Sea To Shining Seager

 

Corey Seager (TEX): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

The Texas Rangers as a team experienced an extremely disappointing 2024 season following their surprising World Series win in 2023, but that was not the case for ol’ reliable Corey Seager. Low strikeout rates and 30+ HRs have become the norm for the younger Seager and he showcased his power in the Rangers 6-2 road win over the Cubs. It has been a bit of a slow start for the 31-year-old but we know what to expect from Seager and that is an elite SS.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Wednesday:

 

Matt Mervis (MIA): 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.

The Marlins have a downright awful lineup and mediocre pitching behind Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer, and yet they are sitting in third in the NL East at 6-6. Former Cubs farmhand Matt Mervis supplied the power for Miami, backing Meyer in their 5-0 win over the Mets with an RBI single in the fifth inning to get the scoring going and a game-clinching two-run HR off New York closer Edwin Diaz in the ninth inning. Mervis has modest power and bats cleanup in Miami’s weak lineup, but I’m not rushing to the waiver wire for the 27-year-old with 145 MLB at-bats.

 

Pavin Smith (ARI): 3-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI.

Righty masher Pavin Smith provided the first of back-to-back HRs (see below) off Dean Kremer to blow the game wide open for the Diamondbacks, resulting in a dominant 9-0 win over the Orioles. Smith is the definition of a platoon player with his career 111 wRC+ against RHP (65 wRC+ against LHP) and he is off to a strong start to 2025 with a .400/.486/.667 line. This Arizona lineup is extremely dangerous against righties and Smith should hit in the middle of that lineup when they toe the rubber.

 

Josh Naylor (ARI): 3-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.

New Diamondbacks 1B Josh Naylor supplied the back-end of their back-to-back HRs in the fifth inning for his first bomb in his new uniform. Naylor is one of my favorite hitters in baseball and I think he goes a little underrated for what he provides at the plate. A low strikeout 1B who has generally provided a good average, Naylor sacrificed some of that hittability last year for power, batting .243/.320/.456 with a career-high 31 HRs. I will be watching how Naylor’s power evolves this season but early results have him returning to his previous self with a 12.7% BB%, a minuscule 5.5% K%, and a .340/.418/.511 slash line.

 

Wilmer Flores (SF): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

The NL West continues to be loaded year in and year out, and yet the Giants always seem to be right there in the end despite flying under the radar. They have started 9-3 after an 8-6 extra-innings win over Cincinnati and Wilmer Flores is a huge reason for that start. The veteran utility man eclipsed his HR total from his injury-riddled 2024 with his team-leading fifth in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at six. Flores launched 23 HRs in 2023 in just 454 plate appearances and it looks like he has returned to form in 2025.

Teoscar Hernández (LAD): 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.

On a team loaded with superstars, Teoscar Hernández somehow quietly continues to be one of the best hitters in baseball year in and year out. The 32-year-old’s fifth HR of the season capped a four-run first inning for the Dodgers as they held on for a 6-5 win over Washington. Hernandez has picked up the slack with Freddie Freeman out of the lineup and he is looking like he could eclipse his career-high 33 HR total from 2024.

 

Randy Arozarena (SEA): 2-3, HR, 2B, R, 5 RBI, 2 BB.

2024 was a bit of a disappointing season for former All-Star and Rookie of the Year Randy Arozarena, as his .219/.332/.388 line fell short of his previous seasons with Tampa Bay and resulted in him getting traded to Seattle. 2025 has started similarly for the 30-year-old, but maybe his eighth-inning Grand Slam that jump-started the Mariners’ comeback win over the Astros will jump-start a comeback season of his own.

 

Kyren Paris (LAA): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

I will admit I didn’t know much about the Angels’ Kyren Paris coming into the season and I was very skeptical of his hot start to 2025. Well, I’m convinced now, after the 2B/OF mashed two HRs off Rays pitchers Ryan Pepiot and Mason Montgomery in the Angels’ 5-4 loss to Tampa Bay. Paris will certainly come down quite a bit from his current .440/.533/1.120 line but right now his breakout is just too enticing to leave on the waiver wire. Go grab him if he is still out there in your leagues and take a chance that his breakout is for real.

 

José Caballero (TB): 1-3, HR, R, 4 RBI.

On most nights Paris’ big game would’ve been enough to secure his team a victory, but José Caballero squeaked a 327-foot (what?), 95.1 mph Grand Slam over the wall to give Tampa Bay a comfy 4-0 first-inning lead that they just barely held onto. Caballero has interesting speed (44 SB in 2024), but I wouldn’t expect a ton of power from the utility man going forward. However, if 327 feet is long enough for a homer run in Tampa, then maybe he can top his nine HR total from last season.

 

Jackson Chourio (MIL): 2-5, HR, 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI.

Jackson Chourio’s platinum sombrero from Opening Day is ancient history at this point after he powered the Brewers’ fiesta in the batter’s box with a three-run HR and a two-run double. Chourio has been a run-producing machine with four HRs and a whopping 14 RBI over the last week. He has yet to take a walk in 2025, which explains why his batting average (.315) is somehow higher than his OBP (.309), but Chourio is one of those hitters who can not only get away with that profile but thrive with it.

 

Joey Ortiz (MIL): 2-2, 3 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB.

There were a number of Brewers hitters I could have paired with Chourio for this writeup, but I decided to go with the nine-hitter who Colorado couldn’t get out. Joey Ortiz didn’t produce any extra-base hits, but he walked three times in addition to two singles and scored on both of Chourio’s big hits. A featured part of the Corbin Burnes trade to Baltimore, Ortiz should get ample opportunity in Milwaukee’s lineup after the offseason departure of Willy Adames. Ortiz was largely underwhelming in 2024, but if he can figure it out at the MLB level, the 26-year-old has 15/15 potential with a good batting average and solid counting stats in what is shaping up to be a surprisingly dangerous Brewers lineup.