Every week, we check in and update the rest-of-season MLB rankings. Use them however you like — for team self-scouting, for trade ideas, for spirited debate or a start-from-scratch fantasy baseball draft.
Let’s have a look at some of the risers and fallers; the player values are never static, even if it feels like chasing a butterfly at times.
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Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B, White Sox: There’s been pro-Vargas stuff in this space all year, but maybe it didn’t go far enough. Vargas is the top 5×5 hitter over the past 30 days. Here’s a good sample of how batting average isn’t everything (although he is hitting .309 the last month). Appreciate Vargas’s batting eye (.366 OBP), his legitimate power (.494 slugging) and resourcefulness on the bases (six steals in six attempts).
He’s on pace to hit over 30 homers, score more than 100 runs, drive in over 90 runs. And the top of the Chicago order is pretty darn fun right now.
Josh Naylor, 1B, Mariners: Naylor is one of the slowest runners in MLB but he continues to steal like Rickey Henderson, copping eight bags in May. His bat has also perked up this month: .338/.392/.426 slash, just nine strikeouts. A lot of things have gone wrong with the Mariners this year, but with Naylor and Julio Rodríguez coming around, Seattle still looms as the AL West favorite.
Matt McLain, 2B, Reds: McLain has finally started to cut his strikeouts, and not a moment too soon — he was dropped in the lineup earlier this month and his overall job might have been in jeopardy. A .289 binge over the last two weeks (three homers, two steals, six walks) not only marks McLain’s territory, but it’s earned him a promotion to the top of the lineup.
Cody Bellinger, 1B, Yankees: New York was wise to bring Bellinger back, as the sweet-swinging lefty has cut his strikeouts and bumped his walks without sacrificing any average. He’s also on pace to pick up about 15 steals. Don’t fret the home run column, those will come. Everything else is where it needs to be.
Cristopher Sánchez, SP, Phillies: He finished second in the Cy Young voting last year, and has designs on the hardware this time around. The walk rate is still microscopic, and it’s almost impossible to homer off Sánchez. But just for fun, he’s bumped his strikeout rate by 3.6% while maintaining the same ground-ball tilt. Even with Zack Wheeler back in the mix, the Phillies should start Sánchez first in any playoff series.
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Mark Vientos, 1B/3B, Mets: Maybe you have to squint a little to see it, but I pushed Vientos back into the top 250. He’s been a run-producer this month (four homers, 14 RBI, .468 slugging), and while his slash line is still lagging, he’s been swimming mostly in bad luck (his expected average is .281, his expected slugging is .531). Vientos is rostered in just 10% of Yahoo leagues, but he feels like a 25-30% guy to me. Jump the line.
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Trevor Rogers, SP, Orioles: He was over his skis last year, posting a 1.81 ERA despite Statcast suggesting a 3.41 ERA. Okay, that second number is still good. This year it’s been bombs away, with a 6.87 ERA, a 1.66 WHIP and a paltry 19.5% strikeout rate. Your command needs to be fine when your average fastball is shy of 93 mph; Rogers is hitting too much of the plate and paying the price. His ground-ball rate has also fallen apart after last year’s dream season.
Sandy Alcantara, SP, Marlins: Something doesn’t add up here — Alcantara has a fastball over 97 mph and a chase rate better than average, but he almost never gets strikeouts (just 16.9%). Maybe it’s time to accept that the one Cy Young season was a fluke and never coming back. He’s posted a 4.87 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over his past 41 starts, and that’s how I’m going to consider him moving forward. Now at age 30, it’s time for the back-nine seasons.
Jackson Merrill, OF, Padres: I’ve tried to be patient and at least there’s still some category juice here — four homers, nine steals. But pitchers are starting to exploit Merrill’s poor walk and chase rates, and although Merrill’s batted-ball outcomes are a trifle unlucky, a .234 expected average and .410 expected slugging won’t help much.
We thought Merrill was an instant superstar when he dropped in 2024 — narrowly missing Rookie of the Year to Paul Skenes — but baseball has gotten harder since. Development curves are not always linear.
Steven Kwan, OF, Guardians: It’s almost impossible to be a bad offensive player when you have more walks than strikeouts, but Kwan is trying to challenge that notion. A .200/.328/.255 slash is drop-worthy in most mixed leagues, and he’s only attempted three stolen bases (you need ancillary contributions when the power isn’t standard). Kwan has been unlucky with batted-ball outcomes, but his expected average is still just .223.
