Gimme Moore
Dylan Moore (SEA): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.
Dylan Moore has suddenly become one of the hottest hitters on one of the hottest teams in baseball since the Trade Deadline.
Moore missed the first two months of the season due to an oblique strain he suffered in Spring Training. Since returning to the Mariners in June, he is posting a .880 OPS, including seven home runs and 15 RBI in 36 games and 94 plate appearances. He only has three stolen bases this year, which makes it unlikely that he will touch the 20-SB mark as he did in 2021 and 2022.
That said, he is hitting the ball harder than ever, evidenced by his career-high 51.1% hard-hit rate and 27.7% barrel rate (the latter feels unsustainable, but it shows Moore’s power potential).
What’s interesting about Moore is that he continues to be a “lefty-masher” this season. In 2022, Moore posted a .795 OPS against left-handed pitchers in comparison to a .714 OPS against right-handed ones.
This year that gap has become even wider.
In 43 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers, Moore is slashing .282/.349/.744 with an OPS of 1.093. That also includes four home runs, 10 RBI, and a BB/K ratio of 0.40. In 51 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers though? That slash is .163/.294/.395 with an OPS of .689. He does have three home runs against righties, but he also is posting a paltry 0.20 BB/K ratio against them as well.
Those kinds of numbers make Moore a challenging option in fantasy leagues, as he seems to be primarily a platoon option for the Mariners. Thus, while he may be a streamer in some league formats, he’s also the kind of streamer who may not play every day, especially when the Mariners are facing right-handed starters.
Nonetheless, there’s something intriguing about Moore’s power profile, especially against lefties. In DFS leagues, Moore could be a better option, especially when he’s in the lineup against a left-handed starter.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday
Cody Bellinger (CHC): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
After striking out to end the game on Friday in the Cubs’ 4-3 loss, Bellinger left no doubt against the Royals on Saturday, as he hit two home runs and drove in four of the Cubs’ six runs in their 6-4 win. With a .326 average, .939 OPS, and 20 home runs so far this season, Bellinger is proving that he could be a widely desired free-agent candidate this winter.
Eddie Rosario (ATL): 4-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Rosario played hero in Saturday’s contest against the Giants, as he hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth off of Tyler Rogers that ended up winning the game for Atlanta. Rosario has been a solid force in Atlanta, as he has hit 19 home runs and is hitting .260 with a .789 OPS in 393 plate appearances. That’s a nice bounce-back from his horrendous campaign a year ago when he hit .212 with a .587 OPS.
Aledmys Díaz (OAK): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The A’s suffered another loss on Saturday, but Díaz had a nice performance as his two home runs produced Oakland’s only two runs in their 7-2 loss against the Orioles. It hasn’t been a great season for Diaz, as he is hitting .224 with a .606 OPS in 280 plate appearances. At 32 years old, one has to wonder how much left he has in the tank after this season. That is concerning for the A’s, as he has one year left on the two-year deal he signed last offseason.
Trea Turner (PHI): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The overall numbers still aren’t great, but Turner is having a sensational August. This month, he is slashing .303/.352/.576 with a .928 OPS and he has hit four home runs and produced 12 RBI to boot. The Phillies are firmly entrenched in the Wild Card picture in the NL, and if Turner carries this hot August into September, the Phillies could be a dangerous team come playoff time.
Mookie Betts (LAD): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Mookie continues to do “Mookie” things for the Dodgers in 2023. In the second game of a doubleheader against Miami, Betts hit two home runs, his 33rd and 34th of the season. With a .989 OPS, 86 RBI, and 101 runs scored this season, Betts is proving that he should be in the NL MVP conversation. That said, having Freddie Freeman as a teammate certainly doesn’t help his chances.
Manny Machado (SD): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Things appear to be slipping away for the Padres as they lost two on Saturday to the Diamondbacks and currently sit 59-66 for the season as of August 19th. Machado had a banner day in game one of the two-game slate in San Diego, as he hit two home runs, his 22nd and 23rd of the season. However, the Padres still lost 6-4, and their chances of making the playoffs have fallen to 12.3%, according to Fangraphs.
Pete Alonso (NYM): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB.
The Mets outslugged the Cardinals 13-2 on Saturday, and Alonso particularly stood out as he collected two hits, two RBI, three runs, and mashed his 38th home run of the year. Alonso appears to be on pace for at least a 40+ HR season and could hit the 50+ HR mark, depending on how the month of September goes. It’s been a disappointing year for the Mets as a club, but Alonso at least has done his part on the hitting end.
Carlos Santana (MIL): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
It always seems like Santana gets off to a hot start as soon as he joins a club. He enjoyed great starts with the Royals, Mariners, and Pirates over the past three years, before eventually cooling off (which led to those clubs parting ways with him). Unfortunately, Santana hasn’t gotten off to a great start in Milwaukee, as he is only hitting .179 with a .643 OPS. That said, he has hit six home runs, which included one yesterday in the Brewers’ 6-1 win over the Rangers. Thus, the power is there for Santana, it’s just the other parts of his hitting that have to come around.
Charlie Blackmon (COL): 2-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
With only 48 wins this year, there hasn’t been much for Rockies fans to cheer about. On the other hand, one positive story has been a nice bounce-back season from the 37-year-old Blackmon, who hit his sixth home run of the year on Saturday. The home-run numbers for Blackmon are meager at this point in his career. However, he is still hitting .278 with a .808 OPS in 262 plate appearances for the Rockies this season. This feels like a “ride into the sunset” campaign for Blackmon, as he will be 38 next year and it’s unlikely the Rockies, or anyone else really, will offer him a significant deal when he becomes a free agent after this season.
Photo courtesy of Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)