Mead ‘Em and Weep
Curtis Mead (WSN): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Curtis Mead has bounced around a lot. The Phillies were the first to sign the Australian in 2018. He made enough of an impression with the Rays that they opted to shield him on their 40-man roster during the 2022 offseason. He made a handful of appearances with the Rays before they shipped him to the White Sox at the trade deadline last year. And then, the White Sox DFA’d him before Opening Day, allowing the Nats to pick him off the scrap heap. Talk about an odyssey.
Following a leadoff home run from Wood and a double from García, Mead compounded Bibee’s misery with a two-run shot to left (401 feet, 105.3 EV). He hit Washington’s sixth and final home run of the night, a solo shot on an 0-2 sweeper from Festa in the fifth. The big Memorial Day performance has Mead slashing .241/.353/.491 through 136 PAs, with seven dingers and three steals.
So are we watching an impending breakout from the 25-year-old righty? Maybe. His underlying numbers aren’t too bad. His 13.7% BB rate is backed by an impressive 123 DV, so he’s making good swing decisions. And his 119 Contact supports his 15.3% K rate. And his Power of 106 is firmly above average. Sure, it’s a small sample size that could go up in flames. However, this also comes on the heels of Brady House’s somewhat surprising demotion three days ago, so there is enough here to put Mead on the radar for a Nats team that is all of a sudden fifth in baseball with a 108 wRC+. Not for nothing, he hit third last night against a righty. And he has 2B eligibility on Yahoo. Now we’re talking.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday:
Ketel Marte (ARI): 4-5, 2B, R, 3 RBI.
Remember that slow start? I don’t either. Three consecutive three-hit or better performances have Marte slashing .275/ .327/ .470. That’s not quite vintage Marte, but we’re getting there! His PLV metrics, including a 118 Power and 118 Contact, would have me champing at the bit if I happened to sense a buy-low opportunity. But that’s gone now, right?
Gabriel Moreno (ARI): 1-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.
Moreno scored the first run of the Memorial Day matinee at Oracle by taking Roupp for a ride to the visitors’ bullpen just to the right of straightaway central (406 feet, 105.3 EV). A career .278 hitter with a .748 OPS, Moreno has been plenty productive as a catcher. However, his 116 contact, 118 Power, and 118 Process have me wondering if we might see him reach a higher gear. I still believe he could very easily creep his way into the conversation as a top-ten catcher. Hey, a breakout season at 26 wouldn’t be all that surprising.
Andrew Vaughn (MIL): 3-4, 2 2B, R, RBI.
Vaughn’s post-Chicago career started promisingly last year as he slashed .308/ .375 / .493 across 254 PAs with the Brewers. His playing-time situation might be a little wonky right now, but I think we will see him push himself into the everyday conversation if he’s not already there. Last year’s 117 Power and 126 Process indicated that Vaughn was on his way to post-hype break status. Nope, it’s never too late.
JJ Bleday (CIN): 1-4, HR, R, RBI, BB.
Hey, look! Speaking of post-hype prospects, there goes that guy whom the Marlins selected one pick after the White Sox took Vaughn in 2019. McLean challenged the 28-year-old lefty with a belt-high fastball in the third, and it ended up being a no-doubter into Citi Field’s visitors’ bullpen (408 feet, 105.6 EV). Sure, fine, Bleday’s .973 OPS is bound to regress. Still, his 130 DV, 125 Power, and 137 Process have me pretty excited to see where this magic Red carpet ride goes.
Ezequiel Tovar (COL): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI.
After giving the Rockies a 2-1 lead in the fourth with a sac-fly, Tovar grooved a chaneup from Kyle Hurt while leading off the seventh (431 feet, 109.1 EV). Yes, the Rockies had a two-run lead in the seventh at Dodger Stadium. And it didn’t last. Tovar’s 105 Power and 96 Process isn’t quite as ugly as his .581 OPS would indicate. Still, the 26 home runs he hit two years ago are looking more and more like a mirage.
Michael Busch (CHC): 1-4, HR, R, RBI.
The Cubs sat a couple of regulars, Suzuki and Hoerner, and scored all of one run at PNC Park against Mlodzinski et. al. The lone charge came on one swing from Busch, a two-out jolt to dead center that momentarily tied the score in the fifth. The 28-year-old lefty has been an early-season disappointment thus far, hitting .231 with a .751 OPS. As you might’ve guessed, his Power has dropped substantially from 134 last season to 108.
Brooks Lee (MIN): 1-3, HR, R, RBI.
Across just over 900 career PAs, Lee has been nearly productive from both sides of the plate, with an 81 wRC+ as a right-handed hitter and an 80 wRC+ as a lefty. Lee has hit second in three of his last four games, including yesterday afternoon’s tilt against the White Sox. He started the scoring, victimizing a 2-0 sinker from Anthony Kay in his first plate appearance. Lee is slashing .256/ .313/ .411, and his 93 Power and limited ability on the basepaths probably leave him as an option best-suited for points leagues.
Sam Antonacci (CHW): 1-4, SB.
That’s six steals for the 23-year-old lefty, three having come in his last five games. He stole 48 bases across 116 games in the minors last year, so we know he has that trick up his sleeve. And he had a 13.3% BB rate and 14.1% K rate, indicating he has a decent shot at being a legitimate table-setter. Although he hasn’t walked much since his promotion, his 93rd-percentile chase rate is encouraging. The Power? Eh, probably not, considering last year’s career-high five home runs. Still, he can play as an OBP/BA/SB asset.
Marcus Semien (NYM): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.
Semien provided the Chris Paul moment in yesterday’s game, putting the Mets on the board in the seventh with a solo shot off Lodolo. So that’s a .219/ .268/ .316 slash through 214 PAs. His true talent level is probably better than that, but then again, we’re talking about a 35-year-old who has declined in each of his last three seasons. So far, his Power has been only a few ticks below average at 96, which, combined with his good swing decisions (119 DV), could eventually make him an alright option at second base, but far from one you have to cling to.
Colton Cowser (BAL): 1-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Cowser replaced O’Neill in the seventh and went 0-for-3 before stepping to the plate in the 13th with the winning run on second base. He then sent a belt-high slider from Scholtens soaring over Mullins’ head for a walk-off tater (425 feet, 109.3 EV). He pulled the same trick in Sunday’s doubleheader against the Tigers, victimizing Kenley Jansen. Cowser has struggled mightily since his impressive rookie season two years ago and remains far from the fantasy radar. Still, this was pretty neat. There is also a chance that he might earn more at-bats at O’Neill’s expense.
Featured image by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on Bluesky and X) and adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
