Latest news with #BryanAbreu
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Fantasy bullpen report featuring a problem in Houston and a timeshare in Detroit
It's not a ripple effect but a tidal wave on the ever-evolving high-leverage ecosystem when a closer like Houston's Josh Hader gets placed on the 15-day injured list. The senses of fantasy managers were triggered when the veteran closer did not warm up at the bottom of the eighth with his team leading by one run on Monday night against Boston. After the game, it was reported that he experienced shoulder discomfort and was subsequently placed on the injured list for only the second time in his career, although his first stint was due to a COVID-19 designation in 2021. Advertisement Manager Joe Espada would not commit to defined roles, but his best reliever not on the injured list, Bryan Abreu, should receive the majority of save chances going forward. He converted his first save of the season on Wednesday and hasn't been scored upon through his first six outings in August, posting a 0.90 WHIP with five strikeouts across 6.2 innings. Bennett Sousa will remain in the mix for ancillary saves — he's recorded four this year. However, if this bullpen will survive losing Hader, relievers like Bryan King, Enyel De Los Santos and Kaleb Ort must step up. After being acquired at the trade deadline, Kyle Finnegan recorded a save in each of his first three appearances for the Tigers. However, in his past two outings, he has worked the eighth inning, securing a hold and a win, with Will Vest back into the mix for saves. Manager A.J. Hinch is playing matchups during the late innings between Vest and Finnegan. This keeps both relevant from a fantasy perspective, although fantasy managers may be frustrated by the fluid usage patterns. Taking these changes into account, my leverage pathways have been updated. Here are my high-leverage pathway identifiers. Each team will receive one of the following labels: Baltimore Orioles: Interim manager Tony Mansolino has been dealt a tough hand with his leverage ladder. The team traded away three veterans ahead of the deadline, and Félix Bautista will not pitch again this season, with updates pending regarding his status for spring training next year. Keegan Akin has been the preferred ninth-inning option, but keep tabs on Dietrich Enns and how the team uses Albert Suárez when he returns from his minor league rehab. Chicago White Sox: Usage patterns have been beyond frustrating this season under first-year manager Will Venable, but Grant Taylor and Jordan Leasure are tied for the team lead with four saves each. While Taylor garners recognition based on his talent and potential upside, Leasure hasn't yielded a run in six of his past seven appearances since July 28, recording a win, two saves and two holds while posting a 0.30 WHIP with 11 strikeouts versus one walk across 7.2 innings. Advertisement Minnesota Twins: It felt like Cole Sands would be the heir apparent for saves in this gutted leverage ladder. However, it's been Justin Topa. He has converted both save chances in August while posting seven scoreless innings across six games with a 0.71 WHIP and six strikeouts versus one walk. New York Yankees: From being demoted in April by Pittsburgh to taking over as the closer for the Yankees, it's been quite the transformation for David Bednar. He recorded his first save with his new team on August 18 and has moved to the top of my leverage pathway designation as the Yankees' preferred save option. Arizona Diamondbacks: Not only did Andrew Saalfrank record his first save, but he also helped his team tie an MLB record, becoming the 14th pitcher with at least one save for his team this season. The Los Angeles Dodgers (2024) and Tampa Bay Rays (2021) have also achieved this feat. With 41 games remaining entering game play on Friday, the team will probably set the record for most relievers with a save in a single season. Stay tuned. Colorado Rockies: After recording saves in back-to-back wins against the Cardinals, Victor Vodnik hasn't been scored upon in three of four outings in August, filling in capably for Seth Halvorsen. Jimmy Herget has emerged as his eighth-inning setup option, helping stabilize a youthful bullpen. Los Angeles Dodgers: With a litany of relievers on the injured list, could the team promote Bobby Miller? He has logged five consecutive scoreless appearances as a reliever at Triple A, allowing one baserunner via walk of his 19 batters faced, resulting in a minuscule 0.17 WHIP and four strikeouts. Through 121 games this season, the team has a 28-30 record in games decided by two runs or less. St. Louis Cardinals: Although it's not perfect, manager Oli Marmol has deployed JoJo Romero as his highest-leverage reliever, with Riley O'Brien proving capable as a secondary option for saves. Kyle Leahy has logged multi-inning outings and remains in the mix for ancillary saves or vulture wins. *Multi-inning or bridge relievers who can vulture wins and help protect ratios. Statistical Credits: and Check out my work at Reliever Recon and Closer Monkey for daily updates. (Photo of Josh Hader: Troy Taormina / Imagn Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Bryan Abreu poised to step up as Josh Hader lands on injured list
