Freddy Fermin (SDP): 1-2, RBI.

Fermin’s Paradox

Freddy Fermin tops the list of unlikely heroes from the final Monday of the regular season, delivering a pinch-hit walkoff single to give the Padres the win over the Brewers in the 11th inning. The win brought the Padres within just 2.5 games of the top NL Wild Card spot, currently held by the Cubs, with just under a week to go in the regular season.

Fermin came over from the Royals during the trade deadline, flying under the radar amidst the flurry of moves in the waning hours of baseball’s most chaotic day. Fermin’s stats aren’t eye-popping, but he’s posted a respectable .277/.308/.384 slash line with his new team in 37 games played. Fermin’s underlying numbers aren’t anything extremely impressive, but he has solid defensive metrics, which makes him one of those classic players who is a better real-life asset than a fantasy contributor. You probably won’t ever pick him up for your fantasy squads, but he’ll be an important piece of the Padres’ postseason run in 2025.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday:

Michael Harris II (ATL): 3-5, 2B, R, 3 RBI, 3 SB.

Oh, Michael Harris II, what are we going to do with you? Harris looked to be re-breaking out in the second half of the season and was destroying the baseball in July and August, but he’s crashed back down to earth with a woeful .463 OPS in September. It’s hard to guess which Harris is the real one, or which one we should expect to see more of in 2026, but I’ll be staying away from him in drafts. The peaks and valleys are among the most drastic in the league.

Iván Herrera (STL): 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.

The breakout season for Iván Herrera is ending on a high note, with the catcher posting a .987 OPS in September to close out the season. Herrera has dealt with a few injuries this season that may have impacted his performance in the summer, but he should be a great keeper candidate and has the upside to finish as a top-10 catcher next season, if not better.

Rafael Devers (SFG): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.

How has the Rafael Devers experiment gone in his first season in San Francisco? Giants fans may be disappointed to know he’s performed much worse in the Bay Area (.790 OPS) than in Boston (.905 OPS) this season, but at the very least, his power has stuck around. Devers reached 33 homers for the third time in his career with Monday’s homer, and as long as he’s able to hit long balls, he’ll maintain strong fantasy value. Being in Oracle Park as opposed to Fenway doesn’t help, though.

Dylan Crews (WSN): 1-4, HR, R, RBI.

It’s been an up-and-down, injury-riddled season for the talented Dylan Crews, but he’s having the best month of his career this September, posting a .749 OPS thus far. Crews remains a player with strong speed and power upside–his 10 homers and 17 steals in just 81 games are impressive.

 

Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)