There are rules here. None of the players will be top ten in their respective positions on the player rater, and all will have flaws. They will, though, have a carrying category, one that holds positive value in flawed profiles.
Everyone wants to talk about Sal Stewart. This one’s for you, the ones who grind, who see mild category deficits and make steps to address it. Real math nerds, probably putting things in spreadsheets and whatnot.
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Runs
Miguel Vargas: Vargas’ major flaw is batting average, which gives you -2.2 Razzbucks. OBP leagues he’ll help (.359), but a .212 batting average is what you will have to overcome. Ranked 13th overall at first base, he’s tallying 5.4 Razzbucks in the runs category.
The Carrying Stat: Runs, also a smattering of RBI
The Flaw: Batting Average, the career average is .207, but last year hit .234. That would be the level to expect. His XBA is .241, and his BABIP .231. If you pair him with a high BA guy, he’s a very valuable player. He’s only 54% rostered in Yahoo! leagues, but is 100% owned in RCL. Since the RCLs are the best leagues on the internet, that should tell you that Vargas should be owned.
Juice worth squeeze: Yes.
Home Runs
Jon Aranda: I didn’t expect to see Aranda with a positive 5.8 value and seven dingers on the season, but here we are. His profile has flipped; last year, he was a high BABIP and high batting average player. While a BABIP over .400 in 2025, it was never likely he’d repeat his high batting average last season. Luckily, if you drafted him, he is hitting home runs with seven in the young season. His pull percentage is down from last year, as is his pulled fly ball rate, making the power output look fluky.
The Flaw: Track record. What kind of player is Aranda?
Juice Worth Squeeze: Yes, still, since he’s shown he can be scorching hot, but don’t trust the power. Trust the players’ skills. He’s available in half of Yahoo leagues and zero RCL.
Kazuma Okamoto: So THAT’S what the fuss was all about. He’s on a power surge, giving a nine Razzbuck value for the category here. Walks have helped (10% rate), and his plate approach supports the home runs. The strikeout rate is plummeting too. He’s walking more, whiffing less, and seems to have adjusted to baseball in the US.
The Flaw: Is he on a heater or has he adjusted?
Juice Worth Squeeze: Yes, you have to at this point. He’s rapidly rising in percentage at 60% in Yahoo, and for good reason. Let him be what you thought Spencer Torkelson upside is, and enjoy a top-5 third base season.
RBI
Alec Burleson: Burleson hits third for the Cardinals, and is producing 9.4 Razzbucks for your teams in RBI. Basically, this propels him to the tenth overall spot at first base. It’s quite valuable. RBI can be a fickle beast, though, and if the Cardinals suddenly hit more like small sparrows, Burleson won’t have the opportunities. You may have missed out on his RBI binge.
The Flaw: Not a walks guy, and RBI will be context dependent.
Juice worth squeeze: Yes, fully buying in. He’s entering his prime and will be productive for years to come, even if the RBI chances diminish.
SB
Jake Bauers: He’s been a sneaky productive player, and three steals from your corner infield spot is some solid chipping in from positions that traditionally don’t run much. Jake (Don’t Call Me Jack) Bauers does run; he’s had eight steals and 13 the two prior seasons. His OBP is at .325, so he’s on base a goodly amount. He’s ahead in value right now of notable names like Nick Kurtz, Pete Alonso, and Tyler Soderstrom.
The Flaw: Playing time. He’s not going to be a full time starter, and it’s for good reason. He’d be exposed in additional time.
Juice Worth Squeeze: Nah. Andrew Vaughn is back and will cut into Bauers’ playing time. He’s a deep league stash at this point as a platoon bat.