In this week's Closer Report, the Astros will be without their top closer as Josh Hader lands on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain. With Bryan Abreu poised to step into the ninth-inning role, where does he place in the updated closer rankings? We review the situation and more as we examine the last week in saves. Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings Tier 1 Andrés Muñoz - Seattle MarinersEdwin Díaz - New York Mets The Mariners' bullpen had a busy week. Muñoz picked up his 28th save against the Orioles on Tuesday. The 26-year-old right-hander has recorded a 1.34 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and a 60/23 K/BB ratio across 47 innings. Meanwhile, Matt Brash stepped in for two saves during rest days for Muñoz. Díaz hasn't gotten much work amid the Mets' struggles over the last couple of weeks. He made one appearance against the Brewers on Sunday and took the loss, giving up a solo home run. Tier 2 Trevor Megill - Milwaukee BrewersAroldis Chapman - Boston Red SoxJhoan Duran - Philadelphia PhilliesRobert Suarez - San Diego Padres Megill's stellar season continues with two more saves on back-to-back days this week against the Mets. The 31-year-old right-hander is up to 28 saves with a 2.20 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 49/15 K/BB ratio across 41 innings. Shelby Miller was activated from the injured list to help bolster the middle innings. Chapman made just one appearance, tossing a clean inning against the Padres on Saturday. In Philadelphia, Duran locked down back-to-back saves against the Rangers over the weekend before Orion Kerkering stepped in for a save against the Reds on Monday. Duran has already recorded four saves with the Phillies and is up to 20 on the season while posting a 1.86 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 56/18 K/BB ratio across 53 1/3 innings. Suarez allowed one run to blow a save opportunity against the Red Sox on Saturday. He then bounced back with a clean inning against the Giants on Monday for his 33rd save. Behind Suarez, Mason Miller recorded a pair of holds in a setup role and has struck out nine batters over his last three outings. Tier 3 Daniel Palencia - Chicago CubsEmilio Pagán - Cincinnati RedsRandy Rodríguez - San Francisco GiantsKenley Jansen - Los Angeles AngelsPete Fairbanks - Tampa Bay RaysBryan Abreu - Houston AstrosCade Smith - Cleveland GuardiansJeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue JaysDavid Bednar - New York YankeesKyle Finnegan/Will Vest - Detroit TigersCarlos Estévez - Kansas City RoyalsDennis Santana - Pittsburgh Pirates Palencia made one appearance this week, tossing a clean inning with one strikeout for a save against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. He's up to 16 saves with a 1.69 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and a 46/11 K/BB ratio across 42 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, Pagán converted his 25th save with a scoreless inning against the Pirates on Saturday. It was also a quiet week for Rodríguez as the Giants' struggles continue. He saw no save chances and did not make an appearance on the mound. In Anaheim, Jansen struck out two batters in a pair of perfect outings for two saves before giving up a solo homer to Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday. Pitching for the fourth time in five days, the 37-year-old veteran closer locked down his 23rd save with a clean inning on Wednesday. Jansen has recorded a 2.74 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and a 45/13 K/BB ratio across 46 innings. Fairbanks struck out one batter in a scoreless inning against the Athletics on Monday for his 20th save of the season. Tampa's biggest acquisition at the trade deadline, Griffin Jax, has slotted in to setup duties. He surrendered three runs and took the loss against the Mariners on Friday, then bounced back with two outs against the A's on Monday to record a hold. Josh Hader tossed 36 pitches over two scoreless innings on Friday to earn the win against the Yankees. Hader was unavailable to pitch against the Red Sox on Monday due to left shoulder discomfort was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left