FANTASY FARE: White Sox’s Nick Madrigal is making contact, and then some

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Is there a better batting eye in baseball than Chisox 2B Nick Madrigal’s. The second-year infielder’s swing-strike rate is a microscopic and MLB-leading 2.2%. Next best is Padres’ Jake Cronenworth at 3.2 while the major-league average is 11.9%. And if that isn’t astounding enough, Madrigal’s contact rate for pitches in the strike zone is nothing short of perfect: 100%. Again, Cronenworth is runnerup at 97.9%. For Madrigal, who has struck out five times all year and who batted .340 as a rookie last year, it all adds up to a .301 AVG, a number he should have no trouble maintaining. The downside, however, and perhaps why he is batting ninth, is that he walks as little as he whiffs and his average is pretty empty with zero HRs and two steals.

INJURY ITEMS

A bad week on the injury front began with news that three significant fantasy pieces — White Sox OF Luis Robert, Dodgers SP Dustin May and Braves C Travis d’Arnaud — were all lost either for the entire season or most of it. Then came the news that a couple of star OFs, Christian Yelich (back) of the Brewers and Blue Jays’ George Springer (quad), had to abort their comeback attempts and go right back on the IL for the foreseeable future. The frustrating side of it for their fantasy owners is that both did everything right during the rehab process and felt fine when they finally took to the field, only discover that they were, in fact, not yet in the clear. Now no one has any definitive idea when they’ll be back … Phillies star OF Bryce Harper’s return from a multi-game injury also lasted only one game, but in his case it was two unrelated issues. He missed three games in concussion protocol after taking a pitch to the face, played last Sunday, but was shut down again after aggravating a sore wrist … Mets’ Jacob deGrom, the undisputed top pitcher in baseball, was scratched from his start on Tuesday with some inflammation on his right side but is hopeful to make his next start on Sunday … D-Backs OF Kole Calhoun is also back out, this time for up to two months with a nasty hamstring issue … Turns out Cubs’ Ian Happ, who had to be carted off the field after that frightening collision with teammate Nico Hoerner last weekend, didn’t emerge from it as well as he first thought. Both players are now on IL … SP Carlos Carrasco (hamstring) appeared ready to make his Mets debut this coming week, but instead was transfered to the 60-day IL and is likely now looking at early June … Giants SP Johnny Cueto will be activated to start on Sunday.

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LINEUP NOTES

The big question of how long to wait on a slow-starting player sometimes gets answered for you. In the case of 2B Keston Hiura, it was the Brewers themselves sending their prized, but struggling, youngster back to triple-A after batting .115 to begin the season. Maybe it was playing out of position at 1B that got to him. Regardless, Daniel Vogelbach has slotted into first until Hiura works his way back — not ideal but his lefty power bat works well at Miller Park … Amed Rosario has started four of the past five games at SS for the Indians ahead of Andres Gimenez. Neither ex-Met is hitting over .200 at the moment, though Rosario is closer at .196 … Centre field had become the black hole in the Phillies batting order. The four guys who had started games at CF — Odubel Herrera, Mickey Moniak, Roman Quinn and the injured Adam Haseley — were a combined 11-for-100 a week ago. Herrera has been the choice of late, starting the past three games, going 4-for-11 with a HR and four RBIs … Not satisfied with their OF depth and with top prospect Heliot Ramos not quite ready, the Giants traded with the Yankees for Mike Tauchman to replace injured Mike Yastrzemski … Reds’ Shogo Akiyama finally made his season debut on Friday, which may means that Tyler Naquin’s ABs are likely reduced. We won’t know for sure until this coming week as the Reds are in an AL park this weekend so the extra OF will be serving as the DH.

BY THE NUMBERS

Here’s a crazy early-season stat: Angels’ Mike Trout’s BABIP is an unfathomable .518. That means more than half the balls he’s put in play this season have gone for hits, and helps explain his .385 AVG. A couple of White Sox batters — Robert and rookie Yermin Mercedes — are well back on the BABIP chart at .433 and .423. respectively. The MLB average is usually a little over .300 … Another crazy stat? It’s only May and we’ve already witnessed four no-hitters in the majors. That’s the same number that was produced over a full six-month schedule in 2019 and twice as many as last year’s truncated season … Wouldn’t you know it. We mention last weekend that Rosario hadn’t stolen a base since 2019 and hours later he finally swipes one …

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WEIRD SPLIT

Chris Taylor, Dodgers
Total 2021 hits: 27
Total 2021 runs: 25

Earlier in the week, he actually had more runs (24) than hits (23), the only major-leaguer who could lay claim to that.

