This article is part of our Sorare MLB series.
We are down to the wire in the 2024 MLB regular season. Guys who get injured get shut down. Many minor leaguers, not all of them premium talents, have made their MLB debuts since rosters expanded at the start of September. Through all of that, you're looking for some quality roster tweaks for your Sorare lineup. That's why I am here once again with my Upgrades, Holds and Downgrades.
Upgrades
Jhonkensy Noel, CLE ($16.50): Noel started his age-22 season by smashing Triple-A hitting, posting a .937 OPS. He earned a shot in MLB, where he's shown limitations as a hitter but also a ton of power. The righty has slugged .530 in 55 games. Notably, he's registered a barrel in 10.6 percent of his plate appearances. That's the same as Vladimir Guerrero and Yordan Alvarez. Yes, he's done it over a smaller sample size, but that kind of power has helped him have double-digit Sorare points on several occasions, including a game with 33.0 Sorare points in late August.
Jose Berrios, TOR ($7.70): Berrios' foremost selling point is consistency and availability. In the last five full MLB seasons, he's made exactly 32 starts, and with 29 to his name in 2024, he's going to land around there again. Usually, he's doing that while pitching at an average, or slightly-above average, level. However, in seven of his last eight starts, Berrios has gone at least six innings and allowed no more than two earned runs. In five of those starts, he's hit rarified air for modern pitchers: seven innings. In all of those starts but one, he's had at least 30.0 Sorare points, and you can rely on him to at least be out there as much as any pitcher.
Xavier Edwards, MIA ($6.34): "Juan Pierre" is perhaps not the most-exciting name when you think about the stats that tally up Sorare points, but Edwards is giving me a Juan Pierre feel, and Pierre played in MLB for 14 years for a reason. The 25-year-old Edwards may only have one homer, but he's hit .325 and stolen 25 bases in only 55 games. Because of this specific skill set, Edward is now starting at shortstop, and he's also moved up the batting order and is often leading off for the Marlins. Hey, you don't have to watch the Marlins play for Edwards to get you those Sorare points!
Parker Meadows, DET ($4.93): Meadows is the center fielder of the future for the Tigers, and they are giving him the opportunity now. Since getting healthy, the 24-year-old has been in the lineup and in center field regularly. He has a .904 OPS over the last three weeks and has used his speed to register four games with double-digit Sorare points in September already.
Holds
Ryan O'Hearn, BAL ($4.12): O'Hearn has been cold, but his strength remains clear. He can't hit his fellow lefties, but he's viable against right-handers. O'Hearn has a .774 OPS versus righties this year and had an .802 OPS in those matchups last season. Additionally, he has an OPS over .800 on the road since joining the Orioles as well. If he's on the road and facing a righty, O'Hearn can deliver. On a road trip at the end of August, he had four games with 5.0 Sorare points or more. Pay attention to O'Hearn's circumstances and react accordingly.
Seth Lugo, KC ($3.06): Lugo started the season in excellent form, and had a 2.21 ERA around the All-Star break. Then he went through a rough stretch. His ERA was up to 3.04 after a game against the Twins that yielded negative Sorare points, which is tough for a pitcher to do. Now, things have rebounded. In four of his last five starts, Lugo has gone 7.0 innings and allowed two runs or fewer. Granted, the other start was a rough one against the Phillies that resulted in 4.5 Sorare points, but the good starts (and all those points) make up for that.
Downgrades
James Wood, WAS ($20.66): Wood debuted as one of the best prospects in baseball. He remains a promising young player, but the 21-year-old still has plenty to work on at the MLB level. For example, while he has 12 stolen bases, he's been caught seven times. Most concerningly, he has a 57.0 percent groundball rate. Even as a fast athlete, putting that many balls on the ground is limiting. He can net some Sorare points by turning a single through the gap into a double, but the young hitter has a somewhat low short-term ceiling, at least until he learns to lift the ball.
Jacob deGrom, TEX ($15.64): Friday, deGrom makes his first start of 2024 for the Rangers. He allowed one run total in four appearances in the minors as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery. One of the handful of pitchers with multiple Cy Youngs, few pitchers in the league are as good as deGrom when healthy. I just have a hard time getting excited at this point. There's a good chance deGrom never tops 4.0 innings this season. There's a decent chance he gets hurt again before the 2024 campaign is out. Don't forget that deGrom arrived to MLB late. He's 36 already. All those Sorare points you're dreaming of? They are theoretical, and personally I want something more substantive and less speculative. This is a classic case of "I'd like to be wrong, but I have to be realistic."
Noelvi Marte, CIN ($2.34): Marte is a 22-year-old who had an .822 OPS in a 35-game debut campaign last year. Santiago Espinal is a 29-year-old who struggled to find a regular role with the Blue Jays. At this point in the season, the latter is taking considerable playing time away from the former. Marte picked up an 80-game suspension for PEDs to start the season, but his abject lack of discipline is what is holding him back. The third baseman has a 2.6-percent walk rate and a 33.3-percent strikeout rate. Not only that, but his chase rate is a staggering 41.6 percent. That's how a 22-year-old prospect loses playing time — and the chance at Sorare points — to a utility player like Espinal.
