Tommy Pham DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, outfielder Tommy Pham signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates worth $4 million. Pham opened the 2024 season with the Chicago White Sox and was eventually shipped to St. Louis and then concluded the season in Kansas City. Across 116 contests, Pham held a .248/.305/.368 line. He tallied 20 doubles, nine home runs, and seven stolen bases. Under the hood, the 36-year-old generated a solid .263 xBA and a .407 xSLG, suggesting he should see some positive regression in 2025. Pham also generated a 42.7 percent hard-hit rate, which was above the average mark. At the plate, Pham held a 7.3 percent walk and a 22.2 percent strikeout rate which were both just below the average marks. Fantasy managers should expect Pham to compete for starts in right field with Nick Yorke as a platoon bat or see time as a designated hitter alongside Andrew McCutchen.

With a right-hander on the mound for the Baltimore Orioles in Game 2 of the wild-card series on Wednesday at Camden Yards, Kansas City Royals veteran outfielder Tommy Pham will start on the bench. Hunter Renfroe will instead get the nod in right field and will bat seventh against Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin. In the Game 1 win over the O's on Tuesday, Pham made the start in right field and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in the victory. Neither veteran outfielder is particularly attractive in DFS while hitting near the bottom of the Royals' batting order. The 32-year-old Renfroe doesn't move the needle much offensively these days after slashing .229/.297/.392 with a below-average .689 OPS, 15 home runs and 52 RBI in 120 games this year for KC. He hit just .177 (9-for-51) with three homers, five RBI and 16 strikeouts in 16 games in the month of September.

Free agent outfielder Tommy Pham has been claimed by the Kansas City Royals, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Pham was DFA'd by the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, only a month after acquiring him at the trade deadline. Pham posted a mere .208/.286/.368 slash line with two home runs across his 23-game stint in St. Louis. However, earlier this summer with the White Sox, the veteran held a solid .266/.330/.380 line. Fantasy managers should expect the 36-year-old to see most of his starts in right field and will likely compete with switch-hitter Robbie Grossman for playing time. Managers in deeper leagues should consider adding Pham as he could earn a stable spot in the starting nine and should produce solid counting stats batting in the heart of a competing Royals lineup.