Every Monday I do a deep audit with my top-250 players moving forward, and we write up some of the biggest movers and shakers. Let’s unpack some of the market movement as we get ready for another week of fantasy baseball.
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Drake Baldwin, C, Braves (96%): Nobody can make a pickup with Baldwin, but we have to salute his smash opening month (.311 average, 29 runs, seven homers, 25 RBI). Baldwin’s also giving us uncommon volume for a catcher, because the Braves DH him whenever he’s not playing defense. As a result, he’s started every game this year, slotting second in MLB’s top-scoring lineup.
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Generally I like to play the value game at catcher (and at relief pitcher), but the Mason Miller rule applies to Baldwin, too. If he’s going to be this efficient and get this much volume, I have to steer into the outlier. I have no problem slotting Baldwin in the top 50 for the rest of the season.
Kyle Harrison, SP, Brewers (33%): It’s not easy to definitively say yet what Harrison truly is — he’s had five starts of varying effectiveness and his 2.28 ERA is far ahead of his expected stats. But his last turn was brilliant (six innings, one hit, one walk, 12 strikeouts), and no one has mashed him yet (his worst turn was a modest three runs). This has all the appearances of a post-hype sleeper makes good; Harrison is still just 24 and at one point he was rated around a top-25 prospect.
We also like betting on Milwaukee things; the Brewers are a smart organization and they always put a plus defense behind their pitchers. Harrison is a recommended start this week at Washington.
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Louis Varland, RP, Blue Jays (47%): Fantasy baseball isn’t always linear but let’s appreciate the times that it is. Jeff Hoffman, the Toronto closer, was struggling. Varland, the primary setup man, was locked in. It made sense that the Blue Jays might see the need for a change, and last week the call was finally made. Varland validated the appointment with two quick saves, though one of them was a white-knuckle ride (3 H, 1 R, 1 BB).
Baseball analysis is best done with big samples, but when we deal with relievers, we’re often relying on small samples. Varland was great with Minnesota last year (2.02/1.102), then less effective in Toronto (4.94/1.394). He’s probably over his skis at the moment (0.60/0.86), though we love 23 strikeouts against four walks over 15 innings. But so long as Toronto trusts him in the ninth inning, it’s best that we do the same.
Josh Jung, 3B, Rangers (39%): Jung has always been a good player through his brief career, though we’ve often defined him by the improvements we wished for. If only he had a better walk rate. If only he had a little more power. This year, he’s checking the boxes of an improving player. His walk and chase rates are still under league average, but they’ve improved. And when he’s making contact, the ball is screaming — his hard-hit stats are excellent.
Hyeseong Kim, UT, Dodgers (12%): Kim qualifies at three different positions (2B/SS/OF), which means he could still have a lineup spot even after Mookie Betts returns. Kim has a plus walk rate and is a smart base stealer, which helps offset his mediocre hard-hit rates and lack of power. The Dodgers will keep him in the bottom third of the order, given their star power, but any slot in this lineup holds value for me.
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Andrew Abbott, SP, Reds (55%): We all suspected Abbott’s 2025 breakout season wasn’t sustainable, but I envisioned he could be a regress-and-win player — someone who’s fall would be modest, allowing him to provide ADP value. Abbott’s walk, strikeout and home-run rates are all moving in the wrong direction, and although there have been some unlucky elements to his rocky April, his expected ERA (4.82 FIP) wouldn’t help anyone, either.
Alec Bohm, 1B/3B, Phillies (38%): I thought last year could go down as an excused absence, and I was encouraged by Bohm slotting cleanup to open the year. But a quick slump pushed him down the Philly lineup, and at some point the club might have to try something else. At least Bohm’s slump is distracting eyes from Bryson Stott, who’s in his own funk (.221/.268/.273). Maybe the 2026 Phillies simply aren’t fixable.
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Chase DeLauter, OF, Guardians (64%): The four homers to start the year were a blast, but pitchers have quickly adjusted. DeLauter has a .211/.322/.342 slash since that opening smash, although he does have more walks than strikeouts. Cleveland’s lineup isn’t deep and DeLauter deserves time to work things out and progress at his own pace, of course. It’s interesting that DeLauter currently has reverse splits, with an OPS that’s 329 points higher against lefties.