WAIVER WATCH

Sam Haggerty, OF Mariners * *

A week ago, we had the 26-year-old switch-hitter tabbed for the Waiver Watch, but had to put him on hold because of space limitations in our print editions. At the time, he was the M’s fourth outfielder but in just 21 ABs, had two HRs and three SBs with a respectable .250 AVG. Point was, we were saying at the time, he was out-hitting rookie Taylor Trammell and was a sneaky bet to earn more playing time. The Mariners apparently thought so too, but the news is mixed. Haggerty has started four of the past five games and eight of 10. However he’s not exactly capitalizing on this opportunity, going 3-for-24 since April 26 with no HRs or RBIs, though he has added a couple of steals. He’s probably worth being added, if only for his SB potential (he had 49 bags in high-A four years ago) but will have to get the AVG back up with the spectre of uber-prospect Jerred Kellenic’s much-anticipated MLB debut creeping closer.

Josh Rojas, 2B/OF, Diamondbacks * * *

We were truly high on this guy at the start of the year based on his strong 2019 debut, his power/speed potential, multi-position eligibility and the opportunity to establish himself as a starter at 2B. A horribly slow start (2-for-37) dropped him back into a reserve role, but when the D-Backs moved into Coors Field for a four-game series against the Rockies recently, he resurfaced in a huge way, going 7-for-16 with three HRs, six runs and five RBIs. OK, it’s Coors Field, a hitter’s paradise, you say? Well, Rojas followed that up by going 5-for-12 with nine RBIs over his next three games in Miami and New York. And with Kole Calhoun back on the IL for a while, he shouldn’t have any problem getting ABs.

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Jose Urena, SP, Tigers * * *

His W-L record is just 1-4 but the 29-year-old righty has been a model of consistency of late, going seven innings and allowing just two ERs in each of his past four starts, lowering his season ERA from 8.22 to 3.53. He had a couple of solid seasons with Miami (ERAs under 4.00 both times) before imploding in 2019 and ’20. And as he was once a well-regarded prospect, maybe it’s just taken him a little longer to get it together.

Justin Lawrence, RP, Rockies * *

Despite being ranked fifth on the Rockies bullpen depth chart, the 26-year-old righty might be a candidate to tuck away on your reserve to see if he winds up getting some save opps down the road. Since his callup in late-April, he has made just three appearances — two shutout innings, then allowing a couple of runs in a third of an inning in his most recent try on Wednesday. But of note, he’s struck out five of the 12 batters he’s faced and has flashed a 99-mph sinker. We’re not saying he’s closer material, and there are a few guys ahead of him, in the pecking order, but Daniel Bard and his 8.10 ERA are no sure thing.

HOT AND NOT: Pitchers the past two weeks

Dylan Cease CHW
0.00 ERA, 0.54 WHIP, 2 wins, 13.8 K/9
John Means BAL
1.21, 0.40, 3W, 10.9 K/9
Madison Bumgarner ARZ
1.00, 0.39, 2W, 10.0 K/9
Zack Wheeler PHI
1.88, 0.63, 2W, 8.6 K/9
Carlos Rodon CHW
0.75, 0.67, 2W, 15.0 K/9
Corey Kluber NYY
0.61, 0.75, 2W, 9.2 K/9
Jose Urquidy HOU
1.80, 0.75, 3W, 4.1 K/9
Taijuan Walker NYM
1.80, 0.75, 2W, 7.2 K/9
– – – – – – – –
Luis Castillo CIN
6.10, 1.55, 0W, 6.9 K/9
Kyle Hendricks CHC
6.75, 1.78, 1W, 7.8 K/9
Zack Greinke HOU
7.88, 1.63, 0W, 10.1 K/9
Joe Musgrove SD
6.75, 1.38, 0W, 11.2 K/9

Walker Buehler LAD
5.11, 1.05, 0W, 13.1 K/9