shoulder strain on Tuesday. Hader is reportedly seeking a second opinion and anticipates being out longer than the two-week minimum. Bryan Abreu is set to fill in as the primary closer. He's more than capable of stepping into the role, with a 1.64 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and an 81/25 K/BB ratio across 55 innings. He converted his first save on Wednesday against the Red Sox, working around two hits with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning. Smith recorded a clean save with two strikeouts against the White Sox on Saturday, then fell in line for a win with four outs against the Marlins on Tuesday. The 26-year-old right-hander should finish out the season as Cleveland's closer. He's converted five saves with a 2.68 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 74/18 K/BB ratio across 53 2/3 innings. Hoffman walked five batters against the Dodgers on Sunday and was charged with a blown save before somehow falling in line for a win. He then bounced back with two strikeouts in a clean inning in a non-save situation against the Cubs on Tuesday. The 32-year-old right-hander has converted 26 saves with a 4.41 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 66/16 K/BB ratio across 49 innings. Bednar entered in the eighth inning against the Astros on Saturday with the bases loaded and one out. He walked in the game-tying run and was charged with a blown save before recording the final five outs and falling in line for a win. He then tossed a clean ninth inning with a four-run lead against the Twins on Monday, indicating that Bednar is likely the reliever the team will go to in save opportunities for now. Finnegan converted a save against the Angels on Friday, his third with the Tigers. Vest then stepped in for the next two saves against the White Sox on Monday and Wednesday, with Finnegan pitching the eighth in both instances. Expect this committee approach to continue likely through the rest of the season. It was a mixed week on the mound for Estévez. He took two losses and recorded a pair of saves. The 32-year-old right-hander is up to 30 saves with a 2.92 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a 43/20 K/BB ratio across 52 1/3 innings. And in Pittsburgh, Santana worked a clean inning for his seventh save against the Reds on Friday, then pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Brewers on Tuesday. Tier 4 Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta BravesJojo Romero - St. Louis CardinalsPhil Maton/Robert Garcia - Texas RangersBlake Treinen/Alex Vesia/Ben Casparius - Los Angeles DodgersRonny Henriquez/Calvin Faucher - Miami Marlins Iglesias worked two clean outings this week for a pair of saves against the Marlins. The 35-year-old right-hander has converted 16 saves with a 4.34 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 53/10 K/BB ratio across 47 2/3 innings. Romero worked around three hits and a walk on Sunday against the Cubs, holding on for a four-out save. He then surrendered two runs against the Rockies on Wednesday to blow the save and take the loss. With Romero the only healthy left-hander in the Cardinals bullpen, Riley O'Brien could figure into the saves mix on a matchup basis. The late-inning mess continues in Texas. Garcia was charged with a blown save after he blew the lead in the seventh inning against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Maton then got the save chance in the ninth on Wednesday and surrendered four runs to blow the save and take the loss. It's a similar struggle in Los Angeles as the Dodgers try to fill the ninth-inning void left by Tanner Scott. Both Treinen and Vesia were charged with blown saves this week. Scott could be ready to face live hitters at some point next week as he continues his rehab from an elbow injury. For now, expect the team to continue to use a committee approach. Meanwhile, no saves in Miami this week as Faucher and Henriquez remain at 11 and six saves, respectively. Tier 5 Keegan Akin - Baltimore OriolesJustin Topa/Cole Sands - Minnesota TwinsJose Ferrer - Washington NationalsSean Newcomb - AthleticsJuan Morillo/Kyle Backhus - Arizona DiamondbacksGrant Taylor - Chicago White SoxVictor Vodnik - Colorado Rockies Most of this tier consists of situations you don't really want to go chasing. In Minnesota, Topa pitched the final two innings against the Yankees on Wednesday for his second save for the Twins. Things are even murkier for the Diamondbacks. Morillo picked up a save in his first appearance since he was recalled from Triple-A. Andrew Saalfrank then got the save chance on Wednesday, while Kyle Backhus also remains in the mix. Akin seems to be the guy in Baltimore, though he was charged with two blown saves this week.
