Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Greg Pyron
Peña, Rodón, Ramos, Quantrill, Hicks
Peña succeeds through injuries … It's been an injury-riddled season for Jeremy Peña (SS, HOU) with IL stints in April (hamstring) and June (calf), but the on-field production has been there with a .284 BA, 17 HR, and 9 SB through 380 PA. Have the skills taken a hit at all?
Acuña Jr., Tr. Megill, Muncy, Yelich, Mize
Acuña Jr. battles injuries yet again … Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, ATL) has had two separate stints on the IL in 2026 totalling about nine weeks (left hamstring strain). He really seemed to be getting into a groove in May (.286 BA, 5 HR, 6 SB, 23% bb%, 73% ct%, 189 xPX) before a recurrence of the hamstring strain forced him to the IL from June 10 until July 27, but his production has been lacking since. What’s going on here?
S. Stewart, C. Burns, A. Riley, M. Montgomery, G. Moreno.
Stewart drives in runs ... With 102 RBI, Sal Stewart (1B, CIN) has been a boon for fantasy rosters. With a $30 R$, he has provided plenty of profit. How is he doing it? Year PA HR SB BA/xBA bb% ct% G/L/F h% HctX PX/xPX Spd SBO% 2025 58 5 0 .255/.274 5% 72% 37/20/42 25% 134 164/175 120 0% 2026 586 29 12 .263/.266 10% 75% 44/18/37 29% 119 131/123 76 11% He has good power with an increasing SBO%: Stewart totes an above-average xPX in his first full MLB season.
Abrams, Harrison, Machado, King, Bleday
Can Abrams avoid 2nd half swoon? … CJ Abrams (SS, WSH) is putting up the best numbers of his career, mashing 29 HR while adding 24 SB, alongside a strong .279 average. His “dog-days” struggles have sabotaged his season totals in the past; how do things look this time around?
Olson, Iglesias, Moniak, B. Marsh, Leahy
Olson ramps up power … Since bashing a career-high 52 HR in 2023, Matt Olson (1B, ATL) hit exactly 29 HR per season in 2024 and 2025. He has 36 HR thus far in 2026 and his second 40+ HR season seems a virtual lock. How are the underlying skills?
Merrill, Chandler, O. Lopez, J. Webb, Rengifo
Merrill warms up ... When Greg Pyron checked in on Jackson Merrill (OF, SD) in May, he noted that “adjustments were needed.” During the second half, Merrill's adjustments have increased his 2026 value, as he is hitting .308 with 11 HR and 7 SB in the second half. Have his skills improved?
Fried, Bieber, Wells, Wilson, Collins
Fried dials in … Max Fried (LHP, NYY) missed more than two months due to a left elbow bruise, but has looked good since returning, with a 1.82 ERA across five starts. Let's see how his skills are looking on the season.
Spotlight: Jacob Misiorowski
Jacob Misiorowski (RHP, MIL) has flashed impressive upside before in his relatively short MLB sample, but his stats fell off a cliff last season. He's managed to avoid that fate up to this point, not only maintaining consistent production but also ascending to one of the most impressive pitchers—his tidy 1.76 ERA and 204 K over 133 IP currently lead all of MLB. How does this hold up under a closer look?
Baldwin, Roupp, Castro, Mahle, Gonzales
Baldwin is an elite catcher … Drake Baldwin (C, ATL) has followed his 2025 National League Rookie of the Year performance with a .273 batting average and 20 HR through 419 PA. How are things under the hood?
Goodman, J. Jones, Turang, Cavalli, Winn
Goodman adds barrels ... Building on his 31 HR from 2025, Hunter Goodman (C, COL) has set a new career-high HR total in 2026. What's going on with his skills?
Perez, Montgomery, Giménez, Jansen, Ober
Perez heating up again … Salvador Perez (C, KC) got off to an extremely slow start this season, as he recorded an abysmal .201/.241/.327 slash line through July 1st. But he has since turned things around, hitting .260/.325/.519 with 6 HR across his last 117 PA.
