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Scott Engel's 6 fantasy baseball bold predictions for the month of May, including predictions on Juan Soto, Ben Rice, Cal Raleigh and more.
Having patience during the fantasy baseball season isn’t easy, and is more difficult for head-to-head league participants than those in Rotisserie leagues. But as savvy competitors know, we cannot make firm judgments about any players based on just one month of results.
We are going to see some notable players produce much better or worse numbers in the upcoming month, as we are enduring a long season of hot runs and cold streaks. Take advantage of those in your league who overrate the results of the first month. Trade them overperforming players and buy low on guys who are proven producers that simply may have been struggling through a quieter first month.
Here are my fearless predictions for the month of May. I am confident that the advanced statistics and past and recent trends will start to better shape what we will see over the full season in 2025.
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Juan Soto Will Hit Eight-Plus Home Runs
While the Mets have been rolling to post the best record in baseball during the season’s first month, their new mega-star addition has performed more like a complementary player. Through games on Tuesday, Soto was hitting .250 with three home runs and 12 RBI. Last September, he hit four home runs, his low month for the year, while totaling five-plus in every other month. So, a power outage for over a month is nothing new.
No player rips it up through the entire season, and once Soto starts to get into form, it is scary to think how well the New York offense might play after opening the week with 27 runs in two games. His HR/FB rate is down to 13.0 percent, well below the career average of 25.0 percent. The Fly Ball rate is at 26.1 percent, while the career mark is 33.1 percent. Soto’s Barrel percentage is also at a career-low 5.6 percent.
Juan Soto stats in the #Mets’ last 10 games:
.324 BA
.409 OBP
12 Hits#LGM pic.twitter.com/K0KYPCGVW4— James Nolan (@JamesNolanFS) April 29, 2025
Over the past week, though, the 26-year-old is batting .318, which signals better times are ahead. Soto is playing in a positive winning environment, and his career production dictates that his slow start to the season will soon be forgotten. Past Mets standouts such as Mike Piazza and Carlos Beltran also experienced some early struggles when joining the team, but soon regained their familiar form.
Signing such a massive deal and being pegged as a new cornerstone of a franchise can cause even an experienced guy like Soto to press and get out of his comfort zone. He will settle in soon enough, and a May power surge is likely on the way.
This may not seem like the boldest prediction until you consider the amount of HRs I am forecasting in May. Don’t be surprised to see a three-HR game.
Ben Rice Will Slump
The Yankees’ new slugger has been one of the best stories of the early season. I apologize if I am making you hungry by mentioning Burger and Rice back-to-back early in this column. No one stays hot all season long, and soon Rice will no longer see the benefits of a .304 BABIP and an unsustainable 34.8 percent HR/FB Rate. The Hard Hit Rate is also inflated at 62.5 percent.
I expect Rice to perform well overall and don’t believe he is going to suddenly flame out for the rest of the year and make his first month look like a mirage. But baseball is a constant game of adjustments, and the league will start to adjust to Rice in May, and his first cold run of the season might be just ahead. I say Rice doesn’t hit more than three HRs in May. He’s hit three in the last 15 days per ESPN, pointing to a potential cool-off period.
Max Meyer Will Be One Of The Best Pitchers Of The Month
Meyer is rostered in only 57.2 percent of ESPN leagues, and that percentage will soon rise. He was not sharp in his last start at Seattle, but he already has two six-inning shutout wins so far, including a 14-strikeout game. Meyer’s 3.18 ERA has a 2.33 xFIP behind it. He uses five different pitches, and opposing hitters are batting .123 against his four-seam fastball with a .165 xBA.
Max Meyer has one of the best sliders in baseball pic.twitter.com/7zJLnkMPqD
— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) April 16, 2025
The third overall pick in the 2020 draft should start to see more success with his slider, too. Now that he is healthy, the Marlins will give Meyer every chance to succeed, and a breakout stretch might be just around the corner. Pick him up now in leagues where he is available.
Matthew Liberatore Will Make A Bigger Fantasy Splash In May
St. Louis’ 2021 Minor League Player of the Year is showing signs that he might be ready to become a staple in the Cardinals’ rotation. In five starts, Liberatore has pitched to a 0.97 WHIP, and the 3.19 ERA has a 2.75 xFIP behind it. As noted by Yahoo Sports, he has the best K/BB ratio in MLB at 14.00.
Per Baseball Savant, Liberatore has tweaked his repertoire to use his changeup and curveball a bit more, and is relying on his sinker slightly less. Liberatore has expanded his arsenal more overall, and it’s working for him. The potential has always been there for him to be an effective starter, and now a comfortable spot on the starting staff can be sewn up.
Liberatore is rostered in just 16.3 percent of ESPN leagues, so scoop him up off the free agent list now.
Cal Raleigh Will Finally Cool Down
The Seattle catcher has been a big reason why the team was leading the AL West as the first month of the season came to a close. He is up to 10 home runs, and his pop is undeniable. Last July, though, Raleigh hit nine home runs, but that month’s output was sandwiched around three HRs in June and four in August.
He simply cannot maintain the .324 ISO and 25.0 percent HR/FB Rate. In the past week, Raleigh has hit .190 with one HR, so a less productive stretch might be here already.
Consider trading Raleigh in one-catcher leagues, even though the final power numbers should still be satisfying. His appeal may never be higher than it is now.
Roman Anthony Will Be Called Up By The Red Sox
Ceddanne Rafaela is not hitting well enough to prevent Boston’s decision-makers from summoning Anthony to the Majors soon. Rafaela’s .220 batting average won’t keep Anthony from making his MLB debut for much longer.
Roman Anthony’s surface stats and underlying metrics point to a superstar in the making.
Statcast Standouts: https://t.co/uyI7suLWKR pic.twitter.com/dDIWYSQJTp
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) April 29, 2025
The pressure will be on Rafaela to increase his numbers, but ultimately, the Red Sox cannot keep Anthony in the minors. After 24 games at Triple-A, Anthony is batting .309 with five HRs, 21 runs scored, and 14 RBI.
The move to Anthony is inevitable -- and I am fully confident that he will be called up in early May, instantly jumping into the starting lineup, to make an immediate fantasy baseball impact.
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