Roses for Rooker and Rocker – September 13, 2024
Kumar Rocker, SP (TEX)
Rocker was spectacular in his main league debut, placing out seven batters in 4 innings. He allowed one run on three hits and two walks. The one injury got here on a Justin Turner solo dwelling run in his closing inning of motion. Rocker generated 17 whiffs in 74 pitches. 13 of these swinging strikes got here on his implausible slider. It was a terrific step for a post-hype prospect whose profession was in query heading into spring coaching. Accidents and inconsistency have delayed his skilled ascension, however his 1.07 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 33.2 innings mixed at AA, AAA and MLB is indicative of how excessive the ceiling is. Count on an innings restrict in 2025 and maybe a couple of bumps alongside the best way, however Rocker is a kind of skills that can get drafted later in drafts however might ship SP1 worth.
Brent Rooker, OF (OAK)
Rooker crushed a 420-foot dwelling run at 109.5 miles per hour for his thirty sixth dwelling run. He additionally stole his ninth base of the season because the numbers hold climbing within the 29-year-old’s breakout season. The massive right-hander is hitting .298 with 36 homers and 9 stolen bases. He has 102 RBI’s regardless of enjoying in one of many league’s lowest-scoring offenses. His common launch angle is a career-high 18.6 levels, however that’s extra reflective of an excellent low floor ball price slightly than a very excessive flyball price. The common displays a constant effort to hit line drives, lots of which can result in dwelling runs because of his excellent high quality of contact however others will land for hits. Subsequently, his BABIP is extremely excessive at .366 and his batting common displays that enhance. There’s sure to be a modicum of regression to these ratios in 2025, however back-to-back seasons with 30+ homers is indicative of what Rooker brings to fantasy lineups.
Jackson Chourio, OF (MIL)
Chourio is a member of the 20/20 membership in his first main league season. The younger outfielder hit his twentieth dwelling run within the eighth inning of Milwaukee’s 3-0 win at San Francisco. The dynamic 20 12 months outdated. For the reason that starting of June, Chourio has a 90.6-mph common exit velocity and 46.7% hard-hit price. His batting EYE is unbelievable for such a younger hitter and his pace is off the charts. He nonetheless has some rising pains, like an underwhelming .103 ISO in opposition to left-handed pitching and an occasional wrestle with pitches outdoors the strike zone, however he’s solely 20. Chourio gives five-category upside, however changes will likely be a part of the method for the budding star.
Gleyber Torres, 2B (NYY)
Torres hit a leadoff dwelling run for the Yankees on Thursday, his thirteenth homer of the season. It has been a disappointing marketing campaign for the 27-year-old second baseman who had 49 dwelling runs mixed over the past two seasons. After hitting .273 with 13 stolen bases in 2023, Torres is hitting .250 with 4 thefts in 2024. Nevertheless, since Aug. 21 he’s hitting .314 with three homers and 16 runs scored in 21 video games. His groundball price is decrease in that point span and his line drive price is a powerful 25 p.c. Nonetheless, his decreased high quality of contact can’t be ignored when evaluating Torres’ 2025 fantasy worth. His xBA is .237. His hard-hit price is 34.7 p.c. That is not excellent. There is a good risk that is Torres’ closing run in New York. The place he indicators and what his position will likely be might additional outline his fantasy potential, however he’s now not the top-five center infield possibility it seemed like he would turn out to be.
Sonny Grey, SP (STL)
Grey solely allowed one run in two hits with 9 strikeouts in six innings. He has gone at the very least six innings in 4 straight begins and has solely allowed three runs in his previous three. He’s 11 strikeouts away from setting a brand new profession excessive, and at 34 years outdated, his xFIP is a career-low 2.83. An unusually excessive HR/FB price with an excellent low 68.5% LOB proportion are components in why his precise ERA is almost a run larger than his xFIP, however there’s a lot to love in regards to the veteran starter heading into 2025. The oft-injured starter is over 160 innings for the second straight season and his Ok-rate is rising. Grey is wrapping up the primary of a three-year cope with the Cardinals and is a high quality SP possibility after the highest guys are taken off the board.
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