We’ve spent much time this spring talking about the fun offenses. The Cubs have led the majors in scoring pretty much since the games started on American soil. The Yankees and their torpedo bats, we’ve been there, done that. The Reds, Diamondbacks and Red Sox are also in the top five for runs scored, no surprises there.
But what’s going on at the bottom of the column? The Texas Rangers, just two seasons removed from the championship, are the lowest-scoring team in baseball. Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies have the worst offense in the National League.
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Only three hitters have been right answers for the Rangers this year — and one of them, Corey Seager, is hurt. Wyatt Landford has been terrific through the opening three weeks, off to a .344/.419/.688 push. He could be an MVP someday. And although Josh Jung hasn’t produced a lot of runs, his .282/.301/.465 slash does lead to an OPS+ of 122, putting him well above league average.
After that, it’s a mess. Marcus Semien has long been one of my favorites, but is this a cliff season at age 34? Semien’s .150/.216/.220 start would be worrisome in any context, but remember he lost 26 points on his OPS+ last year. Semen opened the season in his usual leadoff slot; he’s moved down to fifth in the last week. He’s moved down considerably in my rest-of-season rankings, outside the top 100.
Jake Burger is making it easy for opposing pitchers — two walks against 28 strikeouts. He also has one of the worst chase rates in the league. Why throw him a strike when he’ll swing at a ball? To be fair, he beat similar metrics last year in Florida, and he has been about 48 points unlucky with that .174 average. Give Burger some time to get the sizzle going.
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There are only two right answers in the Colorado offense so far, and happily, they’re both widely available in Yahoo leagues. Catcher-eligible Hunter Goodman has a solid .256 average and four homers, and he routinely DHs when he’s not behind the plate. Goodman has started 24 of 27 games this year, and volume is king when evaluating catchers for fantasy purposes. He’s awaiting your call in 71% of Yahoo leagues.
Outfielder Jordan Beck is not a perfect player — he’s already piled up 20 strikeouts in 17 games. That sort of contact rate will sink almost anyone eventually. But Beck does have five homers and four steals in his April push — category juice for the win — and Colorado was slotting him first and second in the weekend series against the Reds. Beck was a first-round pick just three years ago, so there’s some pedigree here. He’s rostered in a modest 23% of Yahoo leagues as we go to press.
Unfortunately for the Rockies, Goodman and Beck are the only players providing power and speed right now. Brenton Doyle has been okay — three hours, two steals — and his .257 average plays, too. This team sure strikes out a ton — Michael Toglia and Ryan McMahon both have 40 whiffs, tops in the majors. At least Toglia heated up in the recent week, pushing his average over the Mendoza. The Rockies don’t have many alternatives; they’ll need to keep playing him.
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One strategy with Colorado — and against Colorado, at that — is to work the schedule. The Rockies have a .244/.330/.419 slash at home and a depressing .186/.248/.291 slash on the road. You can start almost any potential streamer if he draws Colorado at sea level. Maybe this plum assignment will help Jordan Hicks keep his spot in the San Francisco rotation; he draws the Rockies next weekend. (And if Hicks loses his way, note the excellent work Hayden Birdsong has been doing in relief.)
Let’s give you a few more hitting recommendations as we get ready for the fresh week:
3B Noelvi Marte, Reds (44%)
Let’s keep in mind Marte was a top 25 prospect and a top 100 ADP player before last spring’s suspension. Okay, he didn’t hit a kick when he came back; maybe it was a loss of confidence and a lack of timing. But Marte’s quickly put it together this spring, cutting his strikeout rate by an amazing 18% and ripping a .364/.404/.659 start, with three homers and four steals. He’s in a glorious park, too.
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It’s graduation day — time to push Marte well past the 50% threshold in Yahoo pools.
2B/3B Jorge Polanco, Mariners (45%)
Those .377 averages generally aren’t built to last, but Polanco has an elevated hard-hit rate and an expected batting average of .371. He’s making his own luck. He’s also trimmed his strikeout rate down to 12%, and his Baseball Savant sliders are filled with glorious red. Not many batters are able to beat the park in Seattle, but that hasn’t been a problem for Polanco, either. And remember: he had a 33-homer season as recently as 2021. He’s back in our central plans.
OF Andy Pages, Dodgers (13%)
Pages was too good to be true last week, a 13-for-20 binge with three homers and a steal. That should mark his territory in the L.A. lineup for a while; he’s started in 15-of-17 games. Pages usually slots in the bottom half of the lineup, though he did move up as high as sixth during last week’s streak. Let’s kick the tires and see where we go.
2B/OF Gavin Lux, Reds (31%)
Anyone up for a post-hype sleeper story? You have to work the schedule with Lux — he won’t play against most lefties — but he’s bumped his walk rate up to 13.9% and he’s hitting line drives 29.5% of the time. Wait for your pitch and then rake.
Next week’s schedule is more RHP-heavy for Lux, so if you’re in a once-a-week league for transactions, maybe wait a few days. But it’s possible Lux might finally be putting things together in his age-27 season.
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