Colt 4 For 5’s
Colt Keith’s recent hot streak coupled with some injuries for Detroit has propelled him up to the No. 2 spot in the lineup, and he rewarded the team with a 4-for-5 effort on Sunday against the White Sox, almost matching Chicago’s hit total as a team. Keith came into the season as one of the Tigers’ top prospects after hitting 27 HRs across two Minor League levels in 2023, but the 22-year-old experienced some struggles out of the gate in his MLB debut. Over his last 30 games however, Keith is hitting .310/.343/.490 and is starting to get more comfortable in the batter’s box against Major League pitching. His power at the 2B position could make him a valuable asset in the 2nd half of the season, both for the Detroit Tigers and fantasy baseball managers.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday
Jarred Kelenic (ATL): 1-3, HR, 1 R, 2 RBI.
Like Keith, Jarred Kelenic has catapulted up the Atlanta lineup and is now hitting leadoff for the 2nd place Braves, even against LHP like Nestor Cortes. Kelenic proved that he was up to the task with a 3rd inning HR off Cortes to give Atlanta the lead. He is still slashing .250/.243/.361 against lefties compared to .275/.328/.463 against righties, but fantasy managers can take comfort knowing that Kelenic will be getting the maximum number of at-bats regardless of who is on the mound.
Connor Wong (BOS): 1-5, HR, 1 R, 2 RBI.
Connor Wong continued his incredible season on Sunday with his 7th HR of 2024 to raise his line to .330/.390/.480. The 28-year-old has cemented himself as one of the top catchers in fantasy baseball and is one of the biggest steals of the season so far.
Spencer Horwitz (TOR): 2-3, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.
Spencer Horwitz turned in the best performance of his brief MLB career on Sunday, hitting two solo HRs in the Blue Jays’ 6-5 loss to the Guardians. During his Minor League career, Horwitz has never showcased a ton of power or speed, but has displayed very good plate discipline metrics. Up to .366/.480/.561 in 50 MLB plate appearances, Horwitz could be an interesting deep league pick up for fantasy managers.
Steven Kwan (CLE): 2-5, HR, 1 R, 1 RBI.
People need to start paying attention to what Steven Kwan is doing at the top of the Guardians lineup because he is putting up some crazy numbers. The 26-year-old has found his power stroke of late, with 3 HRs over the last week including his 7th of the season on Sunday. Kwan’s 2024 line is up to .390/.448/.575. He seems to have found a new gear after hitting just 5 HRs in 638 at-bats in 2023 and should be looking at his first All-Star Game appearance.
Yanier Diaz (HOU): 3-3, 2 R, 3 RBI.
One of two Houston batters who Baltimore failed to get out, Yainer Diaz kept it simple with three singles and two sac flys in the Astros win. After a huge rookie season in 2023, Diaz has taken a bit of a step back in 2024 but could be in for a solid second half hitting in the middle of the Houston lineup.
Alex Bregman (HOU): 4-4, 2 2B, 2 R.
Alex Bregman one-upped his teammate on Sunday with a four-hit performance including two doubles. It seems pretty clear that Bregman is never going to get back to the 41 HR level of 2019 and we are still waiting on him to pick his game up a bit at the plate. Currently hitting .257/.318/.414 in 292 at bats, Bregman is not quite living up to his pedigree this season.
Byron Buxton (MIN): 2-3, HR, 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI.
Speaking of pedigree, Byron Buxton showed us some glimpses of his past self with his 432 foot HR to give the Twins all of the run support they needed against Oakland. Minnesota has been able to thrive even without Buxton playing to his potential and if he found a way to put it all together in the 2nd half, the Twins could catch Cleveland for 1st place in the AL Central.
Luke Raley (HOU): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The Mariners fell short of the Marlins on Sunday, but not due to the efforts of Luke Raley, who ripped a two-run HR in addition to two singles. 8 of his 9 HRs have come against RHP and he is a strong platoon player for Seattle at this point.
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)