Mitchell-in Star
Garrett Mitchell (MIL): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 5 RBI.
After an injury-plagued 2025, Garrett Mitchell is proving that he’s ready for a legitimate breakout season in 2026.
Through seven games and 26 plate appearances, the 27-year-old former UCLA product is hitting .318 with a .991 OPS and has a home run, 11 RBI, and three stolen bases. In a split doubleheader on Saturday, Mitchell collected three hits, a home run, and six RBI between the two games. In fact, in the Brewers’ 5-2 victory over the Royals in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, Mitchell was responsible for driving in all five Milwaukee runs.
The Brewers fell short in game two, losing 8-2 in the nightcap. However, Mitchell hit a double in the third inning off Royals starter Seth Lugo that scored Brice Turang and tied the game. Unfortunately, the Brewers weren’t able to build on the momentum of Mitchell’s clutch hitting in the second game, and Milwaukee lost by six runs as a result.
Last season was a nightmare campaign for Mitchell. He played in only 25 games due to oblique issues and finished at .206 with a .580 OPS. Despite that poor and abbreviated campaign, Milwaukee put its faith in Mitchell this offseason by trading away Isaac Collins to Kansas City to ensure Mitchell’s spot in the outfield.
So far, the 2020 1st-round pick has made good on the Brewers’ confidence. Not only is he producing results, but his skills have been encouraging early on this season.
While he hasn’t technically barreled a ball yet this season, his average exit velocity on batted balls is 98.2 MPH, which ranks in the 100th percentile. His 75.9 MPH average bat speed ranks in the 93rd percentile, and his 50% hard-hit rate ranks in the 75th percentile. Furthermore, Mitchell has continued to show excellent plate discipline, as he did in 2024 when he had 226 plate appearances with the Brewers. His 20.9% chase rate ranks in the 88th percentile, and his 16.7% BB% ranks in the 86th percentile.
Thus, once the power starts to settle in a bit, Mitchell could be due for a massive 2026 season. He will have to stay healthy, of course, which, unfortunately for Mitchell, has been easier said than done.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday
Christian Walker (HOU): 3-5, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB.
After giving up 11 runs on Friday, the Astros flipped the script and won by 11 on Saturday (such is baseball at Sutter Health Park). Walked led the charge for Houston with three hits, three runs scored, two RBI, and a home run (his first of the season). All that was missing was a partridge in a pear tree. Walker is off to a scorching start, hitting .344 with a 1.042 OPS. He’s avoiding the slow start that plagued him in his first season in Houston.
Jordan Walker (STL): 3-4, HR, R, 5 RBI, SB.
Is this the year that Walker finally figures it out? So far, it seems so. The 23-year-old outfielder is hitting .296 with a .960 OPS in 30 plate appearances, and on Saturday, he had three hits and hit his second home run of the year. He also stole his first base of the season as well. He’s hitting the ball harder than ever (76.5%), hard-hit rate while chasing less as well (23.1%). Regression will undoubtedly happen, but fantasy managers have to like this new version of Walker.
Andy Pages (LAD): 3-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB.
Who’s been the best hitter in Tinseltown? It’s not Shohei Ohtani (.740 OPS), Kyle Tucker (.767 OPS), Mookie Betts (.710 OPS), or even Freddie Freeman (.810 OPS). It’s been Pages, who has a 1.349 OPS in 30 plate appearances. On Saturday, he hit his third home run of the season and improved his batting average to .500 after a three-hit game. His batting average won’t stay this high forever, and Pages will eventually cede the spotlight to the Dodgers’ stars. However, Pages being so good only makes Los Angeles an even scarier team this season.
CJ Abrams (WSN): 1-2, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB.
The Nationals lost to the Dodgers on Saturday, but Abrams continues his surging start at the plate. He hit his third home run of the season and stole his first base as well. For the year, he’s hitting .286 with a .982 OPS. The 25-year-old shortstop has shown tantalizing potential, with at least 31 stolen bases and 19 home runs over the past two seasons. However, he has also been a sub-.800 OPS hitter as well. Maybe he gets over the hump this season, with help from the new National regime.
Cody Bellinger (NYY): 1-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.
Bellinger finally hit his first home run of the 2026 season, and unsurprisingly, it was at Yankee Stadium. In his first season with the Yankees, he hit 18 home runs and produced a .909 OPS at home. Away from the Bronx? He only had 11 home runs and a .715 OPS. The Yankees would like that gap to be closer in 2026, but they will take big days at Yankee Stadium from Bellinger, as was the case on Saturday against the Marlins in their 9-7 win.
Colson Montgomery (CHW): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.
The White Sox have won two in a row against the defending Amercian League pennant winners. Baseball is weird sometimes. No player is weirder than Montgomery, who hit his second home run of the year on Saturday, but is still posting a .717 OPS. Why is that? He’s striking out 34.5% of the time, 5.3% higher than a season ago. Granted, he’s walking 10.3% of the time, 1.5% higher than a year ago. Still, he’s hitting .207 for the year, which makes him a drain in 5×5 leagues.
Vladimir Guerrero (TOR): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
It’s been a slow start for Guerrero, though the results don’t necessarily say that. He’s hitting .286 with an .822 OPS, which is not bad by any means. However, his barrel rate is down to 4.5% (12.2% last year), and his hard-hit rate is down to 36.4% (50.7% last year). The Jays and fantasy managers who roster him need him to be that reliable barrel-and-hard-hit threat who can be a 25-30 HR hitter. There’s still a lot of time, but the early results aren’t encouraging.
Carter Jensen (KCR): 2-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB.
Jensen was the butt of a lot of jokes on Thursday, with his “oversleeping” story getting the TMZ treatment (literally and figuratively). After getting benched in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader (probably lingering punishment), he played in game two and excelled with two hits and two RBI. It was a nice bounce-back game for a talented rookie who was hitting .118 before the start of Saturday evening’s game. Now, his average is up to .200, and OPS is also up to .661. The sooner Jensen can get over the rookie “nerves”, the better and more impactful he will be.
Mark Vientos (NYM): 3-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI.
With the acquisition of Bo Bichette this offseason, one had to wonder how Vientos would respond. So far, he’s stepped up for the Mets, as he is hitting .500 with a 1.369 OPS in 18 plate appearances. On Saturday, he had three hits, including a double, and scored two runs to boot. The 26-year-old third baseman’s role is still murky with Bichette on the roster. However, Vientos is showing the Mets that he deserves more at-bats, whether it’s at 1B (where he played tonight) or DH.
