Confortune Feimster
Michael Conforto (CHC): 3-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
After signing with the Chicago Cubs in the offseason, Michael Conforto has had an excellent start with his new team. Last night’s outburst now gives him a .361/.467/.667/1.133 line on the season. Yes, a .458 BABIP suggests there will be some regression coming here, but it isn’t all bad news. Conforto lit up the radar gun yesterday with a 102.4 mph single, 105.0 mph homer, and 108.2 mph double. The power surge is in line with what we’ve seen from Conforto in the Windy City as he’s recorded a career-high 95.6 mph average exit velocity, 15.4% barrel rate, and 50.0% hard hit rate.
Playing time will be hard to come by in one of baseball’s best offenses, especially now that youngster Moisés Ballesteros has locked down the DH role full-time. However, Conforto has made a career out of producing despite limited plate appearances, and his hot start to 2026 could give him the edge over Matt Shaw if injuries were to open up a spot in the lineup.
Let’s see how the rest of the hitters did Thursday:
Keibert Ruiz (WSN): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI.
Keibert Ruiz has struggled offensively since his 2023 breakout. Yesterday’s performance nearly doubled his wRC+ on the season and he still only sits at a 69 wRC+. Ever the optimist, I can’t help but notice that Ruiz’s 89.7 mph average exit velocity and 42.4% hard hit rate are both career high marks, and his 5.1% barrel rate is his highest since 2023.
The reality here may be that Ruiz simply doesn’t do enough to be fantasy relevant in the majority of leagues, but if you’re buying in on a return to form, I don’t blame you. Ruiz isn’t a Mendoza Line catcher, and at 27, he may finally be figuring out major league pitching.
Ryan Jeffers (MIN): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI, BB.
Ryan Jeffers took a step back last season after a 21-homer campaign in 2024. However, Jeffers hit his fifth home run yesterday as he looks to leave last season behind him. It was a scorcher too, a 107.6 mph, 432-foot bomb that should remind us of the power that has long been his calling card. Some of Jeffers’ inconsistencies may have been caused by a new approach at the plate that has resulted in a 14.8% walk rate, 17.4% strikeout rate, and 124 DV+. Yes, you read those right.
Even if the plate discipline regresses, I’d take a flier on a player of his profile who’s currently posting a career-best 29.5% groundball rate.
Zack Gelof (ATH): 2-5, 3B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Zack Gelof may quietly be the post-hype sleeper of 2026. Gelof picked up his third home run of the year in the Sacramento Athletics 12-1 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies. A former second-round pick in the 2021 draft, Gelof is known for a power-speed combo that he’d only flashed so far in the majors. This season, Gelof has made literal strides with a 28.7 ft/s sprint speed (92nd percentile) and 92.1 mph average exit velocity (85th percentile). While I have a well-documented penchant for average exit velocity, it’s certainly with good reason here since Gelof has seen a full 4.0 mph increase over last season!
Blake Dunn (CIN): 2-4, HR, R, RBI, BB.
Blake Dunn tied his career high in home runs, hitting his first of the season yesterday. It’s a small sample size, so it feels fair to assume you shouldn’t be aggressive in chasing a player with a 1.000 BABIP. However, there’s a path to playing time with Eugenio Suárez on the IL, and Noelvi Marte demoted to Triple-A.
Dunn is a speedster with seven stolen bases in Triple-A already this season and 20+ stolen bases every year since his draft year in 2021. While the 23 home runs he hit in 2023 are a clear outlier, Dunn may be able to break double-digit homers in Great American Ball Park if he can carve out regular playing time.
Liam Hicks (MIA): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
It appears that Liam Hicks is the favourite in Miami after the Marlins sent Agustín Ramírez down to Triple-A earlier this week. This is well-earned, too, since yesterday marked Hicks’ ninth homer and league-leading 34th RBI. Hicks is not a power hitter, as the nine home runs are already both a major and minor league career high, which comes with an 88.0 mph average exit velocity (29th percentile) and a 67.9 mph bat speed (6th percentile). It isn’t doom and gloom with Hicks when the power stops.
He’s hit a .319/.372/.584/.956 slash line this year, and his keen eye at the plate should keep him in that range. Hicks’ 9.3% strikeout rate is backed by a 9.5% whiff rate, which ranks third in the majors (behind only Luis Arraez and Steven Kwan). PL metrics also love his decision-making ability with an elite 121 Contact+, 114 Strikezone Judgement+, and 115 DV+ (120 zDV/108 oDV).
Brooks Lee (MIN): 2-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB.
One of my favourite sleepers coming into this season, Brooks Lee has rewarded my faith in him so far this season. The 25-year-old switch-hitter has taken over the shortstop role in Minnesota, hitting five home runs, 23 RBI, a .270/.326/.434 triple slash, and 111 wRC+. Lee still has some work to do and may not match the prospect hype, as I wouldn’t expect a power surge anytime soon, but double-digit home runs with his contact skills make him a valuable contributor at shortstop.
Jonny DeLuca (TBR): 2-4, 2 R, BB, SB.
An unrelenting string of injuries kept Jonny DeLuca off the field for most of 2025. A clean bill of health has seen DeLuca pick up where he left off, with a .284/.318/.444 line and a 110 wRC+. DeLuca showed off his 29.1 ft/s sprint speed (94th percentile) yesterday, too, as he recorded his fifth stolen base of the year. Cedric Mullins and Jake Fraley appear to be ahead of DeLuca on the depth chart, but both have struggled to start the season, and the Tampa Bay Rays may just be easing DeLuca back into the lineup.
While it’s a small sample size, it’s also worth noting that DeLuca’s shown off a 73.8 mph bat speed (+2.8 mph). It’s more likely that this leads to more consistent contact than a surprise power surge, though.
Brayan Rocchio (CLE): 2-4, R, BB, SB.
I know, I know, I’m talking about the wrong Cleveland Guardians middle infielder from yesterday. Or am I? At first glance, Brayan Rocchio appears to be the prototypical glove-only shortstop. However, Rocchio has shown his offensive prowess in his age-25 season with three homers, four steals, a .262/.343/.369 triple slash, and 105 wRC+. Rocchio’s also cut his strikeout rate in half, down to 10.1%, as he’s started to make better decisions at the plate. His 118 Contact+, 106 Strikezone Judgement+, and 103 DV+ (115 zDV/98 oDV) aren’t that far off from Liam Hicks‘ contact-friendly approach.
Curtis Mead (WSN): 1-4, 2 RBI, SB.
Curtis Mead rounds out today’s apparent post-hype sleeper edition of the Batter’s Box. Largely written off after he struggled in the Chicago White Sox organization last year, Mead has taken over at first base with Luis Garcia Jr. hitting the IL this week. Mead made it an easy choice on the Nationals as he was already pushing to take Garcia’s spot at the top of the lineup. The 25-year-old has posted a 121 Contact+, despite a 75 Pitch Runs value indicating that he’s faced some of the toughest pitches this season. A BABIP lower than his batting average is unlikely to stick, especially for a player with his plate discipline, so Mead’s stock could be on the rise soon.