J. Rodriguez, Schlittler, Raleigh, Ra. Suarez, Altuve
Rodríguez slightly off pace… After 30/30 seasons in 2023 and 2025, Julio Rodríguez (OF, SEA) has fallen off the power/speed pace a bit this year with 16 HR and 14 SB through 446 PA. His .255 BA would be a career low as well. What's going on?
Chourio, E. Pérez, H. Hernandez, F. Griffin, Arenado
Chourio gets a late start … Jackson Chourio (OF, MIL) didn’t make his 2026 debut until May 4 due to a left hand fracture suffered in early March, but he currently owns a .276 batting average with 13 HR and 10 SB in 350 PA. How are things under the hood?
Spotlight: Miguel Vargas
In almost a full season in 2025, Miguel Vargas (1B/3B, CHW) finished with a $3 R$. Adding HR and SB to his 2026 stat line has provided a $26 R$. How much is real?
Langford, Alonso, Bibee, Yr. Diaz, Montero
Langford is showing signs of growth … Wyatt Langford (OF, TEX) has missed significant time this season, a combined 55 IL days between forearm flexor strain and hamstring injuries. However, he's on pace to nearly match his power totals from last season in far fewer appearances, while showing impressive gains in batting average as well. What do we make of this?
Skenes, Suzuki, O'Brien, France, Marsee
Skenes sees ERA rise … Paul Skenes (RHP, PIT) entered 2026 having posted a sub-2.00 ERA in each of his first two seasons (1.96 and 1.97, respectively), so it’s a bit jarring to see him with a 3.65 ERA through 121 IP. What is going on here?
Luzardo, Devers, Stott, Sasaki, Baty
Luzardo sharpens skills ... An unlucky April brought a 4.76 ERA for Jesús Luzardo (LHP, PHI). Since May, the lefty has 111 strikeouts with a 2.45 ERA in 88 IP. What's behind the strong run?
Cole, Kremer, Lewis, Caballero, Pederson
Cole still going strong … Gerrit Cole (RHP, NYY) got a late start to the season, as he was still recovering from March 2025 Tommy John surgery. In 11 starts since his return, he has posted a 3.92 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning. How do his skills compare to years' past?
Neto, Gilbert, W. Abreu, Tr. Rogers, Burger
A step back for Neto? … With a Top-30 ADP on the heels of a 2025 breakout season, expectations were high for Zach Neto (SS, LAA). He's delivered thus far in the power department, but both his BA and SB pace are down from last year. Any cause for concern?
Sale, Freeman, Happ, Weaver, Mitchell
Sales excels … Injuries limited Chris Sale (LHP, ATL) to 125 IP in 2025, but he was highly effective when on the mound, sporting a 2.58 ERA. Through 105 IP in 2026, his 2.06 ERA ranks third among qualified MLB pitchers. How are the skills holding up?
Crow-Armstrong, Fairbanks, Arraez, E. Rodriguez, Lile
Crow-Armstrong turned up the heat in June ... In June, Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF, CHC) hit 11 HR and stole eight bases. With the surge, he has a $41 R$. How are his 2026 skills after his 2025 breakout?
Spotlight: Jac Caglianone
For a while there, it was looking bad. Really bad. Jac Caglianone (OF, KC) arrived with plenty of hype (and a lofty 9D prospect rating) in June 2025, but hit just .157 with 7 HR in 232 PA in his rookie season. Caglianone's sophomore encore got off to a similarly rough start, but he's righted the ship with a .260 BA and 15 HR through 349 PA.
Turner, L. Webb, Stowers, Elder, Crews
Turner has been a BA drag … Entering 2026, Trea Turner (SS, PHI) had never finished a season with a batting average lower than .267 and owned a lifetime .297 batting average in 5,606 PA. What’s going on here?
Carroll, F. Peralta, Reynolds, G. Soto, E. Suárez
Carroll sees SB0 decline ... The stolen base pace has slowed down for Corbin Carroll (OF, ARI) in 2026. How are his skills behind the slower SB?
