RADIO
Longest Home Run - Mike Trout (484 feet)
Aaron Judge was finally dethroned by Trout (who also has more homers than Judge, by the way) on April 19. Trout’s solo shot off of Landen Roupp in the fourth inning travelled a season-long 484 feet. That was one of two homers that Trout hit off of Roupp that day, but those were also the only two runs Roupp gave up. That’s the Angels’ season in a microcosm thus far.
Home Runs - Eugenio Suarez and Cal Raleigh (10)
These two becoming the first players to hit double-digit dingers may be a surprise, but we touched on Raleigh’s crazy Statcast stats last week. As for Suarez, well, a four-homer game (which is rarer than a perfect game, by the way) will vault you up the list very quickly. Tyler Soderstrom was on the road most of the week and didn’t hit a home run.
Maximum Exit Velocity - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (120.4 mph)
This velocity was on Guerrero’s only homer of the year. Yes, you read that right. Oneil Cruz of the Pirates hit one 119.6 mph last week, suggesting that Vladdy’s hold on the top spot is tentative.
Barrel Percentage - Christopher Morel (25.6%)
There are two different barrel percentages: one per plate appearance and the other by batted ball event. I use the batted ball event because it tells more of a story when the player makes contact. Morel’s hard hit percentage (41.9) leaves something to be desired, but his exit velocity and launch angle are sound. The 25-year-old only has three homers on the season, but his expected home runs is up at 4.7. With that and a solid Statcast profile, expect Morel to hit a few more homers this month.
Blasts - Corbin Carroll, Pete Alonso, Fernando Tatis Jr. (39)
So, what is a “blast” if it’s not referring to having fun? In Statcast terms, it is when a batter squares up the ball with at least 75 mph bat speed. Think of it as a ball that jumps off a bat. If you’re a former player, this type of contact produces a feeling like no other. Corbin is likely the most surprising name on this list, especially after his down season in 2024. Of the three, Carroll has more competitive swings, with nearly 90% of his swings being competitive. Expect his stats to continue. The metrics support his 2025 success so far.
xBA Differential - LaMonte Wade Jr. (-.0.098)
Andrew Vaughn is still unlucky enough (-0.086) to nearly take the crown back, but Salvador Perez’s average has already started to climb. This week, we’ll take a look at Wade. It’s interesting because he is a platoon player. Platoon players get played in favorable spots for them. Wade’s expected batting average of .208 is also disappointing. Wade was a career .258 hitter in his first two seasons.
There is a bit of a silver lining aside from the expected average. Wade is in the 90th percentile of exit velocity, and his chase percentage (15.5%) is elite (99th percentile). Sooner or later, his stats will progress to the mean.
Runs Scored - Brice Turang (28)
Turang scored another five runs this week to hold the major league lead in runs scored by two over Shohei Ohtani. Turang only has three homers, so he’s not driving himself in. The team behind him is playing well enough to do it. Turang deserves credit for getting on base as well (his 37 hits are tied for third in the majors), but this doesn’t appear to be a fluke. His career high in runs is 72 set last year, but he’s only 25. Turang is still improving.
Stolen Bases - Oneil Cruz and Pete Crow-Armstrong (12)
Crow-Armstrong tying Cruz isn’t much of a surprise. He is known for his speed (27 steals in 372 at-bats last year and already 11 steals in April). Cruz’s career high for stolen bases at any level in a full season is 22, set last season. Both of these youngsters are going to be fun to watch the rest of the way. Crow-Armstrong is showing more power this year (five homers in 112 at-bats), and Cruz is showcasing his speed more.
Swords - Bryan Reynolds (11)
What in the world is a sword, you might ask? It’s a relatively new term in the fantasy lexicon. What it means in layman’s terms is when a pitcher makes a hitter look bad on a swing. Think of a player “stabbing” at the ball instead of a normal, arcing swing. A perfect example would be John Kruk facing Randy Johnson in the 1993 All-Star Game. If you’re too young (or too old) to remember that, head over to YouTube and watch it. It’s a perfect example.
When you think of players who flail at pitches, Reynolds isn’t one of the guys that comes to mind. His slower start to the season can partially be explained by some bad swings. For context, Reynolds had just 54 swords in 1,196 at-bats in his first two seasons. He will pull out of this eventually, but one sword every 10 at-bats will hider his progress.
Wins - Brandon Pfaadt and Max Fried (5)
Fried has the better overall numbers and would be 6-0 if not for Aaron Boone pulling him just one out shy of the win in his first start. We touched on Fried’s success when he stayed healthy a bit last week. This week, we’ll take a closer look at Pfaadt.
Pfaadt was 14-19 in two seasons coming into 2025. Those numbers were unexpected because his career ERA was also above 5. That’s not conducive to a winning record. Statcast doesn’t help his cause much either. Pfaadt has a good chase rate (83rd percentile) and has sliced the walks, but his expected ERA is still near 5. Pfaadt suffered some bad luck in his first two seasons, according to Statcast. His expected ERA was 3.78 last year. His five wins so far are due to a better team around him, but that won’t last unless he starts pitching like he did last season. This year’s success is due in part to smoke and mirrors.
ERA - Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1.06)
The latest Japanese import hasn’t taken MLB by storm the same way that Hideo Nomo and Shohei Ohtani did before him, but he’s more than holding his own in the majors so far. The 3-2 record doesn’t tell the whole story. Yamamoto has only allowed four runs in the entire month of April, and just one of those was earned. Those aren’t just good numbers; those are elite. His 2.49 expected ERA says that his second year in the States should go better than the first (7-2, 3.00 ERA in 18 starts).
Strikeouts - MacKenzie Gore (53)
Gore was the prize of the ill-fated (for the Padres) Juan Soto trade to San Diego. The Nationals also landed James Wood and CJ Abrams in that deal, but Gore was the “untouchable” prospect in the San Diego system from the minute they drafted him. We are starting to see why. Gore has a losing record, but it’s not his fault. The 3.34 ERA is better than the league average. On top of that, 53 strikeouts in 35 innings is an elite rate. He was good last year. Gore’s numbers are at an All-Star level through the first month, even if his record doesn’t support it.
