Yankee Noel Foxtrot

Jhonkensy Noel (CLE): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI.

The Guardians have found unexpected levels of success at the plate this year and it’s come from all kinds of unlikely places. Last night, it was Jhonkensy Noel who made some noise, literally. He finished 2-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI, with both of his knocks screaming off the bat: a 108.9 mph solo shot and a 111.5 mph double down the left-field line.

Noel profiles as a prototypical big bat with massive swing-and-miss issues. He has five homers in 48 big league plate appearances after mashing 18 long balls in 65 Triple-A games. Unfortunately, that power comes with unseemly amounts of whiffs. His 17.3% SwStr% and 37.5% strikeout rate are some of the worst in the game.

From a fantasy perspective, as intriguing as Noel’s power upside is, he isn’t playing enough to warrant a pickup in any format. He’s started just 10 games since debuting nearly a month ago, but he does see consistent action against lefties. Cleveland’s faced six left-handed starters since Noel’s callup and he’s cracked the starting nine in five of those contests.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday:

Lawrence Butler (OAK): 3-4, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

There isn’t a single hitter in baseball who is hotter than Butler is right now. He entered yesterday with a .393/.443/.857 July slash line and finished just a single shy of the cycle. Butler now has at least two hits in six straight games, giving him 15 hits in his last 25 at-bats. With a 12.1% barrel rate, Butler carries big power upside as he maximizes his playing time hitting at the top of Oakland’s lineup.

Tyler O’Neill (BOS): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

O’Neill is making the most of his trip to Coors Field. He followed up his three-hit showing on Monday by blasting off twice against Ty Blach yesterday. His two home runs were the longest of the day, traveling 465 and 437 feet. O’Neill’s 20 home runs are his highest since his breakout 2021 campaign and with his xSLG, Barrel%, Hard-Hit%, and Bat Speed all 86th percentile or better, there’s no reason O’Neill can’t keep this up the rest of the way.

Ketel Marte (ARI): 2-3, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB.

Marte has to be one of the most underrated players in the sport. Alec Marsh beautifully located a changeup down and in to Marte, but it didn’t matter. He went down and got all of it, lacing it 111.2 mph and barely fair down the right-field line for his 21st homer. Marte’s is slashing .294/.364/.521 with a 144 wRC+ and .375 wOBA. His 4.4 fWAR is the eighth highest among position players.

Jeff McNeil (NYM): 2-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.

After posting a phenomenal 141 wRC+ in 2022 and signing a four-year, $60 million extension, McNeil’s production at the plate has cratered. His home run yesterday was his ninth of the season which isn’t a bad total for the Mets’ second baseman, but his .221 average and .278 OBP are the worst of his career. McNeil has an ugly .232 BABIP which is unprecedented given his career .311 mark, so there may be a slight bounce back in store in the second half, but it’s hard to buy too much into the 32-year-old lefty in his second straight down year.

Brent Rooker (OAK): 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.

Rooker is all but guaranteed to be on the move at the trade deadline next week, and he very well may be the best bat on the market. He’s found consistent success despite the high 31.5% punch-out rate. Rooker’s slashing .291/.370/.578 with 23 home runs and six steals. His 167 wRC+ wasn’t enough to get him an All-Star nod, but he should play a huge role for a playoff contender down the stretch.

Jesús Sánchez (MIA): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.

This is Sánchez’s fourth full season with the big-league ballclub and it’s the fourth time fantasy managers have been allured by power potential that never seems to actualize. With an xSLG, Avg. EV, Barrel%, Hard-Hit%, and Bat Speed all 84th percentile or better, you’d expect Sánchez to be a fearsome presence at the plate, but he hasn’t put it all together. Last night Sánchez touched them all for the 12th time this season, hammering an Albert Suárez four-seamer 114.7 mph into the upper deck in right field. Although the power potential hasn’t been fully realized, he has been able to post a career-best 24.4% strikeout rate.

Justin Turner (TOR): 3-4, HR, R, RBI.

After 10 years of posting a wRC+ of at least 114, it seems Father Time is finally nipping at Turner’s heels. When the Blue Jays inked the veteran corner infielder to a one-year, $13 million contract last winter, it seemed like a great addition to a lineup that needed a boost, but Turner hasn’t hit at his usual level. Perhaps his three-hit showing yesterday will be the beginning of a solid stretch run, but with just six home runs, a career-low barrel rate, and barely a league-average 101 wRC+, it seems the 39-year-old doesn’t have much left in the tank.

Wenceel Pérez (DET): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, SB.

Pérez took the league by storm in April posting a .422 wOBA, but has struggled to maintain even league-average production with his monthly wOBAs slipping to .289 in May, .285 in June, and .323 in July. Last night marked his third multi-hit effort since the All-Star break, so he may be on the verge of another hot streak. Pérez has held onto a starting job in Detroit despite the struggles, keeping him fantasy relevant in deep formats.

Josh Smith (TEX): 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, SB.

All season long I’ve been reluctant to buy into Smith’s sudden change into a productive hitter, but maybe I need to start giving him more credit. He’s done a phenomenal job filling in at the hot corner with Josh Jung on the shelf nearly all season. Smith’s hitting .282/.383/.451 with 10 home runs and six steals. His 138 wRC+ is nearly double his previous career best and his 3.2 fWAR leads the team. Smith’s uninspiring quality of contact metrics keeps me cautious in how I view him, but it’s hard to call a 360 plate appearance sample simply a hot streak. He’s certainly earned himself a lineup spot for the rest of the year and probably even into 2025, especially if the Rangers sell at the deadline.