Sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses. However, sometimes, like now, the roses aren’t in bloom. So you have to stop and smell the May flowers that are in bloom. And that means smelling the Irises and Peonies. Why did I stretch out this metaphor? Simple, my dear reader. We are going to discuss who is blooming right now in May and if they can keep it up! So after you’re done reading this, go outside, find someone’s garden, and smell their peonies. Then run because people don’t like strangers on their property. I will be basing my rankings on a 6×6 with OPS.
Guardians Infielders: Cleveland is probably my favorite AL team, and that’s probably because Major League was filmed in my hometown. That being said, their middle infield pair of Travis Bazzana and Bryan Rocchio is having a blast right now. Bazzana has adjusted quickly to his call-up. Much faster than I personally was expecting. He’s hit 2 bombs, stolen 5 bags, and put up a .364 average with a .994 OPS over the last two weeks. The power is very surprising to me, but the speed is not. I don’t think he’ll hit as well over the course of the season as pitchers figure him out, but he’s definitely got the stuff to be a top 5-10 2B going into 2027 if there is baseball. And he’s only Rostered in 42% of Yahoo Leagues.
Rocchio is a bit more of a surprise. I talked about him a few weeks ago as a pickup target, but he’s still only owned in 43% of Yahoo leagues. He’s really taking advantage of his opportunity. 5 SB in the last two weeks, coupled with 8 runs and hitting .341 with a 939 OPS. This is a spike in production, but he is definitely lineup worthy the rest of the year. Get him if he’s still available.
And if that weren’t enough, Outfielder Angel Martinez has 2B eligibility, and he’s been tearing it up the last 2 weeks with 4 homers, 9 RBI, and 3 SB. It’s coupled with a .250 average, but he’s holding his own as the Guards await Jose Ramirez to find his power stroke. Now I saw his name and immediately thought, Missed call. And I don’t think he’s going to keep it up either. But he’s been hot, so that’s something at least.
Slow Starters Start to Get Hot: If you drafted Matt McLain and Willy Adames, you’ve probably cut bait at this point. But for those of you who have held on, it’s paid dividends the last two weeks. McLain has had 3 Bombs, 11 RBI, and 2 Steals while hitting .283 with a .908 OPS. He’s given the Reds reason to move him up in the order so his RBI and run scoring chances will become greater as well… for now. Since the move, he’s 1/14 with 1 SB and 1 RBI. They’ll figure out where to fit him, and if you want to take the chance, he’s rostered in 51% of Yahoo leagues.
Willy has woken up as well. 2 dingers, 9 RBI, while hitting .353 with a .918 OPS. The Giants aren’t a good team at all, so that will depress his numbers. But he’s awoken, and an awoken Willy is intriguing. He’s available in 29% of Yahoo leagues. I would recommend him over McLain because he can absolutely finish as a top 10 SS over the course of the year.
Mets? Sure. Why Not Mets: While not exactly tearing the world apart, some Mets as well are becoming rosterable. Marcus Semien leads this pack here. 10 runs, 2 homers, 7 RBI with a .286 average will definitely play. And he has the pedigree to keep it up for the rest of the year. I would also put him up on my pickup list as he’s only on 46% rostered in Yahoo leagues.
Bret Baty still has 2B eligibility, and he’s woken up as well. 7 runs, 2 bombs, 6 RBI, and a .847 OPS make him actually rosterable with a lot of position flexibility. And he’s widely available. If you’re struggling for options, you may want to paraphrase RamJam and say WHOA Bret Baty! Bamalam!!! Google it, kids.
AJ Ewing has come up with 2B eligibility as well. In his first week, he’s come out of the gates hot with 6 runs, a bomb, 4 RBI, 2 steals, hitting .292 and a .952 OPS. Tremendous upside and a very exciting prospect. I would put a claim in for him as he’s only rostered in 42% of Yahoo leagues.
Something is brewing… in Arlington: You probably thought I was going to reference Milwaukee. But they have one guy in the middle infield who is rosterable, and he’s the best 2B in baseball. But a name that I was not expecting to see at all, and is taking off big time, is coming from Texas. No, not a returning Jeremy Pena, who is coming back this week. I’m talking about Ezequiel Duran. Over the last 2 weeks, he’s been going into the middle of the Rangers’ lineup and producing. Over the last 2 weeks, he’s scored 9 runs, with 2 bombs, 12 RBI, a steal, and a 294 average with a .849 OPS. He’s breaking out in his age-27 season as the utility guy, but he’s hitting enough to be an everyday stalwart for the Rangers. This is likely a 1 and done year for him, but he’d be a valuable play this year. and only rostered in 34% of leagues.
