It’s crazy to think we’re somehow already a quarter of the way done with the season. I swear it was just February and I was trying to convince people that THIS was the year you should avoid Elly De La Cruz. Which has backfired for me much like it has for everyone else in the industry. Honestly, though, I’m happy it did because Elly is just so much fun to watch. Baseball needs electric players who perform on the big stage and he’s quickly become one of those guys.
I did find myself reminiscing earlier today about some of my earlier points league content. I’m not a huge fan of victory lapping early in the season, but I have been enjoying all the Seth Lugo shares I took after writing him up in my Points League Risers & Fallers article back in February. Pinpointing those who excel at quality starts always has been and always will be the formula for successful points league pitching.
Speaking of excelling at quality starts, who had Cal Quantrill going to the Colorado Rockies and tossing five quality starts in his first eight starts on their 2024 bingo card? I doubt anyone did. Can he continue this not-historic run that still kinda feels historic because he’s not great and Coors Field is where pitchers go to die? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z!
Or just stick around and see if he can continue to replicate it, I guess. Whichever option you prefer. Let’s just get into the article.
Buy, Baby. Buy.
Alec Burleson – STL
Last week I mentioned I’d do a better job of adding in guys who are slightly more available. So why not start with a guy who’s available almost everywhere? Burleson doesn’t necessarily pop on the stat sheet, but he does a lot of things I love when it comes to a points league. Especially as of late.
For the season he has the 10th-best IPA% amongst qualified hitters. At 34.9% he’s better than Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker, and Vinnie Pasquantino. Three players who are staples in a points league setting. He’s continued that success as of late as well. In his last five games, he has an IPA% of 45.5%, and over his last 12 starts, he has five XBH and 11 RBI.
He’s batting in the middle of that weaker Cardinals lineup, limiting his strikeouts, and making the most of his plate appearances. All things that you should be buying into when looking for success in your points league lineup.
Luis García Jr.– WAS
Has there been a bigger surprise this year than Luis García Jr.? Don’t literally answer that because…obviously…but Garcia has been playing like a man possessed and we love it. He’s done everything you like to see from a player in both the baseball and fantasy baseball sense.
| Z-Contact% | Barrel% | IPA% | ICR% | |
| 2024 | 90.8% | 11.7% | 33.9% | 45.7% |
| Percentile | 87th | 83rd | 94th | 85th |
In 2023 he was a 9/9 guy who made decent contact. This season, he’s taken that contact to the next level both in terms of quality and quantity. All four of those numbers would be career highs if the season ended today. Every time he steps to the plate he’s ready to make points league managers’ dreams come true. Despite playing in a Nationals offense void of any real offensive threats outside of CJ Abrams, Garcia has still found a way to score 20 runs while hitting .297 and stealing seven bases.
He already has 13 XBH through 34 games. For points league hitters you want low strikeout rates and high extra-base hit quantities. Garcia brings you that with the ability to steal bases almost at will. His last five games have been mediocre which means if he’s rostered there’s never been a better time to buy him. Add him and comfortably start him in your points league moving forward. He seems to have really figured out how to make great contact and that always translates to great points league success.
Sell Now While You Still Can
Anthony Volpe – NYY
Anthony Volpe had a lot of upside coming into this season. He still does, obviously, but the concerns we had about Volpe last season are starting to show themselves. His first few games this season were magical. He was batting lower in the order but producing big. The Yankees proceeded to move him into the leadoff spot and ever since then, he’s been mid at best.
As you can see, since taking over as the leadoff man for the Bronx Bombers, his contact ability and hitter performance have both dropped rather drastically. His hitter performance is rebounding a bit these last couple of games, but that’s exactly why he’s made this list. Remember, it’s all about getting as much value as you can. Volpe has shown signs of life which will get other managers interested again.
Before this recent five-game splurge of production, Volpe had hit just .200 with a 24.5% IPA rate and a whiff rate of 24% which rivals that of Matt Chapman and Brett Baty. Volpe has the all-around game to continue to be an asset in roto/category leagues, but in points leagues his weak contact and shaky, but improved, plate discipline cap his ceiling at a point below where he’s currently performing. Move him for someone more consistent. Capitalize on his bounce-back handful of games and the spike in value they’ve brought him.
Brent Rooker – OAK
Look, I love Rooker. Probably more than someone who’s a fan of their division rival should. He’s a fun follow on X and really feels like someone who is just truly happy he gets to play baseball every day. Not only that, he gets to perform at a high level. He broke out last season and put himself on everyone’s radar cracking the 30 home run mark. As we sit here right now, he looks like he’s going to do it again already having 10. He also looks like he’s about to come tumbling back down to earth though as well.
First, there’s the good. Rooker has the IPA% and ICR% numbers I love to see from a good points league candidate. He’s sitting at both 28.1% and 50.7%, respectfully. That 50.7% ICR rate is actually insane. He’s also upped his zone contact rate to above the 80% threshold I look for. Again, all things I absolutely love to see. The problem is the other stuff behind the scenes.
Rooker this season has the 19th worst contact rate in baseball. In fact, there are only three qualified hitters in baseball with a zone contact rate above 84% and an overall contact rate below 70%. Of that group, Rooker is by far the worst.
| Z-Contact% | Contact% | |
| Starling Marte | 84.9% | 69.8% |
| Seth Brown | 86.9% | 69.4% |
| Brent Rooker | 84.1% | 65.4% |
Despite the elite quality of contact numbers you’re seeing from Rooker, he’s still the same ol’ “swing at everything and pray you hit it” player he was previously. It ends up being great for roto and category leagues where home runs can be harder to come by. The problem is that the lack of contact is going to eventually catch up to Rooker which will plummet his batting average and see that strikeout rate continue to stay above 30%.
With him currently hitting just shy of .300 with double-digit strikeouts, strike while the iron is hot and move him for someone more consistent in a points league format. Someone like Jarren Duran or Bryan Reynolds is likely to have much more season-long value in the format and can be bought for cheap while you capitalize on Rooker’s high value.