Blanco Statement
Dairon Blanco (KCR): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 7 RBI.
What a difference a game makes.
Dairon Blanco has been on the Royals’ active roster since Opening Day. However, he has served more as a pinch runner off the bench than a regular player.
He has only 111 plate appearances this season and was hitting .227 with a .558 OPS entering Saturday’s game in Cincinnati. The last start he received was back on August 4 against the Tigers. Despite the lack of at-bats, he has stolen 21 bases, the third-most on the team.
With lefty Nick Lodolo on the hill, Blanco got the rare start and made the most of it.
The 31-year-old speedster hit two home runs, including his first career grand slam in the third inning off Reds reliever Buck Farmer. For the game, he went 3-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBI. He also did this with a bat that looked like a yellow crayon (due to Player’s Weekend, where hitters could have themed bats).
After Saturday’s game, his average improved to .245, and his OPS jumped to .647.
Blanco may not be a rosterable fantasy player, as he has only recently started against left-handed starting pitchers, and even those matchups aren’t guaranteed. While the stolen bases are excellent, that’s the only value he provides, which makes it challenging to carry him on any fantasy roster unless it’s a super deep league or an AL-only league.
Nonetheless, it’s nice to see a player who doesn’t get many opportunities make the most of the ones he’s given. Saturday was quite the statement game. He has the crayon bat to prove it.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday.
Marcell Ozuna (ATL): 3-3, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB.
An Atlanta victory over the Angels was to be expected. Another big Ozuna night should’ve been as well. He had three hits, three RBI, and blasted his 36th home run of the season. It hasn’t been a great year for Atlanta as either injury has ravaged their lineup (Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies) or regression (Matt Olson). Thankfully for them, Ozuna has continued to put up Silver Slugger numbers.
Brandon Lowe (TBR): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
After a rough April, Lowe has turned it on. This season, he is hitting .252 with a .838 OPS, and on Saturday, he hit his 15th home run of the year. The Rays may be likely out of the playoff race, but Lowe is proving to be an excellent fantasy option at the keystone position.
Alec Burleson (STL): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB.
Burleson had another multi-hit game and launched his 21st home run of the year against the Dodgers juggernaut. All Burleson does is hit, as his glove and baserunning rank in the bottom percentiles of the league. However, he is hitting .278 with a .776 OPS, so Cardinals fans and fantasy managers who roster him could care less about the defense for now.
Ramón Laureano (ATL): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
After being released by the Guardians earlier this year, Laureano has found new life in Atlanta. He is hitting .284 with a .838 OSP in 92 plate appearances with his new club, and on Saturday, he hit his fifth home run with them as well. Laureano is another example of a hitter finding new life at the plate in Atlanta, much to the chagrin of Cleveland fans.
Shohei Ohtani (LAD): 1-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 SB.
Ohtani hit his 38th home run of the year. However, the bigger story may be him collecting his 36th and 37th stolen bases. The most bases he’s stolen in a year is 26, which was in 2021. Ohtani will likely be a 40+ HR-40+ SB guy by the end of the season, which could clinch him the NL MVP.
Luis Campusano (SDP): 2-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
The Padres collected their 70th win of the year, and Campusano was a significant contributor. He hit his eighth home run of the year and collected two hits and two RBI. He is a backup to starter Kyle Higashioka. That said, a backup with a .667 OPS isn’t a lousy asset off the bench.
Francisco Lindor (NYM): 2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.
Lindor continues to show why leaving him off the NL All-Star roster was a mistake. He hit his 24th home run of the year and had two hits in the Mets’ 4-0 victory over the Marlins. Lindor has a higher average and OPS than a season ago and seems to be on pace to collect 30+ home runs and 30+ stolen bases. Hopefully, the league will not make the same mistake regarding All-Star voting next year.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (PIT): 3-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Kiner-Falefa had his best game as a Pirate. He had three hits and launched his first home run in the black and gold. The former Blue Jay has been solid in Pittsburgh since being acquired at the trade deadline. He is hitting .296 with a .814 OPS in 57 plate appearances.
Michael Toglia (COL): 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
The season of “Toglia” continues. After hitting six home runs combined in 2022 and 2023, he has 20 this year, with his latest coming on Saturday against the Padres. Toglia ranks in the top percentiles of the league when it comes to hard-hit rate. That makes up for his low batting average (.221) and high K rate (31.2%).