Jazz Hands
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY): 2-4, 3B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was one of many Yankees with a productive day at the plate, but Jazz started the party going against the A’s with a solo short-porch shot in the second inning, followed by a bases-loaded triple in the third. His final line was 2-4, 3B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB.
After a slow start to 2025, including missing all of May with an oblique injury, Jazz’s hands have been hot in June, hitting .318/.379/.600, compared to his season-long line of .242/.336/.495. He’s collected six homers, 18 RBI, and 14 runs this month, with four of those homers and seven of those RBIs having come over his last four games. The question is, which Jazz will show up for the rest of the season?
The answer lies somewhere between his early-season cold stretch and current hot streak. Chisholm’s xBA and xSLG are right around his actual BA and SLG. A glance at his Process+ rolling chart shows us that under the hood, Jazz has been a similar player in April and June, even though the results were drastically different.
Jazz has always had issues with strikeouts, and his 28.8% K rate is in the eighth percentile in the league, meaning he is prone to cold streaks at the plate. He is especially susceptible to offspeed pitches, batting just .125 against them (.181 xBA) with a 43.3% Whiff rate. Good pitchers will take advantage of this and lay off the fastball, and I’m concerned that the results won’t be pretty.
Jazz is a fun and exciting player to own in fantasy, but he can also be extremely frustrating and streaky as well. In Roto leagues, I’m fine with holding, but in weekly leagues, I’m looking to sell high, taking advantage of his recent strong results and, of course, the Yankees tax.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday:
Aaron Judge (NYY): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB.
Speaking of the Yankees, Aaron Judge blasted his 29th and 30th home runs of the season, trying to catch up ground on Cal Raleigh. Judge continues to show everyone that he deserves to be a top 5 fantasy pick, no matter the league format. See you in the first round again next year, Aaron!
Cody Bellinger (NYY): 3-5, 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
Belli also got into the action at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, crushing his 11th homer of the year, and adding a single and double for good measure. With his three RBI today, Bellinger equaled the number of RBI he’s had over the past 10 games. He’s also only hit two homers this month before Sunday’s dinger. Even with a lack of counting stats, Belli’s ratios look good in June, hitting a solid .308/.351/.495 over the month.
Oneil Cruz (PIT): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
Oneil Cruz shot a couple of missiles into the right field bleachers in Pittsburgh on Sunday, helping the Pirates beat up on the Mets. His 14th and 15th homers of the season were his first in two weeks. Fantasy owners are hoping that Cruz’s slump is over, and that his 99th percentile HardHit and Barrel rates will overcome his first percentile K rate in a more consistent way moving forward. History has shown otherwise.
Nolan Gorman (STL): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, SB.
Nolan Gorman was hungry on Sunday and ordered a combo meal against the Guardians. Gorman has always had the power to crush dingers, but the concern was whether he could do much else. His awful 37.8% K rate in 2024 put into question whether he belonged in the big leagues, but he’s cut it back down to 28.9% this year, and is walking at a much better 11.8% clip than his 8.5% clip last season. Gorman is still a player best left on waivers, but keep an eye on the 2B/3B eligible player. His slash line in June was a fantasy-worthy .267/.353/.547, and he added six homers and 16 RBI. Did your middle or corner-infielder have as good of a June as Gorman did? Let that sink in for a moment.
Mitch Garver (SEA): 3-6, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Nothing to see here except a backup catcher having a scorching day at the plate. Enjoy the Sunday Funday, Mitch! Now, back to the bench for you. We want to see Cal Raleigh crushing dingers, not you! Oh, wait, Raleigh started at DH? Sorry, Mitch! You can still catch a few more games a week if you want. Just not for my fantasy baseball team.
Xander Bogaerts (SDP): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, R, RBI.
Xander Bogaerts collected three extra-base hits on Sunday against the Reds, including his fifth homer of the season, a solo shot. Bogaerts has no power in his game, but that doesn’t mean he has no fantasy value. He’s one of the best bench replacement players out there in daily leagues, and can offset your free-swinging sluggers with his .251 BA (.272 xBA). You would like there to be a few more RBIs for someone in the five-hole, but you get what you get with Xander.
Corey Seager (TEX): 1-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.
That’s three games in a row with a homer for Corey Seager, this one being a game-tying oppo-taco homer in the 10th inning. He’s had a strong week, slashing .280/.441/.640, and his 91st percentile HardHit rate (52.1%) and xSLG (.536) mean that Seager should be in store for a solid second half. The question with Seager is never about talent or results. It’s if he can stay healthy.
Sal Frelick (MIL): 3-5, HR, R, RBI.
It was a homer day for Sal Frelick, which is fun because he rarely hits them! An 85.6 mph average EV coupled with a 28.3% HardHit rate will limit home runs, but Frelick is hitting the ball harder than last year (19.5%) and is living comfortably atop the Brewers lineup with a solid .300 BA and .359 OBP. I have to give it to Sal — it’s pretty impressive to have a SLG over .400 (.401, to be exact) with only five homers! Oh, his xSLG is .356? Got it.
James Wood (WSN): 1-2, 4 BB, SB.
How good is James Wood? He was intentionally walked four times in Sunday’s game, which is the first time that this happened since Barry Bonds was intentionally walked four times in four different games during the 2004 season. In only his second season, the 22-year-old Wood, with his incredible dark red Statcast page, is creating fear in opposing teams’ dugouts. If you are in a keeper league, target this man. It won’t be long until he becomes a regular first-round pick in fantasy baseball.
