High Velocity Rale

 

Luke Raley (SEA): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 7 RBI.

All aboard the high velocity Raleroad!

Seriously, I am all aboard the Luke Raley train… Well, at least for today. He has never been the most consistent hitter and has a profile that is kind of scary. He put all of his XP into the power and hustle attributes, leaving the basic contact skills to dry. You’re not going to get Raley on base often, but when he gets on there, it’s usually because he hit some sort of shot deep into the ballpark. He has an excellent combination of raw bat speed and launch angle management, which means he’s one of the best in the game at barrelling up the ball. Just expect strikeout numbers and whiff numbers that will remind you of yourself on MLB: The Show. Oh, and lefty pitchers? Forget about it, he’s not going to see time against them.

His game against the White Sox really was immaculate. In two swings, he was able to put up such a satisfying stat line. He hit a grand slam on a 113mph missile in the third, to give his Mariners a big cushion. They blew it in the next inning, but luckily, Raley was able to get another one to drive in three to give the M’s that big lead again. From there, they never blew the lead.

So yeah, this is the kind of game that makes you want to add a player as quickly as possible. It’s not the worst idea, just know what you’re in for. Lots of frustration but also moments of elation.

Let’s see how the other hitters did on Friday:

 

Josh Naylor (SEA): 3-5, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.

It was honestly a tough call on who to feature between the two excellent Mariners performances. I wound up going with Raley, but that made me sad because I love the Josh Naylor puns I had written down. Naylor was one of the most talked about slumpers to start 2026, as I think many were expecting him to follow up his incredible stretch to close off last year by hitting more nukes and getting on base often. It hasn’t happened yet, but games like this show that he’s turning it around quickly.

Byron Buxton (MIN): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

Byron Buxton cannot be stopped in the month of May! He is tearing it up right now, and this was just another game of dominance. This was his fourth homer in May, and it could have been his fifth if his leadoff double to start the game had been in about half of MLB ballparks, including his own. Buxton really set the tone in the game by hitting that rocket early, though they unfortunately fell to the Guardians (more on their standout player from the game later). I think we know what we get with Buxton: an excellent real-life and fantasy player when healthy. He’s hitting home runs at a pretty tremendous rate right now, and very few people are talking about it. He has more home runs than Mike Trout, Junior Caminero, Elly De La Cruz, James Wood, and several other big names.

Justin Crawford (PHI): 3-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.

What excellent timing to hit your first career home run! Unfortunately, this clutch moment was short-lived, as the Rockies would come back to win in extra innings, but hey, it’s an awesome career memory! He was cool as a cucumber trotting around those bases, as it was clear he felt the job wasn’t done. He held up his end of the bargain, hitting a single in extras where his teammates unfortunately couldn’t come through for him. Crawford is the son of Hall of Very Good member Carl Crawford, and you can definitely see that in his profile. Some would say he’s similar to Chandler Simpson, lots of groundballs, lots of stolen bases, and lots of manufacturing runs. The difference between him and Simpson, though, is that he has an MLB regular-season home run, a major monkey off his back, I’m sure. If he can get a few more, become a .300 hitter, and start consistently stealing bases, he could be a sneaky valuable player in real life and fantasy.

Hunter Goodman (COL): 4-5, HR, R, 2 RBI.

I think a lot of people predicted the Hunter Goodman falloff this season, as even I was a bit skeptical. Of course, those people need to realize that he plays in Coors! Of course, he’s going to hit home runs. This game was not at Coors, though, and he still hit a home run! The fun thing about this is that the homer was his third hardest hit of the night, as he lined a 110 mph shot in the 8th and then another one in extras. He also mixed in a little bloop just for fun. In terms of strengths and weaknesses, he is kind of similar to Raley, whom I led off with. Crazy bat speed, but poor contact and plate discipline. He gets that positional value over Raley, though, as well as a MUCH better home ballpark environment. He can also produce against lefties somewhat, as he at least gets to face them more than Raley does.

Travis Bazzana (CLE): 1-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB.

Yesterday was a great day of first home runs, as Travis Bazzana had his! The Australian first-round pick hasn’t had the start to his career he probably wanted in the stat sheet, but his process has looked pretty solid. He’s a very disciplined player, rarely chasing or striking out. He doesn’t hit the ball super hard, but evidently hard enough to make him such an intriguing prospect. While this was his first home run, it was also his first combo meal! He had two stolen bases to go with that home run, showcasing his aggression on the basepaths despite a subpar raw sprint speed. He already has six steals on the year, which is great for a guy who has only had 38 plate appearances.

Adley Rutschman (BAL): 2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.

I am LOVING the Rutschmannaisance. Adley Rutschman has been on fire since coming back from the injured list, and I really do hope it continues for the rest of the year. We have seen in the past that he has taken a tumble after a hot start before, but trust me, guys, this is different. The main difference, it seems, for Rutschman this year is the quality of contact. He is hitting the ball slightly harder than last year and is managing launch angles slightly better. It’s the little changes that can cause a player’s stock to skyrocket, and I really wish this was the year I reached for him in fantasy drafts instead of last year.

Rafael Devers (SFG): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.

Is it finally time for Rafael Devers to break out of the horrific slump he started the season in? Ever since being traded to San Francisco, Devers hasn’t looked amazing. That’s not to say he hasn’t shown flashes, but he hasn’t adjusted to his environment fully, and we are seeing that with this seemingly endless slump to start the year. However, I always feel it takes one good game to turn it around, and maybe this is the one. Now, his home run was a little bit ridiculous, as it is only out in Oracle Park. This is pretty funny, considering how hard a ballpark it can be to hit in. He made up for this unicorn, though, by flexing a 109 mph exit velocity on a single later in the game, a mark that feels like vintage Devers.

Freddie Freeman (LAD): 1-4, HR, R, RBI.

Another milestone was hit yesterday, this time from Freddie Freeman, who hit his 100th Dodger home run against his former team. It’s looking to be another standard Freeman season, as while the basic stats are a bit down from last year, the process looks better. He’s showing a bit more bat speed and is striking out a lot less than last season, which makes it clear that he will go on another hot streak sometime down the line this season.