Breakout Bats: Hitters Heating Up

Fantasy baseball can be a fickle beast. Slumps and hot streaks often rule the day. Unlike some other fantasy sports, baseball is most prone to large fluctuations in production from players. It’s simply the reality of baseball as it’s played in real life. Thus, we always want to roster breakout hitters.

This is one way to mitigate the damage of slumping hitters: roster other hitters who are hot. Sometimes, these players are top-tier talent. Other times, they’re lesser-heralded bats. We don’t discriminate. We just want hot bats. And we want to know when they’re experiencing a breakout so we can ride those hot bats as long as we can.

Picking it up: Recent Breakout Bats

Tier I

Willy Adames, SS, San Francisco Giants

Adames likely won some fantasy leagues last year when he enjoyed a career year in Milwaukee (32 homers, 112 RBIs). He parlayed that into a big contract with the Giants, and then proceeded to look nothing like the player he was with the Brewers for the first three months of his first San Francisco season, leaving June with a .210 batting average (he was under .200 as late as June 10). But he’s come to life lately. For July as a whole, the 29-year-old posted a slash line of .310/.392/.587 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs.

And he was even hotter in the final 12 games to close out the month (.378/.462/.733), officially qualifying him for breakout bat status. The overall batting average is up to .238, and if he continues this resurgence, he could actually reach the .251 mark he posted during last year’s all-star campaign. The long balls, too, should continue to climb. His average exit velocity (89.3%) and barrel rate (13.2%) numbers are actually higher this year than last, which could portend more good things to come.

William Contreras, C, Milwaukee Brewers

Widely accepted in the industry as the top fantasy catcher heading into the 2025 season, Contreras has disappointed after a 23-home run, 92-RBI campaign last year. There are some caveats: the on-base percentage isn’t far off, as he’s still drawing his walks, and the .261 batting average isn’t disastrous by any means. But the power has been wanting, and, overall, it’s been a down year for the 27-year-old backstop.

But things have been better recently. Since July 11, Contreras has raised his batting average 22 points (from .239 to .261). In those 16 contests, he’s batted an impressive .362 with a .963 OPS. He’s swatted three of his nine long balls during that span and collected 12 of his 47 RBIs, too. A big-time 5-for-7 game in a blowout win over Washington Friday put an exclamation mark on this breakout bat, which had produced four straight multi-hit games entering action on the weekend.

Honourable mention:

Christian Walker … Walker was slowed by an oblique injury earlier in the year, but hit .318/.367/.466 in July with 18 RBIs in 22 games. Over his last 13 contests, entering action Sunday, he owned a .521 slugging percentage with six extra-base hits. These numbers suggest he’s healthy. And when he’s healthy, he’s a dependable long-ball threat.

Tier II

Maikel Garcia, 3B, Kansas City Royals

Wait, isn’t he enjoying a breakout season? He’s hitting over .300 for crying out loud! Yes, this is true. But, you may have noticed that Garcia endured a dismal three-week stretch from June 30 to July 22, where he hit .191/.233/.250 with no home runs and just three RBIs over 18 contests. Was he finally coming back to earth? No, it turns out it was ‘just’ a slump.

And he’s back. In eight games from July 23 to Aug. 1, the 25-year-old Garcia hit a robust .433 (13-for-30) with six extra-base hits, including two homers, as well as seven runs and six RBIs. He also stole a pair of bases. Despite the cold stretch, Garcia is no fakeout. His improvement in plate discipline this year has made a huge difference in his overall success at the plate, and despite ‘only’ having 10 homers (a career high), his .830 OPS is a boon to fantasy managers. Oh, and the multiple position eligibility is the icing on the cake.

Royce Lewis, 3B, Minnesota Twins

Who is the real Royce Lewis? It’s hard to know. He burst onto the scene with an almost comic power pace (when he was healthy) in 2023 before going down with yet another injury. He started off hot again last year, and despite the low batting average (.233), he produced an impressive 16 homers and 47 RBIs in 82 games. And then, once he recovered from yet another injury earlier this season, he hit .202 in May and half of June (before getting hurt again).

Well, the good version of Lewis is back. The month of July was good to the 27-year-old, who raised his average 41 points to .243 by posting a .293 mark for the month. He also delivered 11 RBIs in 23 games. But he’s turned it on more so in the last two weeks. From July 20 through Aug. 1, Lewis hit .349 with a 1.029 OPS and three home runs and four doubles in 11 games. With fingers firmly crossed that he stays healthy, the third baseman should continue to tap into his talent and produce for fantasy managers down the stretch.

Tier III

Andrew Vaughn, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers

In case you haven’t noticed, Andrew Vaughn is a different person in Milwaukee. After years of toiling away with the White Sox (trust me, I selected him in a first-year player draft and held on for way too long in a dynasty league), he has discovered otherwise untapped production. Is it something in the water? Whatever it is, the 27-year-old looks like a brand-new player with the Brewers and is certainly deserving of being dubbed a breakout bat.

In 48 games in his fifth season in Chicago, Vaughn hit an abysmal .189/.218/.314 with five home runs and 19 RBIs. In 17 games since being called up by the Brewers following a trade to Milwaukee, the first baseman has posted an eye-popping .386/.448/.772 mark with six homers and 24 RBIs. He’s walked nearly as much as he’s struck out. Is anything close to this sustainable? We wouldn’t bet on it, but this is a former No. 3 overall draft pick who was once highly touted, so who knows? Ride the hot bat while you can.

Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Cleveland Guardians

Speaking of formerly highly-touted prospects, Mr. Manzardo also fits that bill. After a disappointing debut with the Guardians last year (.703 OPS), he’s improved, even if slightly, across the board in 2025, particularly in the power department, where he’s likely to make the most difference on a fantasy roster.

And he’s really picked things up since the middle of July. From July 12 through Aug. 1, Manzardo hit a blistering .395 with a .460 on-base percentage and 1.251 OPS. He swatted five homers and drove in 15 runs over that 13-game stretch, showing that he’s capable of getting hot. He’s up to 18 long balls. If this continues and he’s a legitimate breakout bat down the stretch, could he reach 30?

Honourable mentions:

Ramon Laureano… To be fair, the 31-year-old has been good for most of the season. In 82 games with the Orioles before being acquired by the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline, Laureano hit .290 with 15 homers and 46 RBIs. But he was extra hot in his final 11 games with the O’s, batting .368 with four homers and 10 RBIs on his way out. It’s likely Laureano will see the bench from time to time in San Diego, but he’ll get the opportunity to be an everyday guy if he continues to produce …

Warming Bernabel … Besides the great name, Bernabel has been swinging a hot bat since being promoted by the Colorado Rockies. The 23-year-old went a sizzling 14-for-28 (.500) in his first seven big-league games, belting three homers and driving in eight runs. Of course, he’ll slow down, but he’s an intriguing hot bat playing in Colorado.