Shea Langeliers (OAK): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Chitty Chitty Lang Lang

The A’s put the win in Windy City last night, riding Shea Langeliers‘ hot bat to a 4-3 victory at Wrigley. Langeliers had Jordan Wicks‘ number, scorching two baseballs off the lefty-starter, a 109.4 mph, 408-foot homer in the first and a 107.7 mph, 418-foot blast in the fifth. Langeliers finished 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI and he’s now gone deep three times in his last three games.

I featured Langeliers in one of my first Batters Box write-ups of the season, so it’s only fitting that one of my last also features the big-bopping backstop. In that early April article, I recommended Langeliers as the best readily available power option behind the plate, and he’s more than lived up to that designation. After his two big flies yesterday, Langeliers has 28 home runs on the season, the second most among big-league catchers.

While the power is eye-popping from the catcher position, Langeliers’ .220 batting average can be a bit hard to stomach on your fantasy squad. Although they’ve both improved again in his third season in the bigs, his 27% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate are still well below league average. At 26, there’s still room for plate discipline growth, but its doubtful Langeliers will ever excel in that area.

If you need a couple of home runs late in your fantasy playoff matchups, Langeliers is a great streaming option if he’s available in your league. Looking ahead to 2025, if you find your team lacking power as your draft unfolds, circle Langeliers name. He’s one of the few elite power options behind the plate, and playing in a Triple-A stadium in Sacramento should only boost his home run totals.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday:

Ian Happ (CHC): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

Langeliers wasn’t the only one who went yard twice at Wrigley last night. Happ got in on the action too, tying his career-high with his 24th and 25th home runs. His second was one of the more impressive blasts you’ll see, not because of its exit velocity or distance, but because it came off the fastest pitch ever hit for a home run: a 103.2 mph four-seamer from Mason Miller.

Pete Alonso (NYM): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.

The Mets’ red-hot march to the playoffs continued in the team’s 10-1 throttling of the visiting Nationals last night. Alonso’s three-hit performance boosted his slash line to .244/.330/.472 with 33 home runs. His 125 wRC+ is the fifth-best among first basemen. He’s probably the game’s most interesting upcoming free agent. Alonso has a big bat and maybe even bigger name-value, but teams don’t often pay up for first baseman these days, especially when they’re entering their 30s.

Luisangel Acuña (NYM): 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI.

Acuña did a great impression of his brother last night, finishing a triple shy of the cycle in just his second career MLB start. The younger Acuña got things started with his hardest hit of the day: a 109.5 mph double off of Mitchell Parker. He later added a single and homer against the Nats’ bullpen. Acuña’s only been starting because of an injury to Francisco Lindor, so he’s not the late-season electric pickup his name may imply. He hit just .258/.299/.355 in 587 Triple-A plate appearances, although his 40 steals make him a threat on the basepaths as long as he’s starting in New York.

Wyatt Langford (TEX): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB.

The Rangers and Blue Jays combined for 21 runs yesterday so while there were plenty of players we could feature here, Langford’s eight total bases made him the choice. The 22-year-old rookie hasn’t exactly lived up to the insane levels of hype surrounding him this spring, but a .254/.324/.405 slash line with 12 homers and 15 steals is a great base for him to build off of entering his second season..

Jesús Sánchez (MIA): 5-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Sánchez had never even had four hits in a game, so it makes his five base knocks yesterday even more impressive. Four of his five hits carried exit velocities over 105 mph, which isn’t particularly surprising given Sánchez’s elite batted-ball metrics. His xwOBA, xBA, and xSLG are all 76th percentile or better while his hard-hit rate is 95th percentile. Despite the top-end contact quality, Sánchez still hasn’t reached 20 homers in a season, and with 17 long balls, he’ll likely be stuck in the teens for the fourth straight year.

Max Muncy (LAD): 3-5, 2 2B, 5 RBI, SB.

The Dodgers and Marlins went back and forth all game long in Miami, and although Muncy didn’t leave the yard, his clutch hits kept the game close as he set a new season-high with five runs knocked in. Although injuries have kept him sidelined for much of the year, Muncy’s been his typical self when he’s been on the diamond. His .512 SLG, .280 ISO, and 134 wRC+ are his best since 2021.

Jose Siri (TBR): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI.

Siri does three things incredibly well: run, field, and barrel-up pitches. Siri’s 15.4% barrel rate is 95th percentile, but that’s where the good times end for him at the plate. His home run yesterday was his 18th of the season, but the overall .192/.262/.379 slash line just doesn’t play. Despite an 84 wRC+, his excellent speed and defense keep him a regular member of the Rays’ lineup, but I’m not sure how many more seasons they’ll want to put up with one of the league’s worst whiff and strikeout rates.

Eric Wagaman (LAA): 3-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.

I love September baseball. You get to learn about so many new players, and today it’s Wagaman’s turn. He’s a 27-year-old corner infielder finally getting to make his MLB debut after spending seven years in the Yankees’ farm system. He posted a .795 OPS in Double-A and a .855 OPS in a more limited Triple-A run this year, and in 24 plate appearances is hitting .292/.292/.667 for the Angels. He combined for 17 homers and 10 steals over nearly  500 minor league plate appearances, so there’s some dual-threat ability here, but as a non-prospect it seems unlikely he’s a contributor over the final two weeks.

Juan Soto (NYY): 2-2, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.

The Bronx Bombers exploded in Seattle, hanging an 11-spot on the Mariners and Bryan Woo. Soto made MLB history by launching the 200th home run of his career in the fourth inning. He’s the seventh youngest player to reach that milestone. I can’t wait to see just how big a pile of cash one lucky team will get to pay him to be a perennial MVP candidate for the next decade.

Willi Castro (MIN): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, SB.

The lone combo meal of the night belonged to Castro, as he launched his 12th homer and swiped his 14th bag of the season. His 110 wRC+ is right in line with his 108 mark in last year’s breakout campaign, but he’s stealing much less often. He had 33 steals in 409 plate appearances in 2023, compared to just 14 over 592 trips to the plate this season. There’s one thing he’s elite at: eligibility. You can plug Castro in your fantasy lineup at 2B, 3B, SS, LF, and CF, and he’s reached the 20-games played threshold at each of those positions meaning he’ll carry over his super-eligibility to 2025. He’s kind of like the Swiss Army Knife of fantasy baseball.

Grant McCray (SFG): 2-2, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 SB.

McCray hasn’t exactly been grabbing headlines in San Francisco, but the rookie centerfielder has provided sneaky fantasy value since making his big league debut in mid-August. Over 93 plate appearances, he’s slashing .239/.280/.466 with five home runs and five steals. That’s an unsustainable 30/30 pace over a full season, but there’s a huge problem: strikeouts. McCray’s punching out at an unseemly 39.8% clip, and while it should improve, I’m not sure by how much. He posted a 32.2% strikeout rate in Double-A last year and a 25.4% rate in Triple-A this season. There seems likely to be a multitude of moving pieces in San Francisco this offseason, so it’s hard to know what to expect in the Bay Area in 2025, but McCray will be part of the picture at some point, so keep an eye on him in deep fantasy formats.