This article is part of our Sorare MLB series.
The MLB All-Star Game has come and gone. All things considered, a good game. Now, though, it's time to pivot back to the games that count and back to assessing your Sorare lineups. I will work a few All-Stars into my recommendations, but they won't make up the entire slate of Upgrades, Holds and Downgrades that I have. Here we go!
The number in parentheses is each player's last limited card sale price as of July 17.
Upgrades
Bryan Reynolds, PIT ($19.51): Fun fact: There are more players on the Pirates roster than Paul Skenes. It's true! Reynolds has had a robust July, posting an 1.009 OPS to start the month. That includes a game against the Mets where he hit the 50-point threshold for Sorare, something I don't know if I have seen previously. Playing for the Pirates, the switch-hitting outfielder hasn't exactly gotten a ton of love, but in two of the past three seasons he's hit over 30 doubles and 20 homers. With 19 doubles and 18 home runs through 96 games, Reynolds might just flip things and be a 20-double, 30-homer guy this season.
Christian Walker, ARI ($17.53): Walker was cold immediately before the break, a time littered with single-digit Sorare points, but just before that he had double-digit Sorare points in six out of seven games. What I like about Walker best, though, is the sheer amount of obliterating the ball he's done this season. Three guys have at least 50 barrels: Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto. No surprises there. Then, there are four guys who have crossed the 40-barrel threshold, one of which is Walker. When a guy is only a step behind that elite trio in terms of barrels, that pops for me.
Robert Suarez, SD ($8.36): If you look at the box score for the All-Star Game and you see the name "R. Suarez" in it, you might think, "Wait, I thought Ranger Suarez had to drop out of the game?" He did, and it was Robert Suarez of the Padres who struck out the two batters he faced. After pitching in middle relief for San Diego the last two years, Suarez has grabbed the closer role for the team. His 1.67 ERA is paired with a 3.31 FIP, but I worry about that less with a closer, especially a closer with a 4.38 K/BB ratio. Basically every time he gets a save (of which he has 22) Suarez nets at least 15.0 Sorare points, and in June he had three games in a row with 14.0 Sorare points against the Athletics with zero saves, so it's not all or nothing on that front.
Framber Valdez, HOU ($5.44): While he has a 3.66 ERA on the season, Valdez posted a 3.02 ERA in his last eight starts prior to the break, including two starts with over 40.0 Sorare points. The Astro remains absolutely elite at avoiding home runs and inducing grounders. Not only that, but even when he's hit, he's not hit hard. Valdez has only allowed 14 barrels. That's over 98.1 innings. No pitcher who has allowed fewer barrels has pitched more than 72 innings this season.
Holds
Jarren Duran, BOS ($18.57): Duran was the All-Star Game MVP thanks to his game-winning homer. The reason I have him as a hold is because the homers are not typically part of the equation. Duran does a ton that benefits Sorare players. Games with double-digit Sorare points are regularly in the mix. He's batted .284 with 27 doubles, 22 stolen bases and a remarkable 10 triples. However, he also only has 10 home runs. Doubles power is good! It's not quite on the level of home run power, though. Plus, the lefty does have a .646 OPS versus southpaws, so he's not yet a complete player.
Max Fried, ATL ($10.02): In four of his five starts prior to the break, Fried only allowed one run and had at least 18.0 Sorare points. Of course, in the other game he allowed five runs, but that was against the Phillies. There is one thing that stands out to me, which is why he is a hold. Fried is a southpaw. In the past, he's pitched well against fellow lefties. Over the prior two seasons, those batters hit .206 against Fried. This year? They've hit .349. That's alarming…but is it also a fluke? I'm not sure, and that's why Fried is a hold.
Downgrades
Jackson Merrill, SD ($50.42): Merrill made the All-Star Game as a rookie. Instead of rounding into form, however, it seems like he's hitting the proverbial rookie wall. In six out of 11 games in July, Merrill has had negative Sorare points. He also has alarming splits. It's no surprise that a rookie southpaw has struggled with lefty pitchers on the MLB level. Even so, his .554 OPS in those matchups is a concern. More alarming, though, is his .674 OPS at home. Merrill is exciting and promising, but he's got plenty of question marks in the present.
Corbin Carroll, ARI ($45.64): Heading into this season, most prognosticators would have had Carroll inked into a spot in the All-Star Game, likely as a starter. Then things started to unravel, and fast. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year hasn't been turning it around, either. He has a .650 OPS over his last 23 games, with only four games featuring double-digit Sorare points. Carroll has barreled up 11 balls, and his average exit velocity of 87.9 mph is in the bottom six among hitters with more than 400 plate appearances. 22.0 percent of his hits have qualified as "soft," which is lowest of that group.
Logan Webb, SF ($8.25): No, I am not worried that Webb allowed three runs in the All-Star Game. I am more worried he gave up seven runs in five innings to the Blue Jays in his last start before the break, but there's more to it than one outing that yielded a mere 4.0 Sorare points. Since the start of June, Webb has a 4.50 ERA. He still allows few homers, but his line-drive percentage is up to 20.1 percent. The ball isn't leaving the park, but it's being hit hard. Webb has been barreled up 34 times, which is in the bottom 20 in MLB.
