Welcome to our weekly fantasy baseball burning questions article. Each week, I’ll dive into 10 key questions that are popular within the fantasy community.
These will be carefully chosen to ensure that only the most polarizing topics and players are featured. Let’s get into my 10 burning questions.
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Fantasy Baseball 10 Burning Questions
1. Is Spencer Steer back in the circle of trust?
Spencer Steer is coming off an abysmal season, slashing .238/.312/.411 with 21 home runs and seven stolen bases in 568 plate appearances. But back in 2024, he was quite valuable, despite a .225 batting average, with 20 homers and 25 steals.
Steer looks trustworthy again, coming into Thursday’s action with a .252/.325/.448 slash with seven homers and two steals. He’s got a career-high 15.7% barrel rate so far.
2. Should you give up on Cam Smith?
Cam Smith has hit a wall since a brief hot streak to start the season. Coming into Thursday’s action, Smith had a .208/.301/.333 slash line with four home runs and six stolen bases.
I’m not ready to give up on Smith yet, though. He has elite bat speed and sprint speed, along with a strong barrel rate. The tools are loud, so stay patient.
3. Is Ben Brown going to be an effective starter?
We saw Ben Brown dominate the Braves on Thursday, tossing four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. He’s now gone four scoreless innings in each of his two starts.
Brown has 107 Stuff+, so we have to pay close attention. He increased his pitch count from 46 to 65 pitches in his recent start, so he’s slowly getting built up. Pick him up off the waiver wire if he’s available.
4. How good is Angel Martinez?
Angel Martinez is one of those surprise breakouts who fantasy baseball managers tend to move on from at the first sign of a cold streak. Don’t make that mistake.
Martinez is now slashing .260/.300/.473 with seven home runs and eight stolen bases. He has second base eligibility, playing at a 20/20 pace. Hold in all formats.
5. What to do with Royce Lewis?
Royce Lewis is off to an abysmal start at the plate, slashing .167/.269/.300 with three home runs and three stolen bases in 104 plate appearances. The injury-prone third baseman needs a change of scenery.
I’m not ready to move on because Lewis still has a 13.2% barrel rate. If you’re in a roster crunch due to injury, though, I understand dropping him.
6. Is Bailey Ober back?
While Bailey Ober still has among the worst velocities in the Majors, he’s showing he’s still a crafty pitcher capable of strong outings.
Coming off a complete game, we need to view Ober as a rock-solid back-end option for your rotation in fantasy baseball. Make sure to hold in all formats.
7. What to make of Michael McGreevy?
Michael McGreevy is one of those pitchers who defies the underlying metrics, continuing to put up strong outings despite a SIERA that is well above his ERA.
Even against the Athletics in a hitter’s park, McGreevy still only allowed one earned run in six innings. Keep riding with him while he’s in a rhythm. The wheels may not fall off until late in the season.
8. Is Ryne Nelson back in a rhythm?
Ryne Nelson looks like he’s found his form, as he’s allowed a combined five earned runs in his last three outings, spanning 19.1 innings. This includes an eight-strikeout game versus the Rangers.
We saw what Nelson can do when in a rhythm last year, so make sure that he’s not sitting on your waiver wire right now.
9. Is Spencer Strider back on track?
Spencer Strider just turned in a dominant outing against the Dodgers, where he pitched six scoreless innings, with two walks and eight strikeouts in a tough matchup.
You have to be excited about that start. Strider looks back in form, so it’s wheels up for the rest of the season.
10. What’s up with Riley Greene?
Riley Greene only has four home runs so far after homering 36 times last season. But I wouldn’t worry too much, as his barrel rate is still at 13.2%.
It’s only a matter of time before we see a power binge, so I’d recommend buying low on Greene now.
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