Cease, Burke, Carpenter, Durbin, C. Young
Cease dominating … Dylan Cease (RHP, TOR) has excelled in his first season with the Blue Jays, chopping nearly two runs off his 2025 ERA. How much have his skills improved, and is his current level sustainable?
Caminero, Rasmussen, Keaschall, Rocker, Grisham
Caminero finds a new gear… Junior Caminero (3B, TAM) became the second hitter to ever reach 45 HR in an age-21 or younger season last year, vaulting himself into this season's first round. He's taken things up a notch with a similar power pace and a .284 batting average. How good can this get?
Tucker, B. Ashcraft, García Jr., Lodolo, McCarthy
Tucker has been a huge disappointment … Kyle Tucker (OF, LA) was off to a terrific start in 2025 before suffering a hairline fracture of his right index finger in early June that appeared to sap his power in the second half. Now he has just 7 HR through 353 PA in 2026. How are things under the hood?
Kurtz, Simpson, Rafaela, Miller, Gausman
Kurtz keeps mashing … Nick Kurtz (1B, ATH) had a monster debut season in 2025 and is putting together a strong encore in season number two. Let's see how the skills are holding up.
Ohtani-P, Wheeler, Busch, Tovar, Dubón
Ohtani is thriving … After logging just 47 IP in his 2025 return to the pitching mound, Shohei Ohtani-P (RHP, LA) boasts a shiny 1.87 ERA in 2026. How are the skills?
Yamamoto, Burleson, May, J. Lee, Jc. Young
Yamamoto continues to thrive … Yoshinobu Yamamoto (RHP, LA) has followed an outstanding 2025 campaign by posting a 2.65 ERA and 0.87 WHIP through 91 IP thus far in 2026. How are things under the hood?
Spotlight: Jordan Walker
Jordan Walker (OF, STL) entered 2026 facing somewhat of a make or break year in a Cardinals uniform, despite his age (24) and huge power tool, as his lack of ability to make consistent contact or maximize the effectiveness of that contact, along with subpar defense in RF, had made him a replacement level player in his first three MLB seasons. In 2026, Walker has made a massive leap, living up to his massive power potential while improving by leaps and bounds as an overall hitter.
S. Gray, Rice, Clemens, Massey, Latz
Gray's strikeout totals on the upswing? … Sonny Gray (RHP, BOS) has delivered steady results at a quick glance (3.03 ERA, 1.20 WHIP), although his season strikeout metrics (19 K%, 10.1 SwK%) would represent his lowest marks since 2016 and 2022, respectively. Any chance this gets better in the second half?
Bregman, Wm. Contreras, Soroka, O'Hearn, Pallante
Bregman has struggled … The Cubs inked Alex Bregman (3B, CHC) to a five-year, $170 million contract following an injury-marred 2025 campaign. Things have not gone to plan thus far. How are things under the hood?
Ja. Duran, Detmers, Aranda, Arrighetti, Meidroth
Duran providing power/speed, but at a cost… Jarren Duran (OF, BOS) is one of just 11 hitters to post double-digit HR and SB this season, but it's come at a cost (.208 BA through 263 PA). Should we expect that to continue?
J. Wood, Misiorowski, Horwitz, Rea, Frelick
Wood reaches another level ... With a $33 R$, James Wood (OF, WAS) has built on his $20 R$ from 2025. How is he doing it?
Greene, Crawford, McNeil, Kirby, Springs
Greene delivering value in a different way … Riley Greene (OF, DET) blasted 36 homers in 2025 but has just six thus far in 2026. Meanwhile, he has bumped his BA up to .315, easily a career-best mark. What has changed, and is it likely to continue?
Spotlight: José Soriano
José Soriano (RHP, LAA) finished the 2025 season with a 4.26 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 169 IP. However, there were positive signs in the underlying metrics, enough to lead to an “UP: 3.25 ERA” in the 2026 Baseball Forecaster. Still, there were many skeptics, as highlighted by Soriano’s 325 ADP entering 2026. It's been a terrific start for Soriano as he exited May with a 2.65 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 71 IP. How are things under the hood?
