Colby Jack
Colby Thomas (ATH): 3-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.
The Athletics have had a habit of playing spoiler lately.
On Sunday, they beat the Reds 7-4 to complete the series sweep at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento. Cincinnati is now 74-75 after losing three straight to the Athletics, with their playoff odds sitting at 5.0%, according to Fangraphs.
The usual Athletics suspects had a hand in beating Cincinnati on Sunday. Jacob Wilson, Nick Kurtz, and Brent Rooker all went yard. However, the real star of the game was left fielder Colby Thomas.
The 24-year-old rookie had three hits, an RBI, and hit a home run in the Athletics‘ three-run victory. For the year, he has six home runs in 112 plate appearances, and he is slashing .228/.270/.446 with a .716 OPS. A third-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Mercer, Thomas had a hot August where he hit .280 with a .869 OPS in 56 plate appearances. However, he’s cooled off a bit in September, with a .207 average and .664 OPS in 32 plate appearances.
Thomas, like many A’s hitters, seems to be benefiting from the “hitter-friendly” park factors at Sutter Health Park. At home, he’s hitting .261 with four home runs and an .863 OPS in 51 plate appearances. On the road? He’s only hitting .200 with a .610 OPS and two home runs in 10 more plate appearances.
The Athletics go on the road for their last road trip of the season, with visits to Fenway Park in Boston and PNC Park in Pittsburgh. So fantasy managers with championship rounds in this upcoming week may not be enticed to play Thomas in any lineups. However, for leagues that go until the end of the season, they finish at home against two struggling teams: the Astros and Royals.
For those willing (or able) to wait a week, Thomas could be a sneaky play in the final week of postseason play for fantasy managers.
Let’s see how the other hitters did on Sunday:
Mickey Moniak (COL): 4-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 SB.
Moniak continued to add to his breakout season in Colorado. On Sunday, he had four hits, five RBI, two stolen bases, two home runs, and a partridge in a pear tree (okay, scratch that last bit). For the season, he is hitting .268 with an .815 OPS in 425 plate appearances, and he has 21 home runs, nine stolen bases, and 62 RBI. The former No.1 overall pick still whiffs (28.2% whiff rate) and strikes out (24.2% K rate) too much, but he’s looked like he’s found a home and fit in Colorado.
George Springer (TOR): 3-5, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The Blue Jays put away the Orioles on Sunday, and Springer led the charge at the top of the batting order. He had three hits, two doubles, two RBI, and hit a home run. In 528 plate appearances, he has 29 home runs, 16 stolen bases, a .303 average, and a .949 OPS. Springer may be one of the more underrated AL MVP candidates right now, especially considering the Blue Jays are on the cusp of clinching an AL East title.
Bo Naylor (CLE): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.
The Guardians completed the sweep of the White Sox on Sunday, and Naylor was responsible for driving in all of the Cleveland runs in their 3-2 victory. It’s been another mediocre year for Naylor, as he is hitting .187 with a .643 OPS in 377 plate appearances. He does have 12 home runs and provides excellent defense behind the plate. So, at the very least, he has proven that he can be an MLB backup.
Cal Raleigh (SEA): 2-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB.
The Big Dumper and the Mariners dumped all over the Angels in an 11-2 win on Sunday, which helped them take first place in the AL West (along with an Astros loss). Raleigh hit his 54th home run of the season, and his two RBI day improved his RBI total to 115, a career high. If the Mariners win the AL West, then Raleigh may clinch the AL MVP award, even with Aaron Judge having another “Judge-ian” season at the plate.
Salvador Perez (KCR): 2-5, HR, R, 5 RBI.
After a two-homer day, Perez followed up his Saturday with a two-hit, five-RBI performance on Sunday in the Royals’ 11-3 win over the Phillies. Perez continues to have another power-happy season, as his home run today was his 28th of the season. He doesn’t offer that much in other categories, but he’s been a nice source for homers at the catcher position for fantasy managers.
Jackson Merrill (SDP): 2-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
The Padres finished off the Rockies on Sunday in a 9-6 win, with Merrill having a big day. He had two hits, scored two runs, and collected three RBI. He also hit his 13th home run of the year. It’s been a bit of a down year for Merrill, as he has hit 11 fewer home runs and stolen 15 fewer bases than in his rookie year. His .756 OPS is also down 73 points. Hopefully, a strong finish can help him build momentum for a bounce-back in 2026.
James McCann (ARI): 2-4, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Gabriel Moreno is the primary catcher in Arizona, but McCann has provided nice value as the backup. In 109 plate appearances, he has hit .258 with a .753 OPS and four home runs, his latest coming on Sunday in their win over the Twins. McCann is not a long-term value in fantasy leagues, even in two-catcher formats. However, he’s a nice streaming play and should be available in most leagues (nearly 100% available in Yahoo leagues, according to Fantasy Pros).
Pete Alonso (NYM): 1-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.
The Mets were on the verge of losing their ninth in a row until Alonso came up clutch with a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the 10th. After hitting 21 home runs and posting a .908 OPS in the first half, Alonso has 13 and a .757 OPS after the All-Star Break. For the Mets to hold off the Giants and Reds in the Wild Card race, they need Alonso to have a strong finish.
Matt Olson (ATL): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.
Atlanta played spoiler on Sunday, beating Framber Valdez and the Astros 8-3. Olson had a nice game with two hits, two runs scored, an RBI, and a home run. For the season, Olson has 25 home runs and an .841 OPS in 662 plate appearances. He’s hit fewer home runs this year, but Olson has posted a much better OPS than his mark in 2024 (.790). He may not be an elite first baseman in fantasy anymore. However, he’s one of the better ones in the league, and that should be reflected in his ADP next draft season.
