This week’s question is question is a four-parter, multiple choice style.
1. Who compiles the highest 5×5 earnings for the rest of the season
A. Ronald Acuna Jr.
B. Anyone else
2. Who ends the season with the most steals?
A. Jorge Mateo
B. Ji Hwan Bae
C. Starling Marte
3. Who ends the season with the most homers?
A. Matt Olson
B. Max Muncy
C. Jorge Soler
4. Who accrues more plate appearances for the rest of the season?
A. Mike Trout
B. Aaron Judge
C. Luis Robert
Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): Crystal ball on health–I wish!! But! Nostradamus says (1) Acuna is just a force to behold this year and only injury can stop him from owning that top slot. I don’t even have a “close second” although I think Aaron Judge would probably be it. (2) Steals–who is going to get the PAs all season? Mateo–I hate his OBP and think he could (should!) lose PAs down the road. Marte seems to get hurt/wear down. I’ll guess Bae. But it is only a guess. Esteury Ruiz might end up with more than those three combined! (3) Olson should beat Muncy and Soler in HRs with a much more reliable bat and Muncy is nicked up already. (4) Judge will have more PAs than Trout or Robert, both of whom seem to lose PAs to injuries to a greater extent than Judge has, but really, this is just a question of health.
Matt Williams (The Game Day, @MattWi77iams): 1.) Ronald Acuña: He is playing on another level this season and picking anyone else would be contrarian for the sake of it. 2.) Starling Marte: I do not trust Mateo, and while Starling has injury concerns, I also believe the Mets will end up scoring significantly more runs than the Pirates. 3.)Matt Olson: He can go on a tear at a anytime and is protected in an elite lineup 4.) Aaron Judge: This question is a complete guess, I went with my gut.
Scott White (CBS Fantasy Sports, @CBSScottWhite): 1) Ronald Acuna. Even if Aaron Judge approaches 60 homers again (which is a very big if), Acuna is running way too much to be caught, I think. 2) Starling Marte. The “chalk” answer is probably Jorge Mateo, but he’s come crashing back down to earth as a hitter and may not have much job security. 3) Matt Olson. Easy call. He’s the best htiter of the three and the most likely to stay healthy, too, if history is any indication. 4) Aaron Judge. It’s mostly a health thing. I suspect Mike Trout’s back will require a stint on the IL at some point, and Luis Robert seems to be hurt as often as he’s healthy (if not more).
Andy Andres (BaseballHQ, @sabermetrics101): Here goes: 1) I think it is Judge for most value for the rest of the year, so I take the field against Acuna 2) The three are pretty equal, but I will go with Bae, bc he has the best road to the most playing time 3) Not Soler, due to playing time risk, I think it will be Olson — but I want it to be Muncy, bc it would return great value for all of the people who invested in him this year! (And I root for the Dodgers) 4) Trout, even with his injury risk, it looks like he is motivated to stay in the lineup this year bc it might be Ohtani’s last year with the Angels
Chris Blessing (BaseballHQ, @C_Blessing): 1. Acuña, with health, continues to run away for 5 by 5 earnings in the 2nd half. He’s on a mission to prove his doubters wrong. It’s Michael Jordon-esque motavation. Don’t bet against this man. 2. Marte’s bat looks shot. His legs look shot in the OF too. I’m not believing he can keep up his SB pace, even if the Mets play better in the 2nd half and he gets on base more. I hate Mateo’s profile but I’m betting on Mateo to outrun Marte and Bae. 3. I’m betting on the hit tool in this contest, leaning into Olson’s hit tool to outlast Soler and Muncy in the HR department this year. As a Muncy believer, it’s a stretch he can keep the HR total up with his BA failings. Soler gets traded at some point, right? He’ll lose ABs in the process. 4. I’m all-in on Aaron Judge with the most plate appearanced between these dudes. Robert is made of glass and Trout’s back is a big question mark holding up during the length of the season.
Michael Govier (FTN Fantasy, @mjgovier): Anyone else, Starling Marte, Matt Olson and Mike Trout. Brevity at its finest.
Phil Hertz (Baseball HQ, @prhz50): Same as Michael – my anyone else is Ohtani.
Shelly Verougstraete (NBC Sports EDGE Baseball, @ShellyV_643): 1) Ronald Acuña Jr. – He seems to be a man on a mission to get that 40/40 season. 2) Starling Marte – This one is a playing time bet. I think Mateo loses his spot in the O’s lineup soon because he has been as cold as ice for close to a month now. 3) Matt Olson – He was my pick to lead the NL in homers at the beginning of the season 4) Aaron Judge – This is a health bet. Luis Robert Jr. always misses time and Trout always has an IL stint or two during the year so I’ll go with the player who already took theirs.
