This article is part of our Sorare MLB series.
We're three-fourths of the way through the 2024 MLB season, and yet there is still so much baseball to be played. That may be rough for White Sox fans, but not for everybody else. Sorare players like you, for example, have plenty to be excited for. Of course, the better your Sorare lineup, the more enjoyable the rest of the MLB campaign will be. Here's a look at my Upgrades, Holds and Downgrades for your lineup halfway through August. Let's get you set up better for the home stretch.
The number in parenthesis is each player's last limited card sale price as of 8/14.
Upgrades
Corbin Carroll, ARI ($44.57): He's back! The Diamondbacks have been on a tear, and have risen to first in runs scored. Carroll, after his fantastic rookie campaign, started 2024 slowly. Like, really slowly. Initially, the prevailing thought was, "He'll be fine." Then, he kept not being fine. Well, cut to Carroll posting an 1.012 OPS over the last three weeks. Yes, he won't go 20/50 again, but did you know he already has hit 11 triples? Or that he's scored 83 runs? The last month is littered with games where Carroll racked up double-digit Sorare points. I understand if you didn't keep the faith, but now seems like a good time to be get back on board.
Josh Naylor, CLE ($15.48): In the top eight in RBI, you will find two Yankees in Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. No surprise there, right? You will also find two Guardians. One is Jose Ramirez, a longtime favorite of the fantasy-minded baseball fan, but Naylor has knocked in 88 runs in 113 games as well. Though his average has dipped this season, he's already set a new high with 26 homers, which obviously inherently drives runs in. Naylor has six games in August already with double-digit Sorare points, and Cleveland's offense is cooking. He's a little overlooked as a producer of counting stats.
Yusei Kikuchi, HOU ($2.65): How much do you believe in a change of scenery? How about a change in stakes? Kikuchi was traded from the flailing Blue Jays to an Astros team primed to win the AL West once again. The lefty has only made three starts for Houston, but over those starts he has a 2.70 ERA. He's tallied at least 28.0 Sorare points each time he's taken the mound as an Astro. Is Kikuchi feeling recharged? Have the Astros helped him tweak a thing or two? I'm curious, and I see some potential in Kikuchi's improvements sticking the rest of the way.
JJ Bleday, OAK ($2.29): Recently, Bleday picked up 26.0 Sorare points against the Blue Jays in a game where he had three hits, including a home run. This was his 14th homer of the season. That's not remarkable. What is remarkable, though, is that the Oakland outfielder has tallied 33 doubles. Bleday is able to use all the space at Oakland's ballpark to leg out those doubles, and he's slugged .493 at home. I understand if you haven't been paying attention to the Athletics, but pay attention to Bleday.
Holds
Hunter Greene, CIN ($12.39): The Tigers, the team I root for, don't have much to play for collectively, but Tarik Skubal is on the path to winning the Cy Young in the American League. Greene's situation with the Reds is the National League version of that. Did you realize Greene is in the thick of the Cy Young race? He has a 2.83 ERA and 10.17 K/9 rate. Greene has been on absolute fire as he tries to build an unimpeachable resume. He has an 0.98 ERA over his last seven outings, with five of those start notching over 30.0 Sorare points.
Jo Adell, LAA ($2.80): The Angels have no reason not to let Adell play consistently down the stretch. Once viewed as a top prospect, Adell has sort of paid off the hype in his age-25 season. He has 18 homers and 14 stolen bases, and recently he had back-to-back games with 16.0 Sorare points. The good games are there! They also almost exclusively come against lefties. Adell has a .937 OPS versus southpaws. In those matchups, he's a high-level hitter. Against his fellow righties, Adell has a .597 OPS. That's almost unplayable, though it won't stop him from playing for the Angels. That's why, in spite of the strides, he's a Hold.
Downgrades
Brice Turang, MIL ($6.58): Turang has stolen 34 bases in 115 games, which is exciting. He's batted .254, which is workable for a second baseman in modern MLB. There are a lot of games with negative Sorare points in the mix, though. He has a .387 OPS over the last three weeks. Turang doesn't have any real power. His hit tool is questionable. The second baseman has 10 barrels all season long. When he's not getting to first base so that he can steal second, Turang struggles to deliver Sorare points. Clearly, that's been happening recently.
Jonathan India, CIN ($6.35): Greene might win the NL Cy Young, and Elly De La Cruz might steal 80 bases. There are some fun things happening in Cincy. India, once the NL Rookie of the Year, was enjoying a rebound campaign, which was fun for a while. It also seems to have been fleeting. He has a .392 OPS over the last three weeks. He has a .353 OBP on the season, but he's picked up 58 walks. That's good for the Reds, but not exciting for Sorare players. India has six games with negative Sorare points since the start of August. What's also concerning is that India has consistently struggled on the road, and this year is no different. He has a .651 OPS in away games in 2024.
Garrett Crochet, CWS ($4.90): Crochet was a bright spot, maybe the only bright spot, for the White Sox. Then things got a little weird, including the, "I think I'll just shut myself down if I don't get a new deal" kerfuffle just before the trade deadline. Teams worried about the reliever-turned-starter didn't deliver when the White Sox wanted for a potential trade. Maybe that was wise. Crochet hasn't gone more than 4.0 innings since the start of July. He has an 8.78 ERA over his last four starts. In his last outing, he tallied negative Sorare points, which is really hard to do as a starting pitcher. Maybe it's time for Crochet to shut it down for the season.
