I’ll Take Taters for 300, Alec
Alec Burleson (STL): 3-5, 3 HR, 3 R, 6 RBI.
Cam Schlittler entered last night’s game against the Cardinals gunning toward a Cy Young with a 2.04 ERA and 0.91 WHIP through 26 starts. But Alec Burleson didn’t get the memo and smacked his 13th pitch of the night into the short porch in right for a two-run bomb, his 16th of the season. And yes, it was a Yankee Stadium special; according to Baseball Savant, the 350-foot flyball would have been gone in just one other stadium: Houston’s Daikin Park.
After striking out in his second at-bat, Burleson took Schlitter’s replacement, lefty reliever Tim Hill, deep in the fourth. Four innings later, Burleson put the finishing touches on a huge 13-7 Cardinals upset by taking righty reliever Angel Chivilli for a ride to the second deck in right. Unlike his first home run, the third traveled some 418 feet (109.1 EV) and would have been gone in all 29 of the other ballparks.
Much has been made about Jordan Walker’s ascension for the Cardinals, and rightfully so. But Burleson has been terrific, too, with an .830 OPS that ranks 30th among qualified hitters. Last night’s six RBIs have him just one shy of the career-high 78 he posted two years ago. And his .288 average is backed by a .296 xBA. The only real knocks against him are that he tends to chase a bit more than you’d like (18th percentile), and he owns a 37 wRC+ against left-handers. Still, his ability to avoid whiffs (116 Contact via PLV) while providing pop (126 Power) is pretty unique. Add it all up, and you get a 137 Process, which ranks seventh-best among all hitters to have faced at least 400 pitches. Not bad.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday:
Abimelec Ortiz (WSN): 1-3, HR, R, RBI.
No Luis García Jr. Jr.? No problem. Hitting second, 24-year-old rookie Abimelec Ortiz muscled a 3-2 curveball from Aaron Nola into the right field seats for his first home run (390 feet, 106.8 EV). Those in deep leagues might want to circle Ortiz; hitting behind James Wood is about as fun a spot as you could ask for. Ortiz slashed .244/ .348/ .497 with 18 bombs and a 114 wRC+ across 365 PAs with Triple-A Rochester.
Kevin Alcantara (CHC): 1-1, HR, R, 2 RBI.
You’ve probably heard of Alcantara if you play in a dynasty league; the 24-year-old right-handed-hitting outfielder has been a notable prospect for a few years, and he has received a few at-bats in each of the last two years. With two down in the second, Alcantara drove a fastball from Wrobleski over the ivy in left for his first career home run, a two-run jack that ultimately turned the game in Chicago’s favor. Strikeouts have plagued Alcantara, and he’s unlikely to play a fantasy-relevant role. Still, it was pretty cool to see him put his big-time power on display for the first time under the lights at Wrigley.
Ezequiel Tovar (COL): 4-4, HR, 3 R, RBI.
It’s been a long and brutal season for Tovar as he entered last night’s game against the Rays toting a 36 wRC+, the worst among qualified hitters. His ninth home run of the season came in the third, spoiling an otherwise solid performance by Ian Seymour. Part of me wants to believe that Tovar could be a playable MI in deep leagues, at least when the Rockies are home, but his struggles have been too hard to ignore. It’s almost hard to believe he hit .269 with 26 home runs just two years ago.
Luis García Jr. (NYY): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Well, that’s one heck of a way to make a debut. Hitting third (RHP Michael McGreevy started last night’s game for the Cards), García parked a 2-2 changeup from righty reliever George Soriano over the Yankee bullpen; the two-run shot momentarily gave the Yankees a 7-6 lead in the seventh. Somewhere in Yankee Stadium, Brian Cashman pinched himself. It all seemed almost too good to be true. And then, the rest of the game happened. Meanwhile, García’s .883 OPS is tied with Matt Olson for 11th among qualified players.
Teoscar Hernández (LAD): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.
Hernández brought the Dodgers to within two runs in the seventh with an absolute 443-foot bomb off Matt Boyd. The Dominican slugger has become something of a forgotten man on a loaded Dodgers team, with a 102 wRC+ matching last year’s mark. However, he has made some noise in the box score lately, with home runs and multi-hit efforts in three of his last five games. He could very easily be a difference-maker in the RBI category down the stretch.
Jung Hoo Lee (SFG): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB.
Lee gave the Giants a 3-0 lead with his seventh home run, a 410-foot solo shot against righty Cal Quantrill in the third. He banged his eighth just two at-bats later while leading off the eighth against righty reliever Peyton Gray. Despite last night’s outburst, Lee had been a boring bat to roster outside of points leagues, thanks to his lack of HR/SB upside. Still, his .306 batting average ranks sixth among qualified hitters, and that’s worth something.
Junior Caminero (TBR): 2-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
The Rays scored a baker’s dozen at Coors Field, and surprise, this guy had something to do with it. His second of the night, which came in the fourth against Tanner Gordon, was the longer of the two at 442 feet, in case you were wondering. With 32 bombs, Caminero trails Schwarber and Goodman, both of whom have 33, and Alvarez, who has 35. And, oh yeah, he’s hitting .283, nearly 20 points better than last year and with a nearly doubled walk rate of 12.4%.
Mickey Moniak (COL): 2-4, 3B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
A few hours after the deadline, Moniak celebrated his two-year extension with the Rockies by banging his 18th home run: a solo shot against righty reliever Michael Grove. The former first overall pick is the quintessential free-swinger, but he has been a bright spot for the Rockies, with a career-best .883 OPS. Those who are looking ahead might want to note that the Rockies will be in Colorado for the entirety of Week 25. This guy is gonna be a fantasy kingmaker, isn’t he?
Ezequiel Duran (TEX): 4-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI.
The Giants were two outs from a shutout before Duran intervened, blasting a 3-2 fastball from righty reliever Tristan Beck into the left field seats for his 13th home run (405 feet, 110.2 EV). The 27-year-old jack-of-all-trades has been a great glue guy for fantasy managers, slashing .274/ .326/ .455 across 394 PAs while logging at least 10 starts at second, short, third, and on the grass. Duran’s PLV metrics are average-ish across the board, suggesting he might be overperforming a touch, and with trade deadlines fast approaching in most leagues, he might not be a bad guy to at least consider shopping.
Trent Grisham (NYY): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Grisham’s 12th was a solo shot against lefty reliever Justin Bruihl in the fifth inning. I don’t think too many people are surprised that Grisham hasn’t replicated last year’s career-best .812 OPS. Still, his 121 Process suggests that he has been a fair bit better than his current .701 OPS. I still think he can be a worthwhile player for standard leagues.
Featured image by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on Bluesky and X) and adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on Bluesky)
