Fantasy Baseball: Move over, Coors Field — Vegas is bringing the offense

22 hours ago 1

Very early in Kyle Harrison's Monday start at Las Vegas, it was already too late. Harrison entered the night with a 1.57 ERA, one of the breakout stories of the year. He's likely to be an All-Star and could be a Cy Young contender. But asked to pitch Monday night against the Athletics at Las Vegas Ballpark, Harrison was just another pitcher looking for cover.

His first pitch of the game left the park in a hurry — Shea Langeliers hammered a 483-foot home run. It turned into a quick and messy outing for Harrison — 2.1 IP, 8 runs, 3 homers allowed. His ERA jumped from 1.57 to 2.72 before the sun set.

And here's the thing with Harrison moving forward — there's no change in his perceived value. Monday's takeaway is mostly a story about major-league hitters enjoying the perks of hitting in a temporary park that boosts offense. The Brewers wound up winning a crazy 15-14 game Monday, a 12-inning affair. The teams combined for 11 home runs, just two of the MLB record. The Athletics are the seventh team in baseball history to hit seven homers in a game but somehow lose.

Several factors turn Las Vegas Ballpark into a hitter's wonderland. The stadium is 2,000 feet above sea level, so the air is thinner and the ball has less drag. The hot weather in Las Vegas also encourages the ball to travel, and the prevailing winds are usually blowing out. If you're sitting in the bleachers here, you don't just need a glove — you need a helmet.

The Las Vegas Aviators, a Triple-A team in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, call this park home. Consider their home/road splits as you calibrate the playability of this stadium:

— Aviators at home: .317/.393/.514 slash, .907 OPS, 6.28 ERA

— Aviators on the road: .265/.337/.443 slash, .729 OPS, 4.17 ERA

The Brewers and Athletics have two more Las Vegas games this week, and then the Rockies and Athletics play a three-game set here on the weekend. After seeing Monday's night's Home Run Derby, we need some temporary rules.

Takeaways from Vegas slugfest between Athletics and Brewers

— I probably would have rested Harrison had I considered the ballpark factors before Monday night, but it's too late for that now. But I will advise anyone to avoid J.T. Ginn on Tuesday night (despite his 2.74 ERA), and to fade Gage Jump on Saturday (despite his 2.45 ERA, and experience in this park). Those are the only starting pitchers we needed to sort through; all of Colorado's starters can't be trusted, and the Athletics don't have a deep rotation, either. Thankfully, Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee's unbelievable ace, will not pitch in this series.

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— Jake Bauers conked his 12th home run for Milwaukee on Monday and should be a fun start the next two days, up against two right-handed starters. It's surprising it's taken this long for him to reach 62% rostered in Yahoo leagues, given he's been great all year and the sample is approaching 200 at-bats.

— I'm holding onto Andrew Vaughn in some deeper leagues, though I really don't know what to do with him. I expected a breakout year entering 2026, something that was derailed by an early hand injury. He homered Monday and he's been productive in 88 at-bats (.973 OPS), though the story is driven by an unreal line against left-handed pitching (.548/.622/.935). Vaughn is just a part-time player against righties these days, in part because Milwaukee is back to full health.

The Brewers don't see another lefty starter in this series, and they'll draw only three of them over the next two weeks. And none of those lefties present an easy matchup: the Brewers draw Cristopher Sánchez, Chris Sale and Parker Messick — two superstars and one emerging star. Vaughn's fantasy status remains in limbo.

— We're hoping the Vegas ballpark can get Brent Rooker going, but he didn't get the memo Monday. He was the only Athletics starter to go hitless (0-for-5), and he also struck out three times. The slumping Rooker is down to .200/.281/.389 for the year. His batted-ball profile suggests he's been mildly unlucky, but the .212 expected average and .447 expected slugging wouldn't justify his ADP, either.

— The total for Monday's game, even with Harrison and Jeffrey Springs pitching, was a juicy 11.5. It's bumped even higher for Tuesday, a 13.5-run call with Ginn and Robert Gasser starting. By way of comparison, the Cubs and Rockies at Coors have a 12.5-run total set for Tuesday, and every other game on the Tuesday slate is set for 9.5 runs or fewer. When in doubt with lineup decisions, bet on the elements.

— If you're looking to stream some Athletics this week, Zack Gelof is a good place to start. He homered Monday and has a solid .267 average with seven homers and six steals over 165 at-bats. You can use him at second, third or the outfield, and he's just 19% rostered in Yahoo.

Carlos Cortes could also help out, though he's often shielded from left-handed pitching (he didn't start Monday) and the Athletics face two more lefties this week. Cortes has a .312 average and more walks than strikeouts, and he's homered five times. The Mets castoff has found a home with the nomad Athletics.

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