Mike Sheets (ESPN, @MikeASheets): 1) The smart money is taking the field, but if pressed to pick one player, I’m still going with Acuna. 2) Give me Marte on the steals. Health is never a sure thing, but if he’s healthy, he’ll continue playing every day, which I can’t say confidently about Mateo or Bae. 3) Olson is the easy choice for me here. 4) I could go either way on Judge or Trout here, but I’ll take Judge over Trout, who likely still has an IL stint in him this year.
CJ Kaltenbach (Fantasy Guru, @TheSeigeDFS): 1) Given Acuna’s injury history I’m going to take the field but if he stays healthy he will be the #1 player 2) I trust Bae’s playing time the most of those three so I’ll go with him but I project them all within 1-2 steals of each other 3) Matt Olson hasn’t had the hot Atlanta summer to boost his HR total yet and that should be the difference 4) Aaron Judge is on the best team and has the best lineup slot so I’ll take him given all three players have equally checkered injury histories.
Fred Zinkie (Yahoo/Rotowire, @FredZinkieMLB): 1) Always smart to take the field over an individual. 2) I’ll take Marte. 3) Olson for sure. 4) I want to say Trout, but I’m picking Judge.
Adam Ronis (Fantasy Alarm, @AdamRonis): 1. It will be Acuna as long as he doesn’t miss a signicant amount of time. 2. Mateo had an awful May, but Marte hasn’t looked good and is likely to miss time with injury. 3. Olson is the pick. 4. Judge.
Dave Adler (BaseballHQ, @daveadler01): 1. Acuna going nuts, but…take the field. ALWAYS take the field in bets like this. 2. Mateo – he won’t be an Oriole much longer, and still won’t hit, but ends up running frequently wherever he goes. 3. Olson, by a hair; 4. Trout finds a way to stay healthy…
Rob Leibowitz (Rotoheaven, @rob_leibowitz): 1. Acuna has too much up and down playing time history issues to not take the field in that kind of bet. 2. Marte – Best bet at playing time. Baltimore has too many middle infield type prospects to let a sub .300 OBP guy keep the job for too long. 3. Olson is my guy. 4. Judge. He has less of a spector hanging over him than do Robert and Trout.
Scott Swanay (FantasyBaseballSherpa, @fantasy_sherpa): 1) I’ll go with the field (Judge again?) just to be a contrarian, but immense respect for Acuna and the trajectory he’s currently on – glad he’s been able to stay healthy. 2) I’ll go with Marte over Bae and Mateo just because I think his ROS playing time is a little more certain than it is for the other two – the adage about not being able to steal first base comes to mind. 3) Among these 3 I’ll go w/ Olson among these three, but still think it’s likely that Judge ends up lapping the field again in terms of who leads the league. 4) I’ll go with Judge over Robert (because NYY should have better offense than CWS ROS) and Trout (like Kershaw, he’s gotten to the point where I don’t really trust him to stay healthy for prolonged periods of time).
Dylan White (Baseball America, @the__arrival): (1) I mean, it’s gotta be ‘the field’. Looks like BATX (per my calcs) have FTJ and RAJ with the same ROS projection (under Main Event format). So, that’s enough for me to say the field. (2) I think Mateo’s playing time situation is the most up in the air (with Bae 2nd). Marte – if healthy (obviously a big if) – has the safest playing time situation. Marte for me. (3) my initial gut feel was Soler but BATX has Olson with 28 ROS and Muncy and Soler with 23 ROS. That’s a big enough difference for me to pick Olson. (4) Since 2021, Judge has accrued 1500+ PAs and Robert and Trout have both been below 1000 PAs. Judge for me for ROS.
Kev Mahserejian (Fox Sports, @RotoSurgeon): 1) Acuna has legitimately no flaws in his fantasy profile and after a torrid start like this, my bet is he remains #1 outside of injury. 2) Bae for the simple fact that he has an everyday role on an average team that will continue to allow him opportunities. Marte has his history of injury woes and Mateo is a play-time risk. 3) Olson because he will likely finish with the most plate appearances among this trio thanks to playing in the best offense. 4) Aaron Judge. His injury history is nowhwere near as severe as Trout or Robert’s where surgeries to correct major hip and foot issues came into play.
Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): 1. Acuna, but Freddie Freeman and Aaron Judge will give him competition.
2. Ji Hwan Bae as he has a higher on base percentage than Jorge Mateo.
3. Matt Olson as he will heat up even more like a summer in Atlanta.
4. Aaron Judge. All three have suffered injuries, but Judge’s injury is less prone to repeat.
Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): I agree with those saying if the question is Acuna or anyone else, it’s always right to take the field. That said, I suspect Acuna would be the near consensus top ranked player for the rest of the season. As for the rest, I’ll say Bae, Olson and Trout. I wish I included Buxton and not Robert Jr. as the third option. Anyway, Trout has been relatively healthy, but there have been seasons where he’s been hurt late, so he’s not out of the woods, not even close. That said, maybe I’m wish casting, or perhaps there is some recency bias after watching Aaron Judge survive his Bump Bailey moment.