NBC Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Bryan Abreu poised to step up as Josh Hader lands on injured list
In this week's Closer Report, the Astros will be without their top closer as Josh Hader lands on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain. With Bryan Abreu poised to step into the ninth-inning role, where does he place in the updated closer rankings? We review the situation and more as we examine the last week in saves. Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners Edwin Díaz - New York Mets The Mariners' bullpen had a busy week. Muñoz picked up his 28th save against the Orioles on Tuesday. The 26-year-old right-hander has recorded a 1.34 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and a 60/23 K/BB ratio across 47 innings. Meanwhile, Matt Brash stepped in for two saves during rest days for Muñoz. Díaz hasn't gotten much work amid the Mets' struggles over the last couple of weeks. He made one appearance against the Brewers on Sunday and took the loss, giving up a solo home run. Trevor Megill - Milwaukee Brewers Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox Jhoan Duran - Philadelphia Phillies Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres Megill's stellar season continues with two more saves on back-to-back days this week against the Mets. The 31-year-old right-hander is up to 28 saves with a 2.20 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 49/15 K/BB ratio across 41 innings. Shelby Miller was activated from the injured list to help bolster the middle innings. Chapman made just one appearance, tossing a clean inning against the Padres on Saturday. In Philadelphia, Duran locked down back-to-back saves against the Rangers over the weekend before Orion Kerkering stepped in for a save against the Reds on Monday. Duran has already recorded four saves with the Phillies and is up to 20 on the season while posting a 1.86 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 56/18 K/BB ratio across 53 1/3 innings. Suarez allowed one run to blow a save opportunity against the Red Sox on Saturday. He then bounced back with a clean inning against the Giants on Monday for his 33rd save. Behind Suarez, Mason Miller recorded a pair of holds in a setup role and has struck out nine batters over his last three outings. Daniel Palencia - Chicago Cubs Emilio Pagán - Cincinnati Reds Randy Rodríguez - San Francisco Giants Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Angels Pete Fairbanks - Tampa Bay Rays Bryan Abreu - Houston Astros Cade Smith - Cleveland Guardians Jeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue Jays David Bednar - New York Yankees Kyle Finnegan/Will Vest - Detroit Tigers Carlos Estévez - Kansas City Royals Dennis Santana - Pittsburgh Pirates Palencia made one appearance this week, tossing a clean inning with one strikeout for a save against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. He's up to 16 saves with a 1.69 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and a 46/11 K/BB ratio across 42 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, Pagán converted his 25th save with a scoreless inning against the Pirates on Saturday. It was also a quiet week for Rodríguez as the Giants' struggles continue. He saw no save chances and did not make an appearance on the mound. In Anaheim, Jansen struck out two batters in a pair of perfect outings for two saves before giving up a solo homer to Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday. Pitching for the fourth time in five days, the 37-year-old veteran closer locked down his 23rd save with a clean inning on Wednesday. Jansen has recorded a 2.74 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and a 45/13 K/BB ratio across 46 innings. Fairbanks struck out one batter in a scoreless inning against the Athletics on Monday for his 20th save of the season. Tampa's biggest acquisition at the trade deadline, Griffin Jax, has slotted in to setup duties. He surrendered three runs and took the loss against the Mariners on Friday, then bounced back with two outs against the A's on Monday to record a hold. Josh Hader tossed 36 pitches over two scoreless innings on Friday to earn the win against the Yankees. Hader was unavailable to pitch against the Red Sox on Monday due to left shoulder discomfort was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left shoulder strain on Tuesday. Hader is reportedly seeking a second opinion and anticipates being out longer than the two-week minimum. Bryan Abreu is set to fill in as the primary closer. He's