In the Canzone
Dominic Canzone (SEA): 5-5, 3 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI.
On a night when Cal Raleigh made the record books, the best player in the Majors’ hottest lineup was…this guy.
Canzone went a remarkable 5-for-5 with a trio of round-trippers that netted out to more than 1,200 feet of home runs. Somehow, every hit came in a count with two strikes against him. Batting seventh and DH-ing, Canzone took advantage of his opportunity (before tonight, he only had 22 plate appearances in September) by taking Royals SP Michael Wacha deep in his first at-bat, a 410-foot, 110-mph bomb to right field.
Facing a full count in a second at-bat against Wacha, Dom the Bomb snuck a grounder through the middle for another hit, helping force the Royals to go to their ‘pen early. Canzone came up again in the fifth (the Mariners already out to a 10-1 lead) and launched a 447-footer off Daniel Lynch IV.
But he wasn’t done yet. In another appearance against a lefty, Canzone ripped an 0-2 curveball to the opposite field for his fourth hit. And then in the ninth, he capped a historic effort with a third bomb (though this one only went 388 feet, barely a chip shot).
Hardly on anyone’s radar in the fantasy world given his sporadic playing time, Canzone has made an emphatic case for regular ABs. But with the M’s sporting their deepest lineup since the days of Griffey, that’s no guarantee. Still, his standout performance shouldn’t be seen as a fluke—Canzone sports a solid set of metrics that include a 13% barrel rate, a 92-mph average EV, and a 47.2% hard-hit rate. And those numbers are before he walked onto the field last night.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably either in the championship or close to it, so I wouldn’t recommend dropping Bryce Harper for him. But if you’re prepping for next year’s draft, put Canzone in your sleeper list.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday:
Cal Raleigh (SEA): 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
What can we say that hasn’t already been said? With last night’s double-barrel, Raleigh broke Mickey Mantle’s record for the most homers by a switch-hitter in a season, and topped Ken Griffey Jr.’s club record of 56. Breaking records set by both Mantle and Junior on the same night is a rare feat. If you drafted Raleigh this season, kudos to you (and I hope you have a nice place to put your trophy).
Carter Jensen (KCR): 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
On the other side of Seattle’s monster performances, Jensen had his own hit parade with a pair of homers and a double. Drafted in the third round out of high school in 2021, Jensen has risen in KCR’s organization to become their second-highest rated prospect, and he made the MLB 100 this year. Called up with the September roster expansion, Jensen was batting .176 with a .568 OPS in his first eight games. Now those numbers are .286 and 1.067. Keep him on your radar if you’re in a two-catcher league next season.
Michael Busch (CHC): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.
Busch had been pretty cold (like many of the Cubs) since the All-Star Break, with a .211/.274/.416 split, but this was his second game in a row with a homer. This one was special, however, as it came against Paul Skenes. Skenes, in his 31st start of the season, had only allowed a single first-inning run all year. Busch became the second one (Ian Happ would add a third a few batters later). Busch also chipped in a pair of doubles and a walk on the night. Though he usually sits against lefties, he’s still a serviceable power bat in 12-teamers.
Dylan Beavers (BAL): 2-5, 3B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
The Orioles should maybe think about who they’re hitting leadoff next season. Since coming into the league on August 16, Beavers has taken a walk 20.8% of the time and is flashing a .421 OBP (compare that to Jackson Holliday’s .324). Beavers didn’t draw any walks in this one, but he did hit for power with a pair of XBHs, including the second homer of his young career, a 105.9 mph shot that went 408 feet. At age 24, Beavers could grow into a player who can contribute in all five categories next season, though 20 homers might be his ceiling.
Brandon Lowe (TBR): 2-5, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Say one thing for Lowe, he’s consistent. When he stays healthy all season, you can pretty much pencil in around 30 homers, a .240-.260 batting average, and an OPS around .775. He sits a fair amount against lefties (a .194/.228/.302 slash line will do that) but has Raleigh-level metrics against RHPs. Lowe lucked into his 29th homer a bit last night as a fan reached over and caught the ball, robbing the right fielder a chance to rob him. But the umpires reviewed it and ruled it would’ve been a homer anyway, so the three-run dinger counted.
Spencer Torkelson (DET): 4-5, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Sitting on 14 homers after the season’s first two months, Tork looked like he might threaten 40 bombs this year. He’s slowed down a bit of late, but swatted his 29th homer on a four-hit night. Better against lefties his entire career, he now has a .272 batting average against southpaws this season with 10 homers and a .915 OPS. His K-rate has been sneaking over 30% since the All-Star Break, but he’s got a .393 OBP in September.
Mickey Moniak (COL): 1-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
He’s a Moniak, Moniak…yeah, someone’s probably used that before. But though he never appeared in Flashdance, Moniak (who, in another Mantle reference, adopted the name Mickey as tribute to the Yankee slugger) bashed his 22nd homer on the season. That’s not bad for someone whom the Angels released two days before Opening Day. After Colorado picked him up, Mickey’s rewarded them with a .270 batting average, an .815 OPS, and eight triples, all in just 127 games. He’s a maniac, indeed.
Matt Olson (ATL): 2-5, 2B, HR, R, RBI / 1-5, 3B, R, 3 RBI
Olson continued his scorching hot September (he’s got an .818 SLG on the month) with a pair of solid games in the day/night doubleheader. First, he homered in his fourth straight game, going back-to-back with Jurickson Profar. Then, after the second game stayed scoreless through regulation, the Braves broke through with five runs in the tenth, largely thanks to Olson’s bases-clearing triple, which squirted into the right field corner. That’s Olson’s second three-bagger on the month after he didn’t have any all season (and he has just seven in his career). Also worth noting, this should be the fifth consecutive season that Olson will have played in all 162 games.
Rafael Marchán (PHI): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
The second switch-hitting catcher we’re featuring on the night, Marchán had a career night at the plate with a pair of hits, including a homer, and accounted for five of the Phillies’ runs. Though he doesn’t get enough opportunities to be fantasy relevant, he did have an .894 OPS in a small sample size last year, so should anything happen to Realmuto next season, there might be something here. Marchán’s metrics could use some work, though—he’s only barreled 2.4% of balls this year. That said, he could be a factor in points leagues someday, given a superb 4.5% K-BB rate.
Kyle Teel (CHW): 2-5, HR, R, 2 RBI.
It’s a ritual by now: wake up, look at the CHW box score, see Kyle Teel raking. Teel might have finished second to Nick Kurtz in ROTY voting had he been called up earlier than June (he’s still well under 300 PAs). But the Garrett Crochet trade piece is showing a mature approach at the plate and flashing some power. He’s a top-5 catcher next year, we’re calling it now.
