The goal with Lineup Lowdown is simple: we're looking for trends which could help identify players that might be undervalued or overvalued. Who is playing more/less? Who is moving up/down? This week, we will be focusing on players from the National League.
Trending Up
Oneil Cruz, OF, 
Pittsburgh Pirates
The biggest development for the Pirates this season might be Cruz's improvement against left-handed pitching. The lefty-swinging Cruz entered this season with a woeful .172/.247/.313 batting line and 38.4 percent strikeout rate versus southpaws. He was absent from the Pirates' lineup the final 12 times the club faced a lefty last season.
Over the offseason, Cruz hired a left-handed throwing batting practice pitcher in hopes of solving his issues with lefties. It seems to have done the trick, as Cruz is slashing an absurd .379/.419/.759 with three long balls versus left-handers in the early going. He has still struck out at a 35.5 percent clip, though that's not far off from the 30.6 percent strikeout rate he has against righties.
Cruz did not start the Pirates' first game against a lefty this season back on March 28, but he's been in the lineup all five times versus traditional left-handed starters since then (and once against a lefty opener). After batting eighth in his first start against a southpaw, Cruz has hit sixth once, fifth twice and third once versus lefties. Fantasy managers that drafted Cruz likely weren't counting on him playing much against lefty hurlers, so the fact that he's
The goal with Lineup Lowdown is simple: we're looking for trends which could help identify players that might be undervalued or overvalued. Who is playing more/less? Who is moving up/down? This week, we will be focusing on players from the National League.
Trending Up
Oneil Cruz, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
The biggest development for the Pirates this season might be Cruz's improvement against left-handed pitching. The lefty-swinging Cruz entered this season with a woeful .172/.247/.313 batting line and 38.4 percent strikeout rate versus southpaws. He was absent from the Pirates' lineup the final 12 times the club faced a lefty last season.
Over the offseason, Cruz hired a left-handed throwing batting practice pitcher in hopes of solving his issues with lefties. It seems to have done the trick, as Cruz is slashing an absurd .379/.419/.759 with three long balls versus left-handers in the early going. He has still struck out at a 35.5 percent clip, though that's not far off from the 30.6 percent strikeout rate he has against righties.
Cruz did not start the Pirates' first game against a lefty this season back on March 28, but he's been in the lineup all five times versus traditional left-handed starters since then (and once against a lefty opener). After batting eighth in his first start against a southpaw, Cruz has hit sixth once, fifth twice and third once versus lefties. Fantasy managers that drafted Cruz likely weren't counting on him playing much against lefty hurlers, so the fact that he's not only playing but thriving against them gives a massive boost to the 27-year-old's outlook.
Ramon Laureano, OF, 
San Diego Padres
Laureano batted seventh Opening Day and was slotted into that spot for three of the first four games of the season. Manager Craig Stammen admitted last week that it was "dumb" of him to ever hit Laureano that low in the batting order. The skipper has since corrected it, as each of Laureano's last 13 starts have come from the leadoff spot.
He's not a perfect fit at leadoff because he's got a below-average walk rate, but Laureano has slashed a robust .283/.335/.507 with a 134 wRC+, 38 home runs and 15 stolen bases across 803 plate appearances since his stint with Atlanta in 2024. The Statcast data backs it up, too, as Laureano ranks in the 85th percentile in hard-hit rate (50.9 percent) and the 89th percentile in barrel rate (15.8 percent) in 2026. He might even be more motivated to run while sitting atop the batting order. Laureano hasn't reached double digits in stolen bases since 2023, but the 31-year-old is 3-for-3 on stolen-base attempts in the early going in 2026 and ranks in the 79th percentile in sprint speed.
Edouard Julien, 1B/2B, 
Colorado Rockies
It was an inauspicious start to the season for Julien, who was in the lineup for just four of the first nine games and didn't bat higher than eighth. He went only 1-for-11 with a 1:6 BB:K over that span. Despite that bumpy start, Julien was inserted into the leadoff spot April 6 and hasn't left, at least against righties, making 13 consecutive starts in such situations.
Julien is slashing .298/.389/.383 since ascending to the top of the batting order, swatting one home run, stealing two bases and collecting a 7:11 BB:K. He did recently have a six-game hitless streak, though he bounced back with three hits and three RBI in the first contest after that skid.
Quality of contact has never been Julien's issue, but he's been even better than normal in that regard in 2026, sitting on career highs in hard-hit rate (46.2 percent) and average exit velocity (90.8 mph) while also sporting a healthy 10.3 percent barrel rate. Julien has also got his strikeout rate down to 24.2 percent, which is a huge improvement over the 31.7 percent rate he had during his time with the Twins. Keeping those swings and misses at a digestible level will likely be the determining factor as to whether Julien has staying power.
Casey Schmitt, 2B/3B, 
San Francisco Giants
Schmitt handled first base early on this season for the Giants while Rafael Devers was still nagged by a hamstring injury. He started each of the first seven contests, batting seventh twice and then ninth five times in a row. Schmitt then missed four games with a back issue and after coming back has settled in as the team's everyday DH.