more than capable of stepping into the role, with a 1.64 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and an 81/25 K/BB ratio across 55 innings. He converted his first save on Wednesday against the Red Sox, working around two hits with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning. Smith recorded a clean save with two strikeouts against the White Sox on Saturday, then fell in line for a win with four outs against the Marlins on Tuesday. The 26-year-old right-hander should finish out the season as Cleveland's closer. He's converted five saves with a 2.68 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 74/18 K/BB ratio across 53 2/3 innings. Hoffman walked five batters against the Dodgers on Sunday and was charged with a blown save before somehow falling in line for a win. He then bounced back with two strikeouts in a clean inning in a non-save situation against the Cubs on Tuesday. The 32-year-old right-hander has converted 26 saves with a 4.41 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 66/16 K/BB ratio across 49 innings. Bednar entered in the eighth inning against the Astros on Saturday with the bases loaded and one out. He walked in the game-tying run and was charged with a blown save before recording the final five outs and falling in line for a win. He then tossed a clean ninth inning with a four-run lead against the Twins on Monday, indicating that Bednar is likely the reliever the team will go to in save opportunities for now. Finnegan converted a save against the Angels on Friday, his third with the Tigers. Vest then stepped in for the next two saves against the White Sox on Monday and Wednesday, with Finnegan pitching the eighth in both instances. Expect this committee approach to continue likely through the rest of the season. It was a mixed week on the mound for Estévez. He took two losses and recorded a pair of saves. The 32-year-old right-hander is up to 30 saves with a 2.92 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a 43/20 K/BB ratio across 52 1/3 innings. And in Pittsburgh, Santana worked a clean inning for his seventh save against the Reds on Friday, then pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Brewers on Tuesday. Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves Jojo Romero - St. Louis Cardinals Phil Maton/Robert Garcia - Texas Rangers Blake Treinen/Alex Vesia/Ben Casparius - Los Angeles Dodgers Ronny Henriquez/Calvin Faucher - Miami Marlins Iglesias worked two clean outings this week for a pair of saves against the Marlins. The 35-year-old right-hander has converted 16 saves with a 4.34 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 53/10 K/BB ratio across 47 2/3 innings. Romero worked around three hits and a walk on Sunday against the Cubs, holding on for a four-out save. He then surrendered two runs against the Rockies on Wednesday to blow the save and take the loss. With Romero the only healthy left-hander in the Cardinals bullpen, Riley O'Brien could figure into the saves mix on a matchup basis. The late-inning mess continues in Texas. Garcia was charged with a blown save after he blew the lead in the seventh inning against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Maton then got the save chance in the ninth on Wednesday and surrendered four runs to blow the save and take the loss. It's a similar struggle in Los Angeles as the Dodgers try to fill the ninth-inning void left by Tanner Scott. Both Treinen and Vesia were charged with blown saves this week. Scott could be ready to face live hitters at some point next week as he continues his rehab from an elbow injury. For now, expect the team to continue to use a committee approach. Meanwhile, no saves in Miami this week as Faucher and Henriquez remain at 11 and six saves, respectively. Keegan Akin - Baltimore Orioles Justin Topa/Cole Sands - Minnesota Twins Jose Ferrer - Washington Nationals Sean Newcomb - Athletics Juan Morillo/Kyle Backhus - Arizona Diamondbacks Grant Taylor - Chicago White Sox Victor Vodnik - Colorado Rockies Most of this tier consists of situations you don't really want to go chasing. In Minnesota, Topa pitched the final two innings against the Yankees on Wednesday for his second save for the Twins. Things are even murkier for the Diamondbacks. Morillo picked up a save in his first appearance since he was recalled from Triple-A. Andrew Saalfrank then got the save chance on Wednesday, while Kyle Backhus also remains in the mix. Akin seems to be the guy in Baltimore, though he was charged with two blown saves this week.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Astros manager keeps closer role a mystery after Hader's injury
