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Articles by Stephen Nickrand
Early 2027 targets
Our last Buyers Guide column of the regular season will point you towards early 2027 batting targets. Here are nearly 30 MLB bats that have a good shot at providing profit in 2027. AMERICAN LEAGUE Blaze Alexander (3B/2B/SS/OF, BAL) delivered doses of value while healthy in 2026 (.303 BA, 4 HR, 31 RBI, 10 SB in 261 AB). He'll be targeted in 2027 drafts because he qualifies at multiple positions, but his bat is also attractive.
Early 2027 targets
Our last SP Buyers Guide column of the regular season will point you towards early 2027 targets. Here are a bunch of starting pitchers that have a good shot at providing profit in 2027, along with some quick hits on SP prospects from the upper minors who could provide good MLB value at some point in 2027.
BPV leaders, August 2026
Let's continue our monthly look back at the batters who posted the best stats and skills during the prior month.
BPV leaders, August 2026
Let's continue our 2026 monthly look back at the starting pitchers who posted the best skills in the prior month.
Lefty-righty splits, 2026 updated
Let's continue our one-split-away theme by revisiting the lefty-righty production splits from batters with the goal of helping you set your lineup and identify potential future surgers (min 50 PA vs. RH/LH).
Lefty-righty splits, 2026 updated
Let's begin our one-split-away theme by taking a look at lefty-righty skill splits of starting pitchers. This analysis can help you find hidden skills before they blossom, which can be especially helpful when looking at young SP. It can also help you set your rotations based on the lineups your pitchers are facing. These starting pitchers have shown the widest skill splits when facing RH and LH bats (min 30 IP vs.
Lineups Outlook: Bolte-ing to the top of the A's Lineup
As the season shrinks, lineups are stabilizing, but injuries or prospects can force fantasy managers into some difficult decisions. Targeting a hyped call-up can help, but depending on their spot in the lineup, the impact may be negligible. This week's column identifies two players moving up in the lineup and two not being used in ideal spots. Henry Bolte (ATH) Has hit leadoff in four of his last five starts for the A's.
Home-road splits, 2026 updated
Identifying the home/road splits of batters can help you maximize your lineups. In addition, they can help you find hidden production that could blossom in the future.
BPV home/road, 2026 updated
Let's revisit our one-split-away theme by looking at the home/road splits of starting pitchers.
Stretch-run targets, 2026
Let's take an early second-half look at the batters whose stats and skills have surged the most since the calendar turned to July (min 50 PA). These bats have produced at a much higher clip since July 1: 1H 2H 2H vs.
Stretch-run targets, 2026
Starting pitchers with improving skills in the second half can make for excellent stretch-run targets.
Lineups Outlook: Butler's recent rise; post-deadline thoughts
Following the trade deadline, lineups should begin re-stabilizing, though teams will audition players in different roles for 2027. With this in mind, today's Lineups Outlook features some hitters moving up in the lineup who could provide value for fantasy managers not already focused on their fantasy football drafts. Lawrence Butler (OF, ATH) Butler has hit leadoff in his last two starts and has hit 1st in past seasons.
BPV leaders, July 2026
Let's continue our monthly look back at the batters who posted the best skills during the prior month. Let's start with some surface stats.
BPV leaders, July 2026
Let's continue our 2026 monthly look back at the starting pitchers who posted the best skills in the prior month.
June-July surgers, 2026
With four months of data at our disposal, let's divide the sample size in half and identify the batters whose skills have surged the most over the last two months.
June-July surgers, 2026
With nearly four months of data at our disposal, let's divide the sample size in half and identify the starting pitchers whose skills have surged the most over the last two months.
Swings and Takes: Vargas, Young, Albies, Edwards
We are back with another Swings and Takes, with the column being on a semi-hiatus so far in 2026 due to responsibilities shifting across the site. With that in mind, we wanted to cover a few extra hitters this time around with a notes section, giving a short breakdown of hitters that almost made it to full length breakdowns this time around. This week, we are looking at two 26-year-old hitters.
