This article is part of our Sorare MLB series.
Here we are! It's effectively the halfway point of the 2025 MLB season. It's also my last chance to offer up some Sorare recommendations here in the month of June. Soon, it will be July, and then it will be the All-Star break, then the trade deadline, and so on and so forth. How can you situate your Sorare MLB lineup here halfway through the season? Since this is a halfway point conversation, I am going to look a bit bigger picture. That is to say, which surprises have now lasted an entire half season? On the flip side, there are the disappointments that seem increasingly less like a fluke. These are my upgrades, holds and downgrades here to help wrap up the month of June and get us into the summer MLB season with gusto.
The number in parentheses represents each player's last limited card sale price as of 6/25.
Upgrades
Andy Pages, LAD ($6.34): It's not just that Pages flew under the radar because the Dodgers are loaded. He surprisingly grabbed a spot in center field for the team last year, but his glove played a large role in that. The Cuban outfielder hit .248 with 13 homers and 23 doubles in 116 games. Again, solid for a guy who can hold down a spot in center field. In his age-24 season, though, Pages has emerged at the plate as well. His average is up to .297 and he already has 16 homers, not to mention six stolen bases. Five times in his last 10 games he has had double-digit Sorare points. The rich get richer.
Maikel Garcia, KAN ($5.09): I was as skeptical about Garcia's start as anybody. I believed the base running would remain part of the equation, given that he stole 37 bases last season. Indeed, he's swiped 17 bags already in this campaign. However, after having a sub-.300 on-base percentage in 2024, he has a .369 OBP in 2025, and his eight homers are already more than the seven he had last year. Also, Garcia hasn't slowed down, as he has a .906 OPS over the last three weeks. While Garcia has had big games, including one on June 18 where he had 37.0 Sorare points, what is encouraging is the steady production and churn of games with 4.0 or 5.0 Sorare points, as opposed to all-or-nothing performances.
Carlos Rodon, NYY ($4.35): Rodon was excellent in his two campaigns prior to joining the Yankees. His first season with New York was a disaster. Last season was fine. This year, though, he's back to pitching well. Rodon has a 2.92 ERA, and his 3.48 FIP may not be as good, but it's certainly solid. Last season Rodon already got back to being a guy who averaged double-digit strikeouts per nine innings, but this year he's gotten his HR/9 rate back in line with his career 1.14 number. Additionally, he's held both lefties and righties under the Mendoza Line. Only the Red Sox, on two occasions, have held him under 14.0 Sorare points.
Holds
Byron Buxton, MIN ($5.13): With Buxton, there's always the same "but." He's averaged .279 with 17 homers, three triples and 13 stolen bases. Buxton remains hot, posting an 1.148 OPS over the last three weeks, a stretch with multiple games with over 30.0 Sorare points. Of course, Buxton's numbers come in only 62 games. He's only played over 100 games twice in a decade-long career, and played over 102 games only once. With Buxton, there's always the feeling of "enjoy it while you can."
Chris Bassitt, TOR ($2.45): Bassitt has a 3.61 ERA, plus a 3.41 FIP, and he's made 16 starts. In each of the last three seasons he's made at least 30 starts. The reason for pause, though, is that Bassitt has been quite hittable. Bassitt has allowed 95 hits over 92.1 innings. That's more than one hit per innings, which is partially why he only has six quality starts. Now, Bassitt has a 0.97 HR/9 rate, right in line with his career 0.98 rate. Depending on how those hits get sequenced, though, things could end up looking worse fast for Bassitt.
Downgrades
Taj Bradley, TAM ($3.88): Bradley had a rough rookie season, but his sophomore campaign showed promise. Crucially, he dropped his home run rate while maintaining his robust fastball, and his ERA fell from 5.59 to 4.11. Alas, this season things have headed in the wrong direction. Surprisingly, homers haven't been the issue, as Bradley's home run rate is down to 1.25 per nine innings. It's everything else. Bradley's strikeout rate is down to 8.0/9 and his walk rate is up to 3.6/9. His ERA is up to 4.57, and in June he has multiple games with negative Sorare points. All hitters have their days with negative Sorare points, but for a pitcher to do that, it's particularly poor.
Trevor Story, BOS ($3.24): The Story deal just isn't going to work out for the Red Sox. Injuries can't even be blamed this year. Story has stayed healthy for the first time since joining the Red Sox, but he has a .273 on-base percentage and .364 slugging percentage. Though Story has some double-digit games when it comes to Sorare points as of late, he also has just as many games with -4.0 Sorare points, which is what a hitter ends up with when they fail to register anything positive across four place appearances.
Brenton Doyle, COL ($1.92): Doyle is in the running to be the worst player in MLB this season. One season after being one of baseball's most pleasant surprises, Doyle has completely tanked this year. He's slashed .194/.250/.306 with only five homers and eight stolen bases. Some flavors of WAR have him as having the worst campaign of anybody. Things aren't turning around either, as Doyle has a .431 OPS over the last three weeks. Throw in the fact he plays his home games at Coors, and this has been a truly terrible campaign.
