Maikelling Me Softly With Two Bombs
Maikel Garcia (KCR): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Maikel Garcia continued his recent hot stretch by hitting not one, but two home runs into the Bird Bath Splash Zone at Camden Yards against the Orioles on Sunday. In fact, the Royals hit a combined seven home runs against Baltimore, which is a team record. This was quite the feat for a team that was dead last in the league in home runs, and quite a feat for Garcia, who hadn’t hit any homers yet in 2025, and hit only seven in 2024. After a 2024 slash line of .231/.281/.232, his 2025 line is a sparkling .319/.379/.496. Is Garcia’s hot start to the season sustainable?
If you look under the hood, Garcia is still a contact-first hitter who does not barrel the ball (4.2% Barrel rate; 18th percentile), but he is hitting the ball as hard as he ever has, with a 93 mph average EV (91st percentile) and a 53.1% Hard Hit rate (also 91st percentile), both career highs. He doesn’t need homers to be fantasy-relevant, as his .316 xBA (95th percentile) backs up his actual .319 AVG, and he is walking more this year (career high 9.4 BB%), leading to a strong OBP. Check out Maikel’s contact skills in his Process+ Rolling Chart:
One surprising hole in Garcia’s game this year has been in the stolen base department. It is surprising to see him have trouble once he gets on the basepaths (seven SB to five CS in 2025) as he’s usually a reliable source of speed and steals (37 SB to two CS in 2024), which is a big part of the Royals’ game. The SB to CS ratio should correct itself as the season moves on.
While Garcia lost his leadoff spot last year due to his late-season struggles, a position Jonathan India took over after an offseason trade, Garcia has slotted as high as fourth and fifth in the batting order recently, giving him a higher chance for RBIs than the nine-hole that he used to call home.
All in all, Maikel Garcia is an ideal small-ball player, which is Kansas City’s game. Is he the perfect fantasy player? No. But he is a solid MI or CI who can complement your team’s free-swinging sluggers, especially when he’s on a tear like this and is hitting high in the Royals’ order. A four-game matchup versus the lowly White Sox to start the week seals the deal for me. Get him in your lineups, even as a stream in shallower leagues.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday:
Willy Adames (SFG): 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Willy Adames hit two home runs and added a double off the Rockies in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. Fantasy analysts were quick to label Adames a bust candidate after the former Brewer signed with the Giants in the offseason. So far, that prophecy looks to be coming true. Adames hit three of his four homers this week, including the two in this game, but it is looking very unlikely that he’ll hit the 30-homer mark after slugging 32 in 2024. His Barrel rate has dropped from 12% in 2024 to 8.2% in 2025, and his .386 xSLG is only slightly higher than his actual SLG of .363.
Austin Riley (ATL): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
Let’s just get through all of the double-dinger performances, shall we? Austin Riley had a terrible 2024 that ended with a broken wrist from an HBP in August, leaving him with only 19 homers on the season after a 37-homer season in 2023, but his Statcast numbers looked great all year. Smart drafters bought the dip in the offseason, and Riley is back to his regular old stat-producing self, hitting his seventh and eighth home runs of the season Sunday. But, Austin, can you lower your 31.7 K% a bit back to your normal 24-25%? Thanks in advance!
Jackson Holliday (BAL): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Jackson Holliday crushed two homers in a game where everything was flying out of Camden Yards. Holliday is still getting his feet wet in the league, but so far he’s showing he belongs in 2025, slashing .273/.340/.443 in the young season, after a disastrous 2024 season to begin his career. He is still often sitting against lefties, and is hitting lower in the lineup (though up to sixth in recent games), but days like today show Orioles fans and fantasy owners alike Holliday’s potential to be a star in the big leagues. Just temper your 2025 expectations in re-draft leagues.
Trey Sweeney (DET): 4-5, HR, 2 R, 6 RBI.
The Tigers put a beating on the Angels, beating them 13-1, thanks to a big day from Trey Sweeney. While Sweeney did hit two homers over his past two games, he never hit more than 16 homers in a season in the minors, and his Statcast profile is icy blue. Let’s keep his ownership at one percent, please, and just feel good for a young player who had a career day at the plate.
Kerry Carpenter (DET): 4-6, 2B, HR, R, 5 RBI.
Sweeney’s teammate Kerry Carpenter also had a day against the Angels and is having a solid stretch of three home runs and eight RBIs over the last week. The Tigers’ leadoff hitter is having a solid age-27 season, batting .295/.316/.554, backed up with a whopping .574 xSLG. His BB% has strangely plummeted from his normal seven percent to 1.8%, which is depressing his usually strong OBP, but he also is striking out less (16.1% K rate compared to a 25.3% K rate in 2024). After taking a look at Carpenter’s Process+ Rolling Chart below, it’s hard to understand why he’s only owned in 66% of Yahoo leagues. I think now is the time for those in deep OF formats to buy some shares, and he’s a solid stream this week in shallower leagues as the Tigers play three games in Coors. Let’s hope he stays healthy this season!
Geraldo Perdomo (ARI): 4-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 SB.
The D-Backs’ Swiss Army knife is back at it with yet another box score loaded with speed, walks, and RBIs. Once Ketel Marte returned on Friday, Perdomo dropped from leadoff hitter to the nine-hole for two games. On Sunday, Marte took a day off, and the 25-year-old Perdomo was back in the one-hole, having one of his best games of the season. He is forcing Arizona’s hand to keep batting him near the top of the lineup, something fantasy owners should hope for if Perdomo’s breakout season is to continue.
Jonathan Aranda (TBR): 3-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, 2 BB.
A breakout candidate for many during draft season, Aranda has had a hot start for the Rays this season, but fantasy players aren’t showing him that love, as he’s owned in only 45% of Yahoo leagues, and was dropped in 16% of leagues over the last day. I guess those fantasy managers aren’t checking his actual stats, including an almost league-leading slash line of .316/.414/.561 with five homers, nine doubles, and 17 RBI. They’re definitely not checking his bright red Statcast page or his Process+ Rolling Chart that backs it up.
Take advantage of the ownership dip and get this man on your team for the rest of the season.
Xander Bogaerts (SDP): 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, SB.
Bogaerts’ age-32 season has been lackluster so far, to say the least, and it continues a season-after-season trend of Bogaerts losing power. Case in point, his .348 SLG is higher than his .338 xSLG. How is this man still fantasy relevant? Two reasons: he’s still a cheap source of steals with 2B/SS eligibility, and San Diego still bats him fourth or fifth every night. Fantasy owners should view Bogaerts as nothing more than a bench bat fill-in at this point in his career. 84% ownership in Yahoo leagues is way too high.
Tyler Stephenson (CIN): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.
I always like highlighting one “hey, I’m back from the IL!” player in my articles, and it always helps when one of those players hits a bomb! Tyler Stephenson is back in Cincinnati and crushed it this weekend, hitting .300/.417/.800 with a homer, two doubles, and three RBI to begin his 2025 campaign. If you’re looking for help behind the plate, look no further.
