Vive La France
If you asked anybody who the first athlete to come to mind when they hear “France” this month is, you’d probably mostly get answers like Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele. There’s another France worth watching for though: Ty France.
France has a really low rostership, and that makes sense. Ultimately, he’s usually an average hitter these days who often platoons, which in a position like first base which is stacked with great hitters (it kind of has to be), he’s easy to forget about. The issue is that the Padres have a pretty awful offense, with plenty of their star players really struggling. Perhaps it could be worth it to move France up the lineup? He certainly made his case yesterday.
France went 3-4 with a double, two home runs, two runs scored and five runs batted in yesterday in the match against the Rangers. This was a particularly ugly game from a pitching standpoint, one that San Diego would actually go on to lose. France hit a first inning grand slam to score four runs, which would be impressive in itself. This was against THE Jacob deGrom however, who may just be the hardest starting pitcher in history to get hits off of, at least at the peak of his powers. But wait, there’s more, as France hit another one to tie the game at sixth in the fourth inning.
Realistically, France is still not a viable fantasy first baseman unless in deeper leagues or in times of desperation. Games like this showcase that there is some talent there, though, and the Padres really should look to give him more chances higher up in their order.
Ty France (SDP): 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday…
Carson Kelly (CHC): 2-4, HR, 3 R, 6 RBI, 2 BB.
Well, this was a fun outing for Carson Kelly. He will certainly be getting picked up by a few fantasy managers, as this is the kind of game that can win weeks. I’d hold off, though, as while Kelly is a fine hitter, he’s not a great one. He gets on base decently well and has solid contact skills, but the power usually isn’t there. That is, outside of games like yesterday, when he was able to drive in six runs. The other issue with Kelly is that he splits time with Miguel Amaya, who is the more defensively sound catcher, which the Cubs may sometimes need when they have one of their more wild pitchers on the mound. Still, Kelly had an excellent game and saw his RBI total go from 20 to 26. It’s just not something you can count on happening often.
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC): 3-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB.
The dominance of Pete Crow-Armstrong seems to never end. After a bit of a slow start that maybe had some fantasy managers regretting taking him so high, he’s bounced back and has become a saviour for many of your categories. Or maybe I’m just talking about my team. Anyway, PCA played a really scrappy game yesterday against the Jays, getting on base all five times. This included two walks, which is great to see as discipline, as well as the ability to consistently get on base are the biggest concerns about his game. This is just one outing against a shaken and beat-down pitching staff, but it’s good to see him taking walks and passing the baton to somebody else. PCA’s wRC+ in June is well over 260 at this point, and you have to wonder if he’s basically a lock to be the NL’s Player of the Month.
George Springer (TOR): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
It was a tough game all around for the Blue Jays, but George Springer did come through, driving in both of the team’s runs with a third-inning single and then a sixth-inning homer. Springer was one of the major candidates to drop in fantasy baseball, but he’s quickly turned it around. The question is, is this turnaround legit? The Blue Jays and their fans certainly would hope so. Springer has a wRC+ above 130 in June, and his performance yesterday brings his yearly mark up to 99. He’s now an average hitter on the season, which is certainly a better place to be than where he was at the end of May. This game is one that the Jays will want to flush away and never think about again, but Springer certainly has something to build off.
Jeremy Peña (HOU): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
It’s great to see Jeremy Peña producing again. His early-season injury felt a lot longer than it actually was, mainly because so many fantasy managers wanted their source of runs at the shortstop position back. He gave them more than runs today, as he had a two-homer ballgame that really defined the Astros’ routing over the Guardians. The first home run was quite hilarious actually, as it even needed to be reviewed as it just cleared the Crawford Boxes. He made sure that his second one would put the doubts to rest, though, as he hit one into the night sky that also ended up landing in the Crawford Boxes.
Owen Caissie (MIA): 3-3, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
A couple of days ago we saw Team Canada march to victory against Qatar in the World Cup. This must’ve inspired their fellow countrymen to perform, at least it looked like Burlington’s Owen Caissie was inspired. Caissie has had some notable growing pains this season, and I somewhat doubt that any of you are rostering him. But hey, this was a good demonstration of what he is capable of. Caissie’s main strength is his power. He’s capable of hitting extra base hits in bunches, which we saw yesterday. He combines great launch angle management with sheer bat speed, a combination that will make him viable in the future for fantasy managers and the Marlins. Just watch for the strikeouts, which luckily didn’t occur today, though his K rate is still pretty shocking.
