This article is part of our Sorare MLB series.
There are different ways to break down moves you may want to make for your Sorare MLB lineups. You can look at the big-picture numbers, the scoresheet numbers, the counting stats, whatever you want to designate them. Then, there are the rate stats, the underlying numbers. Both have value, especially with something like Sorare. After all, a nice walk-to-strikeout ratio for a hitter is beneficial to his team, but the homers and the RBI pick up the big Sorare points. Aaron Judge has an average exit velocity of 95.4 and he has a pull percentage of 41.8, but recently he played three games at Coors, hit two home runs, and had double-digit Sorare points every game. To that end, my upgrades, holds and downgrades this time around are going to be looking at MLB in different ways.
The number in parentheses represents each player's last limited card sale price as of 5/28.
Upgrades
Teoscar Hernandez, LAD ($9.84): RBI are context dependent, but when you have a great lineup around you and are also a good hitter, it makes it easier to accrue RBI. Hernandez has knocked in 42 runs, good for seventh-best in MLB. That's even though he's missed time and has played in 42 contests. Though he still doesn't walk, Hernandez has hit .306 and tallied 10 home runs, and since returning from his injury he has two games with 20.0 Sorare points. He's put his unpleasant tenure with the Mariners behind him. Hernandez said that Seattle's home park did him dirty, and the last season-plus has shown he wasn't just making excuses.
Drake Baldwin, ATL ($2.39): After hitting well at Triple-A last season, Baldwin broke camp with Atlanta this year. He's now supplanted Sean Murphy as the team's top catcher. His numbers are notable, as he's hit. 337 with five homers and four doubles. A game with 31.0 Sorare points in mid-May definitely garnered him some attention. Looking deeper, some numbers suggest he won't be quite as good going forward, but he should still be quite productive. Baldwin has an xBA of .324, and an xSLG of .529. He's also managed an excellent 57.8 percent hard-hit rate. That offers encouragement regarding the rookie.
Nathan Eovaldi, TEX ($2.36): We can breathe a sigh of relief, because the Rangers have said Eovaldi is not expected to miss a start after being pulled early from his last outing. That's good, given that he's been one of the best pitchers in baseball. An 1.56 ERA is pretty easy to understand as excellent, and that's the kind of number you will see even if you just do a cursory glance at the numbers. However, Eovaldi also leads MLB with a 0.81 WHIP. Walks and hits aren't ideal for a pitcher! Prior to being pulled in his last game, Eovaldi had notched over 20.0 Sorare points in seven-straight starts.
Holds
Framber Valdez, HOU ($3.71): You can believe in what Valdez has done. What do I mean by that? Well, though 11 starts he has a 3.39 ERA. He also has a 3.33 xFIP. Valdez's ERA and xFIP are closer together than most starting pitchers. Some are closer. Michael Lorenzen is dead-on, for example. Of course, Lorenzen also has a 4.33 ERA. Valdez has pitched well for the Astros, and he's been very "what you see is what you get." That means whatever you feel about him, feel free to keep feeling it.
Christian Yelich, MIL ($3.42): Yelich has name recognition. He's had some great seasons. Last year he had a .910 OPS until he got injured…and I do wonder if that injury has been a lingering problem. On the one hand, Yelich has 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases, and those tally Sorare points. He also has a sub-.700 OPS. What's balancing out his track record for me is that he has a 63.1-percent groundball rate. If that continues, well, Yelich's old power simply will not be there.
Marcell Ozuna, ATL ($2.89): You know what isn't glamorous? Taking walks. Ozuna's power is down, and with nine home runs through 50 games it seems like he probably won't get to the 39-to-40 range again. However, he has a .425 OBP, in part because he's walked more than anybody in MLB. Hey, walking gets you on base, and you have to be on base to score runs. That's a bit of a silver lining when it comes to Ozuna.
Downgrades
Willy Adames, SFG ($2.40): Adames has not delivered what the Giants wanted after they signed him to a big-money deal. He's also delivered six games with negative Sorare points over the last two weeks. Adames' sub-.300 OBP is a concern, but not too surprising. The problem has been that he's slugged .333, and he's also made himself an easy out too often. Adames has struck out 64 times in 56 games.
Jake Irvin, WAS ($2.25): Irvin has seen his ERA drop to 3.42 in his third season, and he has three starts with over 30.0 Sorare points. On the other hand, he has five starts with single-digit Sorare points. Irvin has a 4.47 FIP, and his strike rate is down to 6.19 per nine innings. Also, he's getting absolutely blasted. Irvin has given up 31 barrels. That's highest in MLB, and he's the only pitcher in the majors with over 30. If Irvin keeps getting hit like that, that ERA is going to be on the rise.
Tyler Fitzgerald, SFG ($1.54): Apparently it's a day to dunk on the Giants. Fitzgerald came out of nowhere in his age-26 season to hit .280 with 15 homers and 17 stolen bases. It's started to feel like that may have been a fluke. Now, he's stolen six bases, so that part seems legitimate, but he's only hit two home runs and only slugged .383. To that end, Fitzgerald has only barreled up four balls all season. His soft-hit rate is 28.2 percent. For comparison's sake, that's slightly worse than Kyle Isbel and Joey Ortiz. Fitzgerald still has the profile of a viable MLB shortstop, but not one with much power.
