Pavin The Way

Pavin Smith (ARI): 3-4, 3 HR, 3 R, 8 RBI, BB.

Pavin Smith had himself a career day on Sunday with an insane 3 HRs and 8 RBI in leading the Diamondbacks to a 12-6 win over the Astros. It was the first multi-homer game for the former 7th overall pick and it now makes his total of 7 HRs in 89 at-bats look much more impressive. Smith’s first two homers came off future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander and the career lefty platoon bat has now hit 31 of his 35 HRs in his career off right-handed pitchers.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday:

Eugenio Suárez (ARI): 4-5, HR, 4 R, 2 RBI.

Eugenio Suarez has been on an absolute tear in September, hitting .452/.514/1.000 with 5 HRs on the month. Suarez’s surge just makes an already tough Diamondbacks lineup even scarier on the back end.

 

Andrew McCutchen (PIT): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.

Andrew McCutchen still has that bat speed and he showed it off by hitting a solo shot in the 3rd inning of Washington starter Patrick Corbin. With an exit velocity of 104.6 MPH, the blast was a no doubter and Cutch knew it. At 37 years of age, McCutchen can still be a valuable piece for a big league ballclub, especially one as offensively deficient as the Pirates.

 

Spencer Horwitz (TOR): 2-2, HR, R, 2 RBI.

While he didn’t start the game, Spencer Horwitz came in and ended up hitting a 2-run game-tying HR in the 8th inning off Atlanta reliever Joe Jimenez. That gave 26-year-old rookie 3 HRs on the weekend after his multi-HR performance on Saturday. Horwitz has multiple position eligibility and could be an intriguing playoff pickup in fantasy.

 

Connor Wong (BOS): 3-4, HR, 2B, R, RBI.

It was a tough loss for Boston against the White Sox on Sunday, but Connor Wong did his part with 3 hits and a solo HR. The Red Sox catcher has had a very solid season at the plate and looks to have cemented his spot on their roster for 2025.

 

Connor Norby (MIA): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.

While Trevor Rogers was recently demoted by the Orioles, the Marlins could not be happier with the way Connor Norby is playing. After his multi-HR game on Sunday he now has 6 in his last 15 games and is hitting .333/.385/.717 in that span.

 

Randy Arozarena (SEA): 2-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

While the playoffs are probably out of the question for Seattle, Randy Arozarena is at least an exciting piece to look forward to next season. While it has been a down year for the 29-year-old, Arozarena has shown enough over the 2nd half of the season to think he can return to his former All-Star self.

 

Marcus Semien (TEX): 2-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, SB.

Speaking of down years, Marcus Semien has seen a significant downturn in his offensive production in 2024, with just 19 HRs and 6 stolen bases. The 33-year-old deserves the benefit of the doubt going forward, but Father Time could be getting to Semien. The fact that he played in all but one game between 2021 and 2023 could also be taking a toll on him.

 

Trey Sweeney (DET): 4-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.

The Detroit Tigers and their bevy of young hitters have been on a roll lately, and their 9-1 win over the A’s moved them to within 3.5 games of the last Wild Card spot. Trey Sweeney was the star of the show on Sunday, hitting his 3rd HR at the ML level to go along with three singles and his 2nd stolen base. Traded to Detroit as part of the Jack Flaherty deal, Sweeney has some deep league potential with his power/speed combo.

 

Shohei Ohtani (LAD): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.

We can’t talk about power/speed combos without mentioning the best in the game in Shohei Ohtani, who smacked his 46th HR of the season off Tanner Bibee. What he has done this season is downright incredible and it will be exciting to see if he can carry it over into his first trip to the playoffs.

 

Matt Chapman (SF): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, SB.

I was surprised to see that Matt Chapman now has 23 HRs and 15 stolen bases on the season. To go along with his Gold Glove-caliber defense, Chapman now has a .251/.334/.451 hitting line, a solid improvement over his last two seasons in Toronto.