Lineups Outlook: Categorical targets and changes in Colorado soon?
After a brief hiatus due to the All-Star Break, the Lineups Outlook is back with some interesting players in the present and some stash candidates ahead of the trade deadline. As the season progresses, lineups stabilize, making a column like this challenging. However, the focus will be on potential category improvements and anticipation of how the lineup may evolve in Colorado. Changes may be on the horizon; embracing them helps fly those championship flags at the end of the season.
Deep league targets, 2026
As we did with starting pitchers this week, let's help you target where to spend your speculative dollars on hitters if you play in a very competitive or deep league. Here are a bunch of bats in each league that could be worth pursuing if you need to gamble on hitting help for the second half, including some intriguing performers at Triple-A. AMERICAN LEAGUE Dylan Beavers(RF/DH, BAL) finally has recovered from an oblique strain and should get steady playing time in the Orioles lineup.
Deep league targets, 2026
If you play in a deep league, it can be really hard to find good starting pitching during the season. Doing so often requires speculation on small sample sizes, or even identifying talented arms in the minor leagues that could get a rotation shot later in the season. Here, let's take an early look at a bunch of overlooked guys who could provide an MLB impact in the second half, along with some SP targets from the minors who are worthy of stashing if you have a bench.
Leaders, July 2025 to June 2026
Let's wrap up our look back at the top performers over the last 12 months by moving on to hitters.
BPV leaders, July 2025 to June 2026
As we pass the midpoint of the season, our expectations of a player's performance can be overshadowed by recent events, since we tend to aggregate stats in yearly increments. A helpful exercise at this juncture can be to look back over the last 12 months (second half of 2025 + first half of 2026) and analyze the combined skills posted by players over those two periods.
BPV leaders, June 2026
Let's continue our monthly look back at the batters who posted the best stats and skills during the prior month.
BPV leaders, June 2026
Let's continue our 2026 monthly look back at the starting pitchers who posted the best skills in the prior month.
Lineups Outlook: Antonacci and Vargas spark the White Sox
Building on the theme from the last post in this series, two White Sox hitters are featured, forming a potentially strong one-two punch atop the lineup as Chicago eyes competing for the divisional title as soon as this season. We'll also explore a Hall of Fame pitcher's son amid a potential power breakout, and a rookie on the precipice of hitting cleanup for the Pirates. Chicago White Sox Sam Antonacci has hit leadoff in 39-of-66 games this season, and in 16 of his last 20 since June 6.
Young targets, 2026
Let's continue our mid-season look at the most skilled young players in the game by moving on to hitters.
Time-through-lineup splits, 2026
Let's wrap up our mid-season one-split-away theme by looking at the stats and skills posted by starting pitchers as they go through lineups during a game.
None-on/runners-on splits, 2026
One approach to identify potential surgers is to split their skills and analyze the extremes to determine if the player could be a tweak away from finishing strong. As we did with starting pitchers last week, looking at stats and skills with the bases empty compared to with runners on base is one way to do this.
BPV none on/runners on, 2026
Nearly 15 years ago, our research showed that there are significant skill differences among pitchers when throwing with the bases empty compared to with runners on base. This trend continues to hold true. Pitchers keep producing above-average skills with the bases empty, while their skills when pitching with runners on base have been subpar.
Eldridge is hitting second, and more hitters of interest
Although my favorite song from the Rolling Stones' "Tattoo You” album is "Waiting on a Friend,” today's theme goes better with "Start Me Up.” Maybe not in the way Mick Jagger intended, but a common theme for this column is identifying hitters who have moved into first or second in the batting order. This tweet caught my attention: https://x.com/CodifyBaseball/status/2063278152093434246?s=20 Although this was shared on June 6, it's still accurate through games played on June 17.
Home-road splits, 2026
Identifying batters' home/road splits can help you maximize your lineups. In addition, they can help you find hidden production that could blossom in the future.
