MLB Stock Up, Stock Down: Which teams are hot and which are struggling in April?

We're only in April, and it's been an action-packed start to the MLB season. Some teams have been on hot streaks, while others have been baffled by adversity.

In this first edition of "hot or not" for the 2025 MLB season, we'll focus on two players who are rising to stardom with their teams showcasing how they're making an impact early, and one team that is looking to snap out of its early funk.

MLB Hot or Not: Red Sox, Cubs, Braves

Note: All stats are through the morning of April 9.

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals, all thanks to Alex Bregman driving in six runs in the Red Sox's 18-7 smackdown on Sunday Night Baseball. His right-handed, pull-side power has been a weapon in their early success so far.

Bregman was also named the AL Player of the Week, going 11-for-27 with five doubles, two home runs, and 10 RB in the first week of April.

The Red Sox have also benefited from rookie sensation Kristian Campbell, who they locked down to an eight-year extension. He's hit two home runs, five RBI, four doubles, and 13 hits through his first 11 big league games.

Wilyer Abreu (14 hits, three home runs, 12 RBI) and Rafael Devers (10 hits, one home run, eight RBI) have also been solid contributors. Devers began the season going 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts.

But Devers has turned his game around recently and was particularly effective in the Cardinals series with seven hits, a home run, six RBI and six runs scored. Despite two losses to the Blue Jays to open the week, the Red Sox have sufficiently recovered from an ugly 2-4 start.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs are in first place in the National League Central, and offseason signing Kyle Tucker just earned the NL Player of the Week, going 9-for-23 with 11 runs, three home runs, and eight RBI.

Tucker is likely to be next in line to earn a big contract extension. The Cubs have been playing solid baseball recently, showcasing resiliency following a tough start to the season.

Aside from Tucker, Carson Kelly has also been performing well, with an impressive OPS of 1.262. The whole lineup has been producing, with Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki picking up where they left off in 2024.

Happ, a three-time Gold Glover, played in his 1,000th game with the Cubs on April 5th. As the longest-tenured member of the team, he's doing a good job setting the tone for the rest of the clubhouse.

Atlanta Braves

The Braves are in last place in the National League East with a 2-8 record. They are also without their 2024 All-Star Jurickson Profar, who was suspended 80 games for PED use on March 31st.

Their poor offense can be represented through league-low metrics where they rank last in batting average (.151) and OPS (.485). They also rank in the bottom three in hits, strikeouts, and RBIs.

Players such as Michael Harris II, Matt Olson, and Ozzie Albies have all regressed in their early performances this season.

Harris II has shown a decline in power but is expected to rebound. There has been a lower rate of line drives from Olson (9.1%), and Albies has returned from wrist surgery, hitting just 8-for-43 (.200 batting average) across nine games.

Ronald Acuña Jr. can't return soon enough.

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