This article is part of our Sorare MLB series.
It's now May. The MLB season is churning along. Weather is warming up, and hot weather tends to help offense pick up. As you look over your collection of Sorare talent, how are you feeling? Are you wondering what moves to make? What guys to pick up? What players to jettison? A new month feels like a time for reassessment, so here are my Upgrades, Holds and Downgrades for Sorare purposes.
Upgrades
Marcell Ozuna, ATL ($25.08): Ozuna's power has helped him put up double-digit Sorare points on several occasions. He re-emerged in the Atlanta lineup last season with 40 home runs and 100 RBI. While RBI are dependent on the lineup around you, obviously this is a team with a litany of talent, so I expect players to continue to get on base. Ozuna has managed to build upon that 2023 campaign with a torrid start to 2024 having slugged .634 and notched nine home runs. Skepticism about last season seemed fair given that he had struggled in 2022 and 2021, but in those years he had a sub-.260 BABIP and sub-.180 ISO. Given his career .308 BABIP and .200 ISO, I am ready to write those seasons off and believe in Ozuna's ability to keep this going.
Anthony Santander, BAL ($21.01): Often, when we think about extra-base hits, we think about home runs. They're fun! When Freddie Freeman hit 59 doubles last year, though, two-baggers got a glow-up. Santander is no candidate for a batting title, and the guy doesn't walk much, but he hit 41 doubles last season, and he has nine through 28 games in 2024 to pair with four home runs. He's had two games recently where he only had one hit, but it was a double, so he ended up with 8.0 Sorare points. Not too shabby!
Christian Walker, ARI ($24.54): Walker's two-homer game against the Dodgers on Tuesday was overshadowed by, um, bees, but his 35.0 Sorare points stand out. A notable right-handed bat in the Diamondbacks lineup, Walker has hit over 30 homers in each of the last two seasons. What stands out to me to start 2024, though, is how well he's gotten on base. It can often be overlooked, but Walker's .276 average is paired with a .390 OBP.
MacKenzie Gore, WAS ($4.34): Once arguably the foremost pitching prospect in MLB, Gore has been plying his trade in Washington the last couple years, and his first campaign was not remarkable by any means. That said, the lefty put up a 4.42 ERA across 27 starts in his age-24 season. This year, he's made six starts and has a 3.19 ERA. That's paired with a 2.70 FIP, an uptick in strikeouts and a decrease in walks. While his best game, from a Sorare perspective, came against lowly Oakland, Gore has managed 18.5 Sorare points or more against the Phillies, Dodgers and Rangers.
Holds
Tyler Glasnow, LAD ($42.88): In his last start, Glasnow notched 35.0 Sorare points. He also left with a hand cramp, which is the nature of the beast with Glasnow. The 30-year-old lefty is one of the top pitchers in baseball when healthy. Now, "when healthy" applies to all MLB players, but it comes into play more with some guys than others. While Glasnow, one of baseball's elite strikeout pitchers is healthy, you want to get as much out of him as you can. This hand cramp is not time to cut bait, but it's a reminder you need to be ready and prepared for when he hits the 15-day (or 60-day) IL.
Kyle Schwarber, PHI ($17.90): Schwarber is in the top-10 in home runs, walks and strikeouts. In terms of the batting average leaderboard, he's in the top…well, who wants to scroll that far down? This is a quintessential Schwarber season. He will have his days when he picks up negative Sorare points. He's also a hitter with multiple games of over 30.0 Sorare points already. Schwarber has actually had atypical issues on the road and against righties to start the year, so if anything, expect a bit of an uptick.
Downgrades
Oneil Cruz, PIT ($23.32): Once upon a time, Cruz was the toast of the town. The toolsy shortstop stands 6-foot-7 and had 17 home runs and 10 stolen bases in only 87 games back in 2022. Of course, he also had a .294 OBP. Maybe it's because of all the time he missed, but Cruz has not closed the holes in his game. Slashing .239/.288/.342 won't cut it. Being in the top five in strikeouts won't cut it. In April, Cruz had more games with negative-4 or negative-5 Sorare points than he games with double-digit Sorare points. Cruz flashed onto the stage, but flashes are often of the "in the pan" variety.
Jonah Heim, TEX ($5.07): Catcher is not a position where offensive dynamism is required. You see a catcher, like Heim, who had 18 homers and 95 RBI last season, and you might be intrigued. Hey, this year he's batted .250 and hit three home runs in 26 games. Heim had a couple outings with double-digit Sorare points against the Tigers. However, this section of this article is brought to you by the "Take a frickin' walk" council. Heim has walked twice this season. Twice! I don't care if you're a catcher. I don't care if walks don't bring in boatloads of Sorare points. That is a red flag to me.
Pablo Lopez, MIN ($12.14): I was seeing a lot of buzz around Lopez as a Cy Young favorite before the 2024 season began, and I was highly skeptical of that assertion. He opened the year with a start against the Royals that earned him 36.0 Sorare points, and that was one in the win column for the Lopez believers. Flash forward to now, and through six starts he has a 4.83 ERA and has allowed at least one home runs in every start but one. Lopez has given up three or more earned runs four of the times he has taken the mound. My column has a few tally marks now as well. Yes, Lopez is above average at striking guys out and avoiding walks, but he has one season in his career with an ERA below 3.60. By the way, his line-drive percentage is only 14.6 percent in 2024, and he has never finished below 18.5 percent in the past. Line drives turn into hits at a higher rate than grounder and fly balls. Things could get worse for Lopez before they get better.