Since April 10, Schmitt has started 10 straight tilts and is slashing .310/.318/.571 with two home runs and five doubles. He has been the Giants' No. 5 hitter for the last four contests. The Statcast data essentially backs up the hot start, too, as the 27-year-old sports a 52.1 percent hard-hit rate (87th percentile), 12.5 percent barrel rate (75th percentile) and 91.9 mph average exit velocity (81st percentile).
Schmitt is also sitting on a career-high 20-degree launch angle and a 29.2 percent pull-air rate that would rank in the top 15 in baseball if he had enough batted-ball events to qualify. These elements add up to power potential, though they also point to batting average risk, especially when you add in an aggressive approach. Still, Schmitt looks way more interesting now than he used to and is doing enough to keep top prospect Bryce Eldridge at Triple-A Sacramento for the time being.
Trending Down
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, 
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs inked Crow-Armstrong to a six-year, $115 million contract extension just before Opening Day. It's unlikely the club has any regrets about that deal, but in the early going PCA hasn't been holding up his end of the bargain.
Crow-Armstrong was situated in the cleanup spot for the first five games of the season and batted in that slot each of the first eight times the Cubs went up against a right-handed pitcher. The left-handed batter would slide down the No. 8 spot versus lefties, but lately he's been in the eight spot regardless of the handedness of the opposing pitcher, making seven straight starts there before slipping to the nine spot Tuesday.
Since last August, PCA is slashing only .200/.252/.298 with a 25.9 percent strikeout rate covering 297 plate appearances. He's got five home runs and 10 stolen bases over that stretch after he had accumulated 27 long balls and 29 steals in the first four months of last season. Crow-Armstrong's chase rate so far in 2026 is an obscene 46.4 percent, which is the seventh worst in baseball among qualifiers. He's even been less effective stealing bases, too, having been caught on three of his last four attempts. The 24-year-old will surely heat up at some point, but there's a reason why he was viewed as one of the riskiest early-round fantasy picks.
Alec Bohm, 3B, 
Philadelphia Phillies
Bohm was the Phillies' cleanup hitter for his first 11 starts this season, but a .550 OPS over that stretch got him moved down in the batting order. He has not batted higher than sixth since then and has hit as low as eighth. Unfortunately, Bohm has managed to be even worse at the dish over that time, going just 2-for-35 with a pair of singles.
While he is making a lot of contact as usual with a 16.7 percent strikeout rate, Bohm's quality of contact has lagged. His hard-hit rate has dipped from 46.4 percent to 38.7 percent year-over-year, and he is still looking to connect on his first barrel this season. It's possible the impending free agent is doing a bit of pressing at the dish as he plays for a contract next winter.
Bohm's saving grace might be that other Phillies regulars are struggling, too. Granted, none of them have been as bad as Bohm, but it would not be a surprise if he got another chance in the middle of the lineup if he can put together a mini hot streak. Because he doesn't run and offers middling power, Bohm really needs a favorable spot in the batting order to be mixed-league viable.
Jordan Beck, OF, Colorado Rockies
Beck slashed .258/.317/.416 with 16 home runs and 19 stolen bases over 148 contests for the Rockies last season. Not great, but good enough numbers that you'd think a rebuilding club would be committed to giving him an everyday opportunity, especially since he's 25 and a former first-round pick. That has not been the case, however.
Beck has yet to start three consecutive games this season. The right-handed batter has been in the lineup just 10 times in 21 games versus righty hurlers, and he's yet to bat higher than sixth in those contests. In his last three starts against righties, he's batted ninth twice and eighth once. Beck is just 2-for-32 at the dish versus right-handers this season, so he hasn't exactly made a case for more playing time. The Rockies also have a brand new front office, so they're probably not as invested as the previous regime would've been in giving Beck an opportunity.
Beck's strikeout rate year-over-year is way down, from 29.6 percent to 18.4 percent, and his zone contact rate of 83.1 percent in 2026 is a huge improvement over his 76.9 percent mark from 2025. However, his chase rate sits at an ugly 40 percent, which is way up from last year's 27.4 percent rate. So, while Beck is making a lot more contact, he's also making a lot weaker contact. There's still 20-20 potential here for a guy who just turned 25, but his arrow is currently pointing firmly downward.
Heliot Ramos, OF, San Francisco Giants
The elevation of the aforementioned Casey Schmitt in the Giants' lineup has come in part at the expense of Ramos, who has just a .685 OPS and 31.4 percent strikeout rate in his first 22 games this season.
Ramos started in left field in the first 12 games of the season, never batting lower than sixth and peaking as high as third on five occasions. Since then, Ramos has hit seventh in seven of his last eight starts (he hit sixth in the other one) and has been out of the lineup three times, including once on back-to-back days.
Ramos does seem like he could be righting the ship of late. He slashed .323/.382/.613 with a couple home runs and 10 RBI on his team's recent nine-game road trip and tallied a base knock in its first game back home, too. He's also still hitting the ball hard, with a 49 percent hard-hit rate and 15.7 percent barrel rate. Ramos isn't a bad buy-low candidate if the opportunity is still there, though his poor outfield defense means there's lots of pressure on his bat.