BPV home/road, 2026
Let's continue our one-split-away theme by looking at the home/road splits of starting pitchers. When deciding which SP to activate on a daily basis, a general rule is to target SP pitching at home, as home pitchers post much better stats and skills than their road counterparts.
Lefty-righty splits, 2026
Let's continue our one-split-away theme by taking a look at the lefty-righty production splits from batters to help you set your lineup and identify potential future surgers (min 30 PA vs. RH/LH).
BPV vs. LH/RH, 2026
Let's begin our one-split-away theme by taking a look at the lefty-righty skill splits of starting pitchers. This analysis can help you find hidden skills before they blossom, which can be especially helpful to identify hidden growth in young starting pitchers. It can also help you set your rotations based on the lineups your pitchers are facing. These starting pitchers have shown the widest skill splits when facing RH and LH bats (min 20 IP vs.
Lineups Outlook: Joc's on top in Texas
It's been a chaotic season, and it's only June. Although my specialty remains closers, and the volatility at that position daily has been nothing short of exhausting, the turnover at the top of the batting order has also been a revolving door. Almost every two weeks, there are new leadoff hitters across the fantasy landscape.
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?
BPV leaders, May 2026
Let's continue our monthly look back at the batters who posted the best skills during the prior month.
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?
BPV leaders, May 2026
Let's continue our 2026 monthly look back at the starting pitchers who posted the best skills in the prior month.
Stott and Hicks pull forward
This week we are taking a trip into the NL East (albeit packing for two very different climates), as we examine two interesting hitters from the Phillies and Marlins so far this season. Both of these guys are left-handed hitters who excel at making contact but lack big thump, and we are looking at how they have adjusted and changed their profiles so far in 2026. Stats as of the start of play May 27, 2026.
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?
Harris II, E. Pérez, Laureano, Roupp, Arenado
Harris II ramps up power ... To start the 2026 season, Michael Harris II (OF, ATL) has increased his HR pace. How are his skills faring with the fast start?
Surgers, 2026 vs. 2025
With nearly two months of data for us to analyze, let's take a look at the batters whose contact and batted ball skills have increased the most from last season.
Ryan, Mize, Arozarena, Torkelson, Gelof
Ryan getting it done again … Joe Ryan (RHP, MIN) has established himself as a very dependable starter, with an ERA of 3.60 or lower in three of the past four seasons. He is sitting on a career-best 3.05 mark through 11 starts in 2026. Has the 29-year-old taken another step forward?
BPV surgers, 2026
With nearly two months of data for us to analyze, let's take a look at the starting pitchers whose overall skills as measured by BPV have increased the most from 2025 to 2026.
Lineups Outlook: Jake the Rake is hitting leadoff again for Colorado
This week’s post focuses on three hitters’ ideal spots in their respective lineups, plus some wishcasting for two rookies to get improved spots in the batting order. BaseballHQ cannot guarantee they will happen, yet it’s worth exploring. Potential Gainers in Value Jake McCarthy (OF, COL) It’s a little bit ironic, don’t you think, because he began the season as the Rockies’ leadoff hitter and hit .111 across his first 19 plate appearances.
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.
Early buy-low targets, 2026
Hitters that have hurt you with bad early stats can be easy to view as guys to avoid or good sell-low targets. After all, we want to accumulate as few bad or empty stats as possible while the season is still young. But doing so locks in those losses and prevents you from enjoying the ride back up.
Early buy low targets, 2026
Surface stats like ERA can be misleading, especially at this time of the year, as they can mask strong underlying skills that are likely to result in ERA improvement in the future.
Early deep league targets, 2026
As we did with starting pitchers last week, let's help you target where to spend your speculative dollars on hitters if you play in a very competitive or deep league. Here are a bunch of under-the-radar bats in each league that could be worth pursuing if you are searching for speculative targets. AMERICAN LEAGUE Roman Anthony (LF/DH, BOS) was drafted as a cornerstone outfielder (54 ADP) but has fallen way short of that so far: .229 BA, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB, .675 OPS in 130 PA.
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