We’re one week into the 2025 MLB Season, and it’s been a fun start! We’ve seen the introduction of torpedo bats, 20 runs in one game, and the showcase of international stars. We’re not going to be focusing on the fun things of the game, but the not-so-fun stuff. We’re looking at players who have started the season slowly and are just hoping for things to get better. We’ll be breaking down players in fantasy baseball that you need to worry about and the players that should get out of their slumps. The players featured are all rostered in over 90% of leagues.
Slow Starts Not to Worry About:
Yordan Alvarez – OF, Houston Astros
The highest-ranked player on this list was taken in most drafts within the first 2 rounds. Yordan Alvarez currently only has 3 hits and 4 RBIs on the year. For someone drafted so high, this has been a major letdown, and probably why your season is not off to a great start. While the players drafted around him are performing at their star level, Yordan is off to the slowest start of his career. With still a lot of season left, we’re confident that Air Jordan can get back to his All-Star form.
Cal Raleigh – C, Seattle Mariners
Drafted as a top 5 catcher in fantasy, Cal Raleigh is certainly not playing like it. He’s only had 3 hits on the season, but one of them was a dinger. His first of the season, and someone we expect to cross the 30+ mark by the end of the year. Raleigh is a power hitter through and through. His career batting average is .217, but you don’t draft him for that category. You draft him for his home runs and RBIs. We’re not worried about his low slash rate and still see him finishing as a top 5 catcher on the year. If you don’t own Raleigh and the fantasy manager who does own him is worried, we strongly encourage making a move for him now.
Atlanta Braves Players: Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Michael Harris II
The Atlanta Braves are currently 0-7 and appear to have forgotten how to play the game of baseball. The Braves have only managed 14 total runs through those 6 games, with 2 of those games being shutouts. The team has an embarrassingly low combined batting average of .151. There are 5 active players on the Braves who are rostered in over 90% of leagues, who have all contributed to their poor showing. Those players are Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, & Michael Harris II.
Last year, these 5 had a combined batting average of .266, hit 113 home runs, and had 359 RBIs. Averaging that out between the 5 of them would net you over 20 home runs and 70 RBIs per player, very respectable numbers. It’s valid to question if they can bounce back from the start this year. We are big believers in that they can and should. Their matchups so far have been on the West Coast against a good Padres team and a stacked Dodgers squad. Once they return home, their schedule is a lot more manageable. We wouldn’t make any moves if any of these players on your team, except sitting tight or trying to buy them low from another manager.
Xavier Edwards – 2B / SS, Miami Marlins
After posting a .325 batting average and .820 OPS in his 2nd year, Xavier Edwards earned himself a full-time starting spot on the Marlins roster entering 2025. This year, he’s not posting numbers that seem like he was the starter, though. He’s bounced back to a .286 batting average and .701 OPS after a shaky start. If he reverts to poor numbers, we’ll switch him over to the other side. For now, just keep Edwards on your bench. If you expect you’re going to lose in batting average, put Edwards in your lineup as he has high stolen base potential after posting 31 last season. This makes him a nice flex option despite the slow start from the 3rd year dual dual-threat.
Slow Starts You Need To Worry About:
Boston Red Sox Players: Alex Bregman, Rafael Devers, Tristan Casas
Similar to the Atlanta Braves, the Boston Red Sox have been a big letdown thus far. The Red Sox do, however, have one win under their belt, but the offense just isn’t there. 3 players rostered in over 90% of leagues are just swinging & missing. These 3 players are Alex Bregman, Rafael Devers, and Triston Casas. One who has been especially awful is Rafael Devers, who has set a new record for most strikeouts to start a season, 15 through just 5 games. This is not what we’re accustomed to seeing with the career .278 hitter. This is the worst we’ve ever seen Devers play, and it’s a catastrophic drop-off for the 3x all-star.
His teammates Bregman and Casas have at least done a little better, but aren’t great with respective batting averages of .290 and .154. Bregman and Casas are coming off disappointing 2024 campaigns, and it looks like 2025 will be another year trending downward. We don’t like any of the 3 in the long term and want to move them off our team immediately. For Devers, it’s going to be hard to move him without any production, so once he gets some kind of resurrection going, move him ASAP.
Mike Trout – OF, Los Angeles Angels
One of the greatest players in the modern era, Mike Trout is a shadow of what he once was. Trout has only played in 100 games once over the last 5 seasons. In that same period, his batting average has been on a downward trend since 2021. In 2021, he had a .333 line, and last season finished at .220, which was tied for the worst of his career. Right now, he’s only hitting .143 on the year.
Even if Trout stays healthy for the year, his gradual decline in performance seems to persist. We’re not confident that he’ll be able to recover, and his glory days are behind him. Trout’s name alone still carries a lot of weight, and if you can find someone to take the bait on a trade, try to move him for an outfielder like Steven Kwan, Randy Arozarena, or Tommy Edman, who should all finish the season with better stats.
Willson Contreras – C/1B, St. Louis Cardinals
For the first time in his career, Willson Contreras is not primarily playing catcher as he was moved to 1st Base. A position move like this is often a sign that a player’s skills are regressing. Contreras is in his age-33 season. We’re not even a full week into the season, and it’s apparent his age is showing. He’s not swinging as hard as he used to, and he’s already been given a day of rest. He has also only tallied a single hit in 23 at-bats.
With his position still slotted as a catcher in fantasy formats, this puts Contreras in an interesting position. Compared to other 1st basemen, Contreras is at the bottom of the league. However, compared to catchers where he’s put, he still holds some value as this is one of the weaker positions in fantasy. We don’t see Contreras improving much this year and are worried his production will decline even further. But with the lack of options at catcher, if you have him, you might be able to get a decent haul in return for the Cardinals veteran. We recommend trying to move him to a position or a utility player.