Astros manager keeps closer role a mystery after Hader's injury originally appeared on The Sporting News After the Astros put Josh Hader on the 15-day injured list due to shoulder strain, the question is who will replace the former NL Reliever of the Year as the team's primary closer. Manager Joe Espada made his thoughts clear on that after Tuesday's terrible 14-1 loss against the Red Sox, where their relievers were busted. While naming set-up man Bryan Abreu as the team's closer would make sense, Espada is holding his cards close to the chest. "I'm not naming (anyone) for the ninth, naming (anyone) for the eighth," the manager said. The Astros will need a reliable arm to win close games as they are in a tight American League West division race. As of now, Espada will rotate his relievers based on game situations moving forward. Abreu, boasting a 1.67 ERA, seems to be the best option to go with. Lefties Bennett Sousa and Bryan King, newly recalled Colton Gordon, and veteran Steven Okert are also in the mix. Newcomer Enyel De Los Santos has also made an appearance in relief. Espada admitted the loss of Hader, who leads the team with 28 saves and carries a 2.05 ERA, was a "gut punch," but he has put his faith in the guys they have to make up for his absence. "I feel good about all those guys," Espada said. "I was talking to the relievers about this. Josh Hader, how successful he's been, he needs guys to give him the ball with the lead. So all these guys have set him up to be the closer that he is. Not taking anything away from Josh - Josh is probably the best. But you need guys to help him get to that point. And these guys are capable of doing that." The Astros and Mariners are tied for first place in the AL West with an identical 67-53 record. The Astros play the Red Sox in the series finale on Wednesday.
NBC Sports
7 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Isaac Collins, Bryan Abreu, and Hurston Waldrep
We are officially in the fantasy baseball championship push. Whether you're trying to hold onto a top spot, pushing the leader, desperately trying to play catch up, or positioning yourself for playoff matchups, reinforcements and upside are vital this time of year. Most waiver wires have been picked over though and it's difficult to find impact players readily available in most leagues at this point in the season. Fear not, because there are still a handful of available players that have the chance to be difference makers that help push us towards glory. Matthew Pouliot, If you want a larger list, Eric Samulski wrote his extended waiver wire piece on Sunday. Bryan Abreu, RP Astros We got terrifying news late Monday night that Josh Hader was held out of a save chance because of shoulder discomfort and will be evaluated further. While Bennett Sousa secured the save for Houston in that game, Abreu is the reliever to pick up right now just on the off chance Hader's injury is serious. Abreu had thrown two innings the day before, so he was likely unavailable in this game no matter what. He's been the Astros' primary set-up man since 2023 and has been hands down one of the best relievers in baseball over that span. Of all qualified relievers since 2023, has thrown the second-most innings with 204 1/3. His 2.25 ERA is the sixth-lowest and his 33.9 K% is the eight-highest. He's also in the top-20 in K-BB%, SIERA, and has a career 2.49 postseason ERA through 21 appearances. He's nails Moreover, his stuff is excellent with a fastball that sits around 97 mph with adequate ride and a devastating slider that's been one of the best individual pitches in the league for years. Together, they've made him practically unhittable during his career. Bryan Abreu's 4Ks in 2 IP. Based on talent alone, Abreu is one of the best relievers in the league. If he gets runway as the full-time closer here, he could swing the championship in your league. Isaac Collins, OF Brewers One of the best stories in baseball at the moment, Collins has come completely out of nowhere to stabilize the Brewers' injury-riddled outfield and made himself a front runner for National League Rookie of the Year in the process. Through 97 games this season, he has eight homers, 87 combined runs and RBI, 13 stolen bases, and a .297 // .395 // .458 slash line as a lights out defender in left field. Based on FanGraphs' WAR, the only rookie as valuable as him so far this season is Nick Kurtz. Again, this has truly come out of left field (ba-dum-tsss). He's a 27-year-old rookie who was a ninth-round pick out of Creighton University and later waived by his original organization – the Rockies – after struggling through a full season in Double-A when he was 24. Nothing about his pedigree, background, or profile screamed breakout. Collins had some interesting tools though. He stole 50 bases between two seasons at High-A and Double-AA before being cut and showed adequate power as a switch-hitter. Yet, his calling card was a tremendous eye. He didn't swing much and ran a 12.1% walk rate at those two levels. After picking him up, it seemed like the Brewers had him lean into this strength because his swing rate sank and walk rate rose after joining their system. At the same time, he continued to show solid power and athleticism while maintaining a 130 wRC+, albeit quite old for every level. That great eye has come with him to the big leagues this season. Of every player that's taken at least 250 plate appearances, only Juan Soto, Liam Hicks, Trent Grisham, and Kyle Tucker chase fewer pitches outside of the zone than Collins. That's also come with both a zone-swing and zone-contact rate that are just a hair lower than league-average. He also has more raw power than he's given credit for. A switch-hitter, Collins has a different swing from each side of the plate. As a lefty, he has one of the shortest swings in the league (6.6 feet), but with slightly above average bat speed (72.0 mph) and a max exit velocity of 109.7 mph. As a righty, it's still a short swing (6.9 feet), but with well above average bat speed (73.9 mph) and a max exit velocity of 111.2 mph. It all lines up as a player with plus athleticism, no platoon risk, and possibly more raw power than meets the eye despite some underwhelming batted ball metrics. We're going on about three straight of him playing like a star and he shouldn't be on the waiver wire in any leagues at this point. Hurston Waldrep, SP Braves Waldrep is a completely different pitcher right now than when he made his major league debut. During a two-start, seven inning sample last season, he allowed 13 earned runs and walked eight batters. It was just about as bad as a debut could go. So far this season, he's struck out 10 batters, walked three, and allowed just two earned runs over 10 2/3 innings. While both samples are incredibly small, this version of Waldrep seems much more sustainable. The key reason for his struggles last year was a total lack of useful pitches in his repertoire. His splitter was nasty (and always has been), but was flanked by an awful fastball and fairly useless slider. Combined, they accounted for nearly two-thirds of his total pitches thrown, forced just one swing-and-miss, and allowed an .842 slugging percentage. Other than above average velocity on that fastball, neither had any traits or characteristics to make us think they could ever be plus offerings. So, coming back this season, he's dramatically decreased his usage of each – especially the fastball which is almost completely absent – and replaced them with cutters, sinkers, and more curveballs to support his dominant splitter. The sinker and cutter are key, as they've become his primary fastballs against hitters from the right and left side of the plate, respectively. Different from last season, they've helped him get ahead in the count so he can better utilize his nasty splitter. By nature, splitters are put-away pitches. They're not meant to be thrown in the zone for strikes because they can be a bit fickle movement-wise and are objectively meatballs when a hitter can sit on one. Rather, they're at their best when falling off the table and diving below the zone for whiffs. Pitchers need to be ahead to put pressure on the batter to force that issue. Another key for Waldrep has been a mechanical change Waldrep made to keep his front leg more controlled and find better consistency in his landing spot, instead of kicking that knee up near his chin like he did in the past. Eric Samulski highlighted this (and more about Waldrep) in his Pitcher News column last week as well as the work by Guarav Vedak of Baseball Prospectus and Lindsay Crosby on their substack. All in all, Waldrep still has a plus-plus put-away pitch and now a significantly deeper array of other options to put himself in position to use that put-away pitch. Braves' manager Brian Snitker confirmed he'll get another start in the rotation too. Just be advised that he's already thrown a career-high 101 innings across all levels this season. So we'll see how far he's pushed.
