Ryan Mountcastle DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle hit his first home run of the season on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore. His solo shot in the second inning gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead at the time, but the O's ultimately lost 7-6 in extra innings to split the rain-shortened two-game series with the Blue Jays. Mountcastle finished the day 2-for-4 and is hitting .271 in his first 15 games, matching his batting average from last season. This was his first home run of the season, and he now has four RBI to go with eight runs scored and a .300 wOBA. His barrel rate and hard-hit rate are up this year, per Statcast, and that could result in positive regression as the season continues if he keeps hitting the ball so well. Next up for Mountcastle and the Orioles is a three-game home series against the Guardians, which begins Tuesday after a scheduled off-day Monday.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle is out of the lineup on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks. Instead, Ryan O'Hearn will man first base while Adley Rutschman shifts to DH. This is likely just a breather for the slugger, who has played in each of Baltimore's last eight games. On the season, he is batting .324 with a .359 OBP but has yet to hit his first long ball of the season. He'll be looking to improve on the 13 he hit last year, now that the left field fence has been moved in at Camden Yards.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle put together a strong day at the plate during Sunday's game against the Kansas City Royals. This offense wasn't able to do much, but Mountcastle was still able to have a successful game. He went 3-for-4 at the plate with a triple and a run scored in what ended up being a 4-1 loss. Mountcastle has been red-hot as he's 5-for-9 over his last two games. The O's are loaded with talented hitters, so it's unclear if Mountcastle will really be an everyday player anymore. However, the O's can't bench him if he continues to hit like he has early in the season. Mountcastle isn't a must-have fantasy player, but he certainly has opened some eyes with his performances lately.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle will receive a day of rest in Thursday's series finale against the visiting division-rival Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards. The left-handed-hitting Ryan O'Hearn will start at first base and bat cleanup for the O's versus right-hander Tanner Houck. Mountcastle has started five of the team's first seven games in the early going and has gone 5-for-20 at the plate with a double, RBI, three runs scored, one walk and four strikeouts in 21 plate appearances. O'Hearn is much better against right-handed pitchers and is swinging a hot bat early on, going 6-for-15 with two doubles and two runs scored in four games played. He's worth taking a serious look at for DFS contests on a small Thursday slate against Houck, who he's hit .375 against with a solo home run in eight career at-bats.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and outfielder Tyler O'Neill will not play on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Both players were in the starting lineup for their first two contests. Instead, Ryan O'Hearn will cover first base and bat third, and Heston Kjerstad will cover right field and bat sixth. Mountcastle has gone 1-for-9 with a double over his first two games. O'Neill has enjoyed an impressive start to his Baltimore tenure as he has gone 3-for-6 with a long ball and four RBI. O'Hearn enjoyed great success against right-handers last summer as he posted a .264/.338/.439 slash line with 15 home runs. Kjerstad has flashed elite upside at times at Triple-A but has yet to see it translate to the big leagues. O'Hearn is worth a look in DFS, but Kjerstad carries more risk given his lack of consistent production.