine if they turned out exactly the way you expected. In fact, if everything stayed exactly the same from year to year, you’d actually be quite satisfied.
Take Jake Burger, for instance. The man hit the ball harder than just about anyone last season, posting a Max EV (118.2 MPH), Hard Hit rate (49.6%), and barrel rate (16.7%) that were all in the 90th percentile among qualified hitters. He displayed—without a doubt—the ability to be a 40+ home run hitter over a full season.
So coming into 2024, those who drafted Burger likely weren’t expecting him to suddenly become a more disciplined hitter. Or significantly cut down on the whiffs. They just wanted that good ol’ reliable power again, over 600 plate appearances. They just wanted their Big Mac.
Well, if last night’s 2-2, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB performance is any indication, your UberEats has arrived. You know, because Burger… has delivered?
I know, I know, we’re trying not to read too much into things this early into the season. But with a batted ball of 112 MPH+ already on his ledger, it’s looking like Burger aims to continue his prodigious power-hitting ways this year. And if you have him on your fantasy teams, there’s no reason not to be lovin’ it.
Let’s See How the Other Hitters Did Thursday
Connor Joe (PIT): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.
Connor Joe is slashing .346/.469/.615 in the early going with more walks than strikeouts. But I can’t help but be skeptical, given that he got off to an equally hot start last season (.288 with 4 HR in April) and had another false breakout with the Rockies in 2021 (.285 with 8 HR in 211 PAs). It could be that Joe is better suited to sustain his success in a part-time role, in which case his current platoon situation with Jack Suwinski and/or Rowdy Tellez might work out well for him. Just don’t hesitate to cut bait once he cools off.
Iván Herrera (STL): 2-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Herrera was filling in for Wilson Contreras, who was taking a seat after getting plunked on the hand in Wednesday’s game. Herrera has displayed a decent hit tool in the minors, but barring a serious injury for Contreras, he figures to factor in as little more than a backup this season.
Riley Greene (DET): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.
Greene smacked a 107 MPH single and a 105.9 MPH home run in this one, giving his truthers some hope that this early funk may be ending and the breakout may finally be here. He still has some work to do with the strikeout rate—it’s currently close to his career mark of 28%—but like, gosh won’t you give the man a break, it’s the second series of the season for cripe’s sake.
CJ Abrams (WSH): 2-5, HR, R, RBI.
We knew the speed was legit, and would likely be back in 2024. But it’s nice to see him continue to contribute in the power department, smacking a 415-foot shot deep into the murky waters of the Allegheny. Oh, they didn’t play in Pittsburgh yesterday? Well then deep into the murky waters of the… Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool? It’s the only body of water I know the name of in DC.
Edouard Julien (MIN): 1-5, HR, R, RBI.
Edouard Julien came here to chew bubble gum, strikeout looking, and mash taters. And he’s all out of bubble gum. Julien picked up right where he left off last season, striking out three times looking while also smacking a solo shot. He’ll need to start getting a bit more aggressive in the zone—and figure out how not to be a cardboard cutout against lefties—if he wants to take that next step.
Rowdy Tellez (PIT): 2-4, 2 RBI, BB.
Dang. I burned through my Rowdy Roddy Piper reference before even getting to the dude actually named Rowdy. Tellez was a deep sleeper option coming into the year, partially because of the likelihood he’d hit high in the batting order, and partially because he popped 35 homers as recently as 2022. He’s been benched against lefties to this point (which is likely for the best), but it’s been a promising start to this point, and he’s worth keeping an eye on in daily leagues if you need cheap power.
Masyn Winn (STL): 2-4, 3B, RBI.
Look. I’m kind of a sucker for Winn. He’s got no competition at shortstop, and despite the rough spring training, he’s toolsy enough to put together a 20/20 season if things break right. Plus he displayed a polished hit tool in the minors. Personally, I’m adding him to my Watch List, and swooping in if he strings together another two or three strong offensive performances.
Francisco Alvarez (NYM): 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI.
I’m all in on this being the year Alvarez breaks out big-time. The strides he made over the course of last season—both offensively and defensively—made me confident in his ability to take the next big step forward this year. He’s top four in OPS currently and has already found himself moved into the cleanup spot for the Mets. And he’s got the makeup and elite power to push himself into the conversation to be a top-five catcher by season’s end.
Tim Anderson (MIA): 2-4, R, SB.
The jury is still out on how much of Anderson’s putrid 2023 was the result of the leg injury he dealt with throughout the year. It’s a good sign that he’s running again, but the ultimate test will be whether the double-digit power he flashed in his prime will ever return. Not a bad stash for these first few weeks, but he’s also likely not worth burning a roster spot on long-term unless he shows some more signs of life.
I like you, Laar.
Sleeping on Nelson Velazquez!
“The genius of McDonald’s is that, no matter where you are in the world, you know exactly what your food is going to taste like. Doesn’t matter if you’re 2,000 miles from the nearest living cow. Doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle of the Dubai desert. That Big Mac is going to taste like a Big Mac.”
Hate to break it to you, but the last time I was in Belgium, McDonalds hamburgers tasted like ham dyed brown, and it stayed that way for the full year.