This article is part of our Sorare MLB series.
Fireworks and baseball go hand in hand. What matters more, though, is figuring out what MLB players have seen their performance explode recently. On the flip side, what MLB players have imploded at the plate or on the mound? I know implosions have nothing to do with fireworks or the 4th of July, but I am not here to talk hot dogs or sparklers. No, I am here to help you land on the upgrades, holds and downgrades for your Sorare lineups.
The number in parentheses is each player's last limited card price as of July 3.
Upgrades
Jordan Westburg, BAL ($35.23): When you look at the list of the batters with the highest hard-hit percentages, you see some names you expect: Aaron Judge, Corey Seager, and guys who don't make a ton of contact but do damage when they do like Daniel Vogelbach. Up there, though, you will also find Baltimore's second baseman Westburg, with a 42.6 hard-hit percentage, the same as Kyle Schwarber. The 25-year-old has 13 homers and five triples, showing power and speed. June was littered with double-digit games on the Sorare point front. It's not all Gunnar Henderson in Baltimore.
Tanner Bibee, CLE ($19.54): Bibee had a 2.98 ERA as a rookie, so his 3.47 ERA in his sophomore season may feel a bit disappointing. However, he has a 3.32 FIP, and his K/BB rate has climbed from 3.13 to 4.95. Also, over his last nine starts he has a 2.38 ERA. In each of those outings, Bibee has tallied at least 20.0 Sorare points. With Shane Bieber out, the 25-year-old is now the ace of the Guardians rotation.
Nathaniel Lowe, TEX ($9.73): The offensive firepower that carried the Rangers to the World Series last year has not been on display in many instances. Lowe was part of that for a while, but things have been shifting. The lefty has an .841 OPS over the last three weeks, and if we drill down with even more immediacy, his OPS over the last two weeks is 1.019. Recently he's had multiple games with multiple hits, giving him three games with over 20.0 Sorare points. Lowe is not a power hitter by and large, topping out at a double most of the time, but he is up to a .352 on-base percentage this year, in line with his career .354 OBP.
Jose Caballero, TAM ($7.79): Looking at the top base stealers this season, there are a lot of names you've likely already internalized. Then, there's Tampa's utility man Caballero. He's tallied 24 stolen bases in only 71 games. When Caballero faces a righty, he's primed to swipe a bag. When he faces lefties, he has a .795 OPS in his career. There's more than one way to rack up Sorare points!
Holds
Luis Arraez, SD ($14.50): To the surprise of nobody, Arraez leads MLB in hits. He's going to finish with a batting average over .300 again, or course. Yes, Arraez doesn't have a ton of power, and hitting homers is conducive to racking up the Sorare points. There's a reason why Arraez is a hold and not an upgrade. Since 2022, he has a .343 average against righties, and even a .291 average against his fellow lefties. Slapping singles still gets your Sorare points, and when Arraez hits a double, you can pretty much lock him in for double-digit Sorare points.
Chris Bassitt, TOR ($2.41): Since the start of May, Bassitt has a 2.15 ERA in 10 outings. He has not allowed more than three runs in any start during that time. Three times in that span he has hit 30 Sorare points. Now, Bassitt does have a 3.71 FIP this season, in line with his career 3.73 FIP. He's pitching well, but Bassitt is also 35 and has a lengthy track record. Thus, I'd consider him a hold. You never know when a guy is going to have a career year, right?
Downgrades
Marcus Semien, TEX ($16.75): While Lowe has rebounded for the Rangers, Semien very much has not. He's been a disaster all season, all things considered. Semien has a .402 OPS over the last three weeks. He started June well, but since the second half of June he has only one game with double-digit Sorare points. Semien has been well below average when it comes to sprint speed, and he's only stolen three bases. This may not just be a down year for Semien. It may be the end of the line for him as an impact MLB player.
Mitch Keller, PIT ($5.92): He did it again. Keller enjoyed a nice run in May, even into the beginning of June, which overlapped with the rise of Paul Skenes. Just recently I saw somebody mention the strength of the Pirates rotation thanks to Skenes, Jared Jones, and, yes, Keller. To quote the Breaking Bad meme, he can't keep getting away with this. Keller has a career 4.51 ERA and 3.77 FIP. He's only struck out 8.36 batters per nine innings this year. Over his last four starts, the hurler has a 4.56 ERA, and in two of those starts he's allowed two home runs. He had games with 12.0 Sorare points and 9.5 Sorare points against the lowly Cardinals in that time. Keller is perfectly okay on the mound. That's all he will ever be.
Daulton Varsho, TOR ($4.50): Varsho has long been a guy who brings the counting stats, which is good from a fantasy perspective. He just doesn't do anything else. When he had 20 homers and 16 stolen bases last year, he had a .285 OBP. This season he has 11 home runs and eight swiped bags, but is also hitting below the Mendoza line. For a guy with multiple 20-homer seasons to his name, Varsho has surprisingly little power. Over a quarter of his hits have been classified as "soft." That's played into his .334 OPS over the last three weeks, a stretch littered with games in which Varsho has put up negative Sorare points.
