About the Moon-a and the June-a and the Springer

 

George Springer has had one of the most interesting seasons in fantasy baseball this year, and honestly it all began in the off-season. He was simply one of the most difficult hitters to project. He had his best season in Toronto the prior year, one that earned him some MVP votes and made many eager to draft him. When you look into the data, there really weren’t many red flags from the season either. The underlying data looked amazing and there was really only one reason not to believe in him for 2026: Age.

Unfortunately, Springer came out of the gates looking like a well-below-average player. In the first half of the season, he put up a stat line of .218/.303/.374, good for a 92 wRC+. Since the All-Star break, that number is back up to .295/.356/.451, with a wRC+ of 128. These numbers are much more in line with what managers were probably thinking they’d get from him, and it certainly is welcome at a very important time in the fantasy season.

In yesterday’s game, Springer put up a stat line of 4-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI. His first infield single was a bit of a flukey one, registering at 66 mph exit velocity, though it did force an error. His double the next time up could be arguably viewed as a bit flukey as well, with a .120 expected batting average, though it did its job even if the Jays weren’t able to build off it. He then hit a home run to prove to everyone he was not a fluke yesterday, and had one more single that would lead to the eighth run in the game in the seventh inning.

George Springer (TOR): 4-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday…

 

Michael Harris II (ATL): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Harris has been a bit of a revelation this season. We’ve all been waiting to see him fully break through following his masterpiece of a rookie season that saw him nabbing the National League Rookie of the Year, taking the award right out of the hands of teammate Spencer Strider. In the previous two seasons, he was a below-average hitter by wRC+. Now, he’s at 122, and it’s easy to see why. Harris is making much better contact, which is allowing him to get extra-base hits like he did yesterday. He’s pulling the ball in the air now at an above-average rate, which has led to his career high in home runs this season (and there’s still a month left). His lack of walks kind of limits his ceiling, and he isn’t stealing bases as he has in the past. But the contact quality and quantity is better, and that’s what we’re going to run with.

Lars Nootbaar (ARI): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.

It’s been a bit of a rough start in Arizona for Lars Nootbaar, who was the team’s big deadline acquisition and was brought in to help bolster the team’s offense. The funny part is that his wRC+ with Arizona jumped nearly forty points. The wonders of small sample sizes. Nootbaar has always been a really popular under-the-radar breakout pick because he has some great underlying numbers, but just hasn’t been able to put it together consistently. He had two extra-base hits in yesterday’s game, including a home run off the very first pitch. He’s now leading off frequently for the Diamondbacks, and perhaps their faith in him will be rewarded if he goes on a tear in their end-of-season postseason push.

Jackson Merrill (SDP): 2-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.

Merrill was barrelling the ball yesterday, a welcome sign for a player who has been a bit disappointing this year. Interestingly, he gets to be featured on the same day as Michael Harris, as they share a lot in common. Mainly, the Rookie of the Year-caliber season being their best and a low walk rate limiting them. Merrill absolutely crushed this ball, sending it 425 feet into the Trop stands. He also had a single in the game and a walk, which as I mentioned before, is somewhat uncommon for Merrill. The Padres are fighting with the Diamondbacks for that last postseason spot, and Merrill may be the key to locking it up if he can keep this momentum going. The raw talent is there.

Bryce Eldridge (SFG): 2-5, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.

The Giants lately have been trotting out some rather bleak lineups, yet they’ve been getting surprisingly decent production from them. Bryce Eldridge is of course not one of the unrecognizable names we’ve been seeing, as he was one of the top prospects in the sport and is arguably the key piece for the franchise moving forward. Eldridge has a ton of power in his bat, and that was on full display with an absolutely smoked home run and a double in yesterday’s contest against the Diamondbacks. He also recorded a barrel on his flyout in the game, which is kind of neat. Another thing this game showcased, unfortunately, is Eldridge’s tendency to strike out, as the game ended with him chasing a changeup in a full count.

Seiya Suzuki (CHC): 3-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI.

When it comes to some of the more underrated players in baseball, Seiya Suzuki may deserve to have his name in the mix. Yes, he was a pretty highly regarded name when he came over years back, and yes, he is on a big market team. Yet, it still feels like his consistency isn’t talked about enough. Yesterday he hit two doubles, which puts him at 28 for the season. His underlying numbers, interestingly, aren’t quite as good as they were a few seasons back, but it feels like he’s much more well-rounded at the plate now.

Tyler Stephenson (CIN): 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.

Tyler Stephenson is a solid offensive catcher, and, sadly, people don’t talk about it much. The only time his prowess has really been brought up is in Reds fan groups and nerdy baseball circles. He is routinely going to have seasons with a wRC+ above 100, and this is great for a catcher, which is a position where its players can often have a VERY low floor. In a game with a bunch of home runs that were somewhat flukey, Stephenson hit the farthest ball in the match between the Cubs and Reds, and it was still calculated to be out in only 18 of 30 ballparks. Gotta love Wrigley.

Chandler Simpson (TBR): 2-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 SB.

This is Chandler Simpson doing what he does best. For those who drafted him in your leagues, these are the stat lines that you were hoping for. While many can debate the effectiveness of a player like this in building a winning team, there’s no question the kid is fast. He’s now third in stolen bases, which is not bad considering he’s had some cold stretches on the basepaths due to him being rather predictable at times. He has a higher on-base percentage than the two above him in the stolen-base rankings, though his lack of walks and overall power make this seem a bit like a fluke.

Brooks Lee (MIN): 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.

If you’ve checked your waiver wires, Brooks Lee is one of the more popular names to have been picked up and dropped across 2026. In many leagues he has eligibility for second base, third base and shortstop, and those positions can be difficult to replace when things go south. Right now, we are in one of the great stretches for Lee. Of course he had the home run yesterday, but that takes him on a 6-game hitting streak with home runs in four of them. Lee doesn’t have a lot of bat speed or great quality of contact metrics, yet he has 22 home runs this season. How does he do it? Your guess is probably correct. Lots of pulled fly balls. His spray chart isn’t at Isaac Paredes levels, but it is still very extreme.