One of the best parts about fantasy baseball is watching the action unfold on the field. However, there’s more to it than just the results on the field. While our success in fantasy baseball is measured by just a few statistics, there are a great deal of data points behind them. Evaluating players and their performance is based on more than just one variable. But combined, it all comes together. Under that guise, let’s take a look at three players and how we can view them based on their early-season performances.
Fantasy Baseball Advanced Hitting Stats
Perez Just Continues to Hit
Salvador Perez isn’t getting younger. If you looked to fade the veteran for 2025, that decision was certainly understandable. However, Perez is, once again, motivated to prove you and all his doubters wrong. Quite simply, Perez isn’t ready to truly be on the decline just yet. Well, at least not across the board. The problem, though, is that his stat line doesn’t entirely back that up.
Through his first 32 games of the season, Perez is hitting just .244 with two home runs. To start with the negative, Perez’s home runs might be the first to go. For his career, Perez has a career .190 ISO, but this year he’s only at .138. It’s a steep decline from his .185 mark last year, and Perez doesn’t appear to be in the position to match his 27 home runs from a year ago. But other than that, Perez might represent a solid buy-low candidate as long as it’s not home runs you’re hunting.
While the batting average is less than ideal, Perez’s .331 xBA tells us not to worry. From the power perspective, a .382 SLG isn’t going to attract any buyers, but his .604 xSLG sure will. This is a reminder that the underlying metrics are telling us a different story. It hasn’t fully translated to action on the field, but it also represents value. Beyond Perez’s xBA and xSLG offering a clear path that, the veteran is still making strong contact overall. With a 15.2% barrel rate and 46.5% hard hit rate, Perez isn’t truly slowing down anytime soon.
Playing Every Day Works for Stowers
While a quick scan of the Miami Marlins roster initially doesn’t appear to yield much fantasy production, but it’s also a blank canvas. The opportunity was and is there for players to capitalize on the wide-open depth chart. One player who has seemingly taken advantage of the situation is Kyle Stowers.
Previously with Baltimore, Stowers was never truly considered a top-level prospect. His minor league production was solid, but beginning in 2022, it never translated to success with the Orioles. To be fair, prior to his 69 games last year, the opportunity was never truly there on a consistent basis. This year, devoid of any other options, Stowers has already reached career highs across the board.
In most leagues, Stowers is no longer available on the waiver wire, but if he is, he shouldn’t be. As much as we’d like to believe Stowers will hit .310 all season, his .392 BABIP doesn’t support all of that success. However, entering play on Monday, Stowers’ xBA was .307, so maybe I’m just being overly cautious. Stowers isn’t a one-dimensional player, though, as he also has six home runs, 25 RBI, and 18 runs scored. Between prime real estate in the middle of the batting order, a 19.5% barrel rate, and 50.6% hard hit rate, Stowers should have some staying power this year.
A Career Year in Seattle
The fact that Cal Raleigh is hitting .244 is a big deal. For his career, Raleigh is a .220 hitter, and that also happens to be his batting average from last year. Let’s be honest, though, that’s not why we are here. For that matter, neither are the four stolen bases Raleigh has to this point, even if they are an added bonus.
In the last two seasons, Raleigh hit 30 and 34 home runs. Last year, that came with his first 100 RBI season, and in 2025, he is gunning to surpass those marks. Entering play on Monday, the catcher had 12 home runs and 23 RBI. He continues to establish himself as one of the best catchers in the game. At this point, there’s no reason why your fantasy team can’t absorb the batting average. The power production gives you a real advantage compared to the majority of other teams behind the plate.
Whether you want to look at Raleigh’s .341 ISO, his 22.7% barrel rate, or his 47.7% hard hit rate, it’s clear that he punishes the baseball. And that is a great source of consistent fantasy production.