E. Duran, Kwan, McClanahan, Pasquantino, C. Smith
Duran has been impressive … Ezequiel Duran (SS, TEX) has parlayed a .299 average into a role as a middle-order bat in the Rangers' lineup, providing helpful power and speed in the process. His current pace puts him on track for a 15 HR-15 SB season; is this a reasonable expectation?
Abrams, Meyer, Swanson, M. Kelly, Sheets
Abrams adding HR, walks ... Increasing his power pace with a higher BA has contributed to CJ Abrams (SS, WAS) posting a $36 R$. How are his skills behind the results?
Hancock, Martin, Varsho, Paredes, Lee
Hancock rolling along … Emerson Hancock (RHP, SEA) has gotten off to a fast start which has solidified his spot in the starting rotation. Is this breakout legit and sustainable?
Merrill, M. King, Steer, Gallen, Bauers
Merrill off to a disappointing start … Jackson Merrill (OF, SD) was hindered by three IL stints in 2025 (hamstring, concussion, ankle), so it was reasonable to expect a rebound in 2026. What’s behind his early season woes?
Spotlight: Elly De La Cruz
Welcome back to our F/F Spotlight series for 2026, where we will take a bi-weekly deep dive through mid-August on players whose stats and skills have shown a transformation this season.
Buxton, G. Williams, Ward, Weathers, Bell
Buxton's encore going (mostly) well… With 2025's career year in the rearview, it's time to check how Byron Buxton's (OF, MIN) encore is going. He's hitting for power with an identical .264 BA, but only has four steals thus far. What do the skills tell us?
Bichette, Perdomo, Alcantara, Schmitt, McGreevy
Bichette has been a disappointment … Bo Bichette (3B/SS, NYM) inked a three-year, $126 million contract with the Mets after batting .311 with 18 HR in 2025. He has a measly .210 batting average and 2 HR in 202 PA thus far in his first season with the Mets. What’s going on here?
Woo, Civale, Seager, Dingler, Vargas
Can Woo still live up to the hype? … Coming off a breakout 2025 campaign, Bryan Woo (RHP, SEA) was one of the top pitchers off the board in 2026 drafts. His ERA is up nearly a full run through nine starts, but is there any reason to be worried?
J.Ramirez, N.Martinez, Raley, Lambert, Jeffers
Could Ramirez swipe 50+ bags? … José Ramírez (3B, CLE) is running like a man possessed, having swiped 16 bags in 18 attempts over the first 6+ weeks of the season. He's also got a .215 average, and his .724 OPS would be his first sub-.800 mark since 2016 if it holds. What do we make of this start?
Devers, G. Holmes, Happ, E. Cabrera, B. Marsh
Devers finds fewer barrels ... After slugging 35 HR in 2025, Rafael Devers (1B, SF) has hit four HR in 2026. Will he finish with a lower HR total in 2026?
Guerrero Jr., Soler, Rocchio, Gore, Cantillo
Guerrero still looking for power stroke …Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B, TOR) is sporting the highest BA of his career early on, but has gone deep just two times. Let's take a look at what is going on with the slugger.
G. Henderson, Castillo, A. Martínez, Baker, Flaherty
Is Henderson a strong bet for a 30/30 season? … Gunnar Henderson (SS, BAL) has racked up great counting stats (9 HR, 5 SB) thus far for investors, albeit saddled with a poor .209 average. How does his start look under the hood?
Tatis Jr., Luzardo, O. Lopez, Vásquez, L. Hicks
Tatis Jr. suffering a power outage … After hitting 20 or more HR in each of his MLB seasons aside from the COVID shortened 2020 season, it’s quite surprising to see Fernando Tatis Jr. (OF, SD) enter May without a HR. What is going on?
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Greg
Contact Greg, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack