Jake Cronenworth DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 4-3 win over the Braves. The home run was his first of the season and couldn't have come at a better time, as the solo shot broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth and would eventually prove to be the game-winner. Cronenworth came in second in NL Rookie of the Year voting back in 2020 and earned All-Star nods the next two seasons, but from 2022-24, he's owned a .237/.323/.387 slash line with a .312 wOBA and 103 wRC+. We'll see if he gets back to the earlier version of himself this season. The 31-year-old still makes good contact, registering a career 85.6 percent Contact%, so another double-digit home run, 70-plus RBI, 70-runs scored campaign should at least be in store.

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said he doesn't foresee second baseman Jake Cronenworth playing first base this year. "I don't see it on the radar at the moment," Shildt said. Cronenworth enters the 2025 season with eligibility at both second and first base after splitting time at the two positions in 2024. Losing Ha-Seong Kim in free agency means that Xander Bogaerts will be at shortstop full time and Cronenworth will be at the keystone full time. At first base, Luis Arraez is expected to handle most of the playing time. The 31-year-old left-handed-hitting Cronenworth batted .241/.324/.390 with 17 home runs, 83 RBI, five steals and 72 runs in 653 plate appearances last year. He makes plenty of contact but only has middling power. Given the fact that he rarely runs, Cronenworth settles in as useful middle infield depth to target late in fantasy drafts.

San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate in Friday's 9-5 win over the Brewers. His day included three singles, a double, and the 12th home run of the season for the 30-year-old. He also collected a pair of RBI and scored four times. Cronenworth had been scuffling coming into the series with Milwaukee, going 2-for-24 (.083) over the seven games prior to this series, but has now homered in back-to-back games and recorded seven hits in 10 at-bats. The former seventh-round draft pick is having a bounce-back season after hitting just .229 with a .301 wOBA and 92 wRC+ last year. His BA currently stands at .266 with a .345 wOBA and 129 wRC+.