The Fantistics Fantasy Baseball Podcast · InsiderBaseball

May 28, 2025 - National Day of Potential Concern

·1 hr 6 min·2 clips

Yelich may be unable to return to his old swing after years of managing back pain: "There is no back."

1. The Fantistics Fantasy Baseball Podcast marks the May 28, 2025 "National Day of Potential Concern," an annual segment from the hosts' Sirius days, by reviewing roughly 16-18 struggling hitters about a third of the way through the season. 2. Two unnamed hosts on InsideofBaseball.com trade views, with one admitting he has draft capital invested in Brenton Doyle and Jose Altuve-style names on his own house-league roster. 3. The core thesis is that early slumps split into bad luck (low BABIP, low HR/FB) and real decline, and that Statcast skill data separates the two, with the caveat that "it is still early." 4. On Jose Altuve, they cite a career-low exit velocity, an in-zone swing rate down 7.5%, 4-for-7 on steals versus a roughly 20-steal pace in prior years, and a forecast of about .300 with a dozen homers, while calling him "living on borrowed time." 5. On Brenton Doyle, they note a .317 OBP last year and this year's home line of .258/.305/.464 against .153/.238/.167 on the road, and say he was overdrafted and should be benched on the road against tough right-handers. 6. On Anthony Santander, they point to 13 runs and 18 RBI on a $90 million, five-year Toronto deal, a fly ball rate down 10%, and projected 20-25 homers, and one host says he never rosters him because "I don't trust the skillset." 7. On Christian Yelich, they discuss a 63.5% ground ball rate, a career-low launch angle, and a .244 BABIP after a winter discectomy, and both call him a buy-low whose "speed is there." 8. On Brian Reynolds and Yainer Diaz, they note pitchers throwing Reynolds zone pitches five points more often, and they argue Diaz's .299 expected average last year was "not really" believable, projecting him closer to .272-.275 with 15-20 homers. 9. On Marcus Semien, they note last year's .237 average, 23 homers, 100 runs, and 8 steals, stolen-base attempts falling from 25 steals to 17 attempts to roughly half of that, and a swing-and-miss rate up two straight years, concluding "we're getting close to the end of the road." 10. Fantasy baseball players weighing buy-low and sell decisions will get the most from this episode.

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