The Kirk Store Called, They’re Running Out of Baseballs
Alejandro Kirk (TOR): 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI.
Toronto’s slugfest over the Rays on Sunday helped the Blue Jays clinch their first AL East title since 2015, and it was Alejandro Kirk who got the party going with a grand slam in the first inning, followed by a two-run shot in the fifth inning.
Kirk was in a huge 0-for-20 slump leading up to Saturday’s game, when he hit his 13th homer, before his double-dinger game on Sunday. Kirk finished the 2025 season with 15 homers and a line of .282/.348/.421.
It’ll be interesting to see if Kirk can continue his hot streak into October, which will likely boost his draft day cost in 2026. His 11.6% K rate on the season is elite, similar to his last four seasons, but 21 of his 59 strikeouts this season came in the last 30 days. Kirk needs to make sure he gets on base in the playoffs, and not just swing for the fences, if he wants to help the Blue Jays play deep into October.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday:
Mike Yastrzemski (KCR): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.
Mike Yastrzemski’s double-dinger day was less dramatic than Kirk’s, but it was nice to see the former Giant finish the 2025 season strong with a combo meal as he heads into free agency. The 35-year-old should catch on as a platoon player somewhere, especially since his 50-game stint with the Royals was decently strong, smacking eight homers and slashing .232/.355/.477, and might make for a decent streamer next season in daily and weekly leagues, depending on where he lands.
Ben Rice (NYY): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The last two-homer performance of the day came from the catcher of the team that fell just short of capturing the AL East crown.
Rice has really come into his own as the 2025 season progressed, with the 26-year-old finishing with 26 homers. Armed with catcher eligibility heading into 2026, he should shoot up draft boards next season, especially if he has a decent 2025 playoff performance. Rice and his bright red Statcast page earned his homers this year. His 56.2% HardHit rate was seventh overall, just behind his teammate Aaron Judge, who finished third with a 58.3% HardHit rate. His 93.3 mph average EV was tied for 10th overall. He’s definitely someone I’ll be looking to draft next season.
Carter Jensen (KCR): 3-5, HR, 3 R, RBI.
Carter Jensen is a name that many might not know right now, but will likely know by the time the 2026 season ends. Jensen is a catcher-eligible rookie who had a strong finish after a late call-up for the Royals this season. His bomb on Sunday? Oh, only one that travelled 482 feet and left the A’s West Sacramento ballpark. It was the longest HR hit by a Royal since Statcast began.
Carter Jensen! 482 ft!
That’s the Royals’ longest home run under Statcast (2015) https://t.co/Vqsb69BWsW
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 28, 2025
The No. 2 prospect in the Royals’ system was called up on September 2 after beginning the season in Double-A and breezing through Triple-A pitching. Jensen finished his cup of coffee with 60 at-bats, hitting .300/.391/.550 with three homers, 13 RBI, and 12 runs. His Statcast page is red hot, and Salvador Perez is not getting any younger. Circle Jensen’s name when you’re looking for late-round fliers in next year’s drafts. The kid will be alright.
Brayan Rocchio (CLE): 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI.
By the time Brayan Rocchio came up to bat in the 10th with the Guardians losing 8-6 and two men on, the Tigers had already lost, meaning Cleveland had already won the AL Central, win or lose. Soft-hitting Rocchio, though, felt that the Guardians needed to earn and celebrate their division crown in style, so he smacked a three-run walk-off homer off the foul post. It’s always the ones who never hit homers who play the hero this late in the season, ammirite?
Willy Adames (SFG): 1-3, HR, R, RBI.
Willy Adames did something that no other Giant has done since Barry Bonds did it in 2004 — hit at least 30 homers. It’s kinda crazy that no one has done it in 21 years, and Adames barely did it, hitting 30 homers on the dot. All he needed on Sunday was one pitch to accomplish the feat.
Adames finished with 87 RBIs, down from his 112 from last season, and his slash line wasn’t anything to write home about, hitting .225/.318/.421. Fantasy managers expected more, and many cut bait during an August that saw him hit .190. Adames is only 30 and will likely bounce back from his disappointing 2025. Buy the dip.
Elly De La Cruz (CIN): 1-4, HR, R, RBI.
Elly did his part to try and get the Reds into the playoffs, but it turned out all the Reds really needed was just the Mets being the Mets. It will be exciting to see what playoff Elly will look like. Elly was a fantasy disappointment given the cost fantasy managers paid to get him, hoping for close to 30 homers and 60 SBs, while ending up with 22 HR and 37 SB. Under the hood, De La Cruz worked hard to cut down his bottom-of-the-league K rates in his first two seasons (33.7% and 33.1%) to 25.9%. He did it by sacrificing some of his power. In the long run, I think this will make Elly a better all-around player in fantasy. Good luck buying the dip on him, though, because I doubt there will be one.
Seiya Suzuki (CHC): 1-3, HR, R, RBI.
Suzuki had a terrible second half, hitting just one homer between July 19 and September 24 (he hit it on August 6, in case you were wondering). Then, almost as if he had realized he had accidentally turned off his home run mode on his controller mid-July, he hit five homers over the last four games of the season, finishing with 32 overall. If you didn’t own Seiya this season, you’ll look at his 32 home runs and 103 RBI on a great team, and not think twice about drafting him. Always take a look behind those counting stats during the offseason as you do your research – not all 30+ homer, 100+ RBI seasons are built the same. Tread carefully with Seiya, and sell high if he lights up the postseason.
Mike Trout (LAA): 1-1, HR, R, RBI.
The former real-life and fantasy MVP only got one at-bat on Sunday, but used it to crush his 26th of the season, and fifth in seven games. The 34-year-old’s Statcast page still has red in all the right places, and as long as he stays healthy (yes, I know, you can stop rolling your eyes now), you wonder if he has one more MVP-type season left in him. Fool me once, right? If the price is right, and I avoided risk at the top of my draft, I’d buy this lottery ticket next year, especially in weekly leagues.
Shohei Ohtani (LAD): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
We gotta save the best for last, right? While Cal Raleigh was having a magical season of his own in the AL, Ohtani was out in the NL, hitting 50+ bombs and striking out 50+ batters. He hit his 55th homer on Sunday, breaking his own record of most HR in a season by a Dodger. Ohtani finished his MVP regular season hitting .282/.392/.623, 102 RBI, 146 runs, and 20 SBs.
Shohei, take a bow and take us home.