Wyatt Langford (TEX): 3-5, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Of all the young players in the Major Leagues, Wyatt Langford may have the highest ceiling. Unfortunately, he hasn’t quite hit that yet, but we see signs of it like in this game. Langford has missed a bunch of games due to injury so far this season, including the entire month of May. His June so far has been pretty good though, as it has raised his wRC+ to above-average levels after putting up a 75 in the March/April stretch. In yesterday’s slugfest against the Padres, Langford really could’ve had four hits as he was out on a caught well-tagged liner. His home run came at a great time, as it marked the insurance run to lead the Padres by two. Get ready for Langford to be a real factor for the rest of the summer.
Jac Caglianone (KCR): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
I recently wrote about Jac Caglianone in my Is It Legit? article this week. I basically came to the conclusion that he’s likely going to hit home runs at a better pace than he has been but the ratios will probably take a hit. Well so far, the first part was right at least. Caglianone’s power truly is other-worldly, and it made him one of the more exciting prospects we’ve seen in years. He unfortunately has that boom-or-bust profile at times at the plate. It’s great to see that he can adjust, though, which he did in this game. After striking out, he hit a 104mph single before absolutely smoking an 110.5mph shot 404 feet. This kind of production will definitely be needed with their MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr.. sidelined for a stretch due to an MCL sprain.
Randal Grichuk (CHW): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, RBI, BB.
It’s been a tale of two teams for Randal Grichuk this season. With the Yankees, he had a wRC+ under 50. With the White Sox, he has one above 150. It’s been a crazy Linsanity type run (or Vargas Rule), and it’s crazy how it hasn’t slowed down. In fact, it’s sped up. Looking at the underlying numbers, it kind of seems sustainable? He’s always had great bat speed and now he’s hitting the ball at an optimal launch angle a lot more. This was a guy who once hit 31 home runs, and while he won’t come near that this season, he’s certainly looking like a player with some boom in the bat. The home run he hit off Tarik Skubal was also really impressive, as while Skubal is still trying to find his groove following an injury, it’s impressive to homer off one of the most dominant arms in the sport.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY): 1-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB.
There is no player who is more fun than Jazz Chisholm Jr.. There, I said it. Some may not enjoy it, but fantasy managers certainly do when he hs a game like this. It’s another combo meal for Jazz, which is something that it feels like he got every game last year. Unfortunately, 2026 hasn’t been as kind to him, but now he’s finding his stride at the right time. He’s not quite hitting home runs at the rate that we saw last year, but there is one area that he’s exceeding expectations in: stolen bases. Jazz is currently fourth in stolen bases with 21 and has only been caught stealing four times. He’s doing this in a year where he hasn’t gotten on base as much as expected, either. If he goes on a hot streak, could he take the league lead?
Lawrence Butler (ATH): 2-4, HR, 4 R, RBI, BB, SB.
The Athletics/Angels game really was a barn-burner, which made it tough to choose which players to feature. But hey! Lawrence Butler got a combo meal! He also had four runs, which seems like an almost insignificant total when you realize how many runs were scored in this game. But hey, it’s more than a third so that’s something. He scored the most important run of the game, the walk-off winning run, which was walked in by Nick Kurtz with loaded bases. It’s unfortunate that Butler is having a really poor season, as his first full year in the big leagues was quite a lot of fun. He’s probably one of the few players whose offensive value tanked moving from Oakland to West Sacramento. He’s not viable in fantasy but he’s good for an outing like this every once in a while, especially when the pitching is a mess.
Logan O’Hoppe (LAA): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.
Speaking of players who aren’t fantasy viable yet had great games yesterday, Logan O’Hoppe contributed to the barn-burner. He had maybe an even more well-rounded statline, finishing with a higher average and bringing three runs in. No stolen base or game winner though. It’s a shame that O’Hoppe really hasn’t been it for the Angels or fantasy managers, as for a while there, he looked to be a somewhat above-average hitting catcher who could give you 20 homers while not having the worst ratios out there. He’s pulling the ball in the air less than he did when he first broke out which might be contributing to it, though he was able to get one to left center last night (which is where a bunch of the home runs were hit).
