No Peña, No Gain
Jeremy Peña (HOU): 4-6, 2 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI.
The Houston Astros are in a dogfight in the American League West with the Texas Rangers, their interstate rival.
Granted, this isn’t a dogfight between two big St. Bernards or German Shepherds. Rather, it’s like a battle between a Yorkshire Terrier and a Chihuaha, as both teams are under .500 at 80-81.
However, the Astros kept pace with the Rangers on Saturday, beating the Athletics by double digits to set up an interesting final day of the season in the Lone Star State. If the Astros win tomorrow, they win the division. If they lose and the Rangers win, Texas will become AL West champs (Houston holds the tiebreaker).
Jeremy Peña helped the Astros inch one game closer to the MLB Postseason on Saturday.
The 29-year-old Houston shortstop hit two home runs and had four hits and four RBI in the Astros’ victory in Sacramento. It was a nice performance to see from Peña, especially since he’s struggled so much in September. In 91 plate appearances this month, he’s hitting .213 with a .632 OPS. This follows an August in which he hit .204 with a .672 OPS.
On a positive note, Peña has hit for more power after the All-Star Break. He has 15 home runs after the All-Star Break compared to just six in the first half. However, he’s hitting just .257 with a .298 OBP after the All-Star Break, including nine walks and 78 strikeouts. Peña has hit the ball hard when making contact, but the whiffs and chase have been an issue, which was the case in previous years.
The former third-round pick has been a Top-10 fantasy offensive player this year, even though he has fewer than 500 plate appearances under his belt. While not the most complete player (the walks and strikeouts will limit his ceiling), it wouldn’t be surprising to see Peña get some helium in fantasy drafts this winter.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday
Brayan Rocchio (CLE): 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI.
The Guardians clinched another AL Central title (sigh), and Rocchio had a big day, hitting his 14th and 15th homers of the year against a struggling Royals team. The Cleveland shortstop has been known more for his glove than his bat, but he’s had a solid year with 15 homers, 20 stolen bases, a .253 average, and a .704 OPS. Rocchio will still be in the lower tier of fantasy shortstops, but he could be a fringe option in 2027 if the bat continues to develop.
Hunter Goodman (COL): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
The Rockies played spoiler to the White Sox, as their win over the South Siders helped Cleveland clinch. Goodman was the primary catalyst in the Colorado win, hitting two home runs to bring his season total to 41. The 26-year-old catchers swings and misses a lot (33.9% whiff rate and 30.6% K%), but it’s hard to argue with his power production, especially from the catcher position.
Patrick Bailey (CLE): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Bailey also helped the Guardians clinch on Saturday, hitting two home runs and collecting three RBI in their 11-5 win. Allowing four total home runs from an opposing team’s No. 8 and 9 hitters isn’t a recipe for success for a pitching staff, but this Royals team is 68-93 for a reason. Bailey has nine home runs and a .599 OPS this year, so he should be a non-factor in fantasy in nearly all formats in 2027.
Ronny Mauricio (NYM): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Mauricio has struggled again, hitting .196 with a .599 OPS in 58 plate appearances this season. However, Saturday’s performance showed what he can do when he’s locked in. He hit two home runs and drove in three runs in a 7-1 Mets win over the Nationals. Mauricio may still have potential, but he’ll likely need to go somewhere else to fully realize that upside.
Junior Caminero (TBR): 2-3, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Caminero hit his 42nd home run of the year, and also collected two RBI and scored three runs in a 12-1 victory in Philadelphia. After today’s game, Caminero has 100 runs and 101 RBI this season. Caminero has been one of the league’s most dynamic offensive players this year, and he showed that his home run numbers weren’t solely tied to his Minor League stadium last season.
Andrew Benintendi (CHW): 1-2, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.
The White Sox lost, but Benintendi gave Chicago life with a bottom-of-the-ninth home run. It wasn’t enough, as the White Sox still lost by three runs. For the year, Benintendi has 15 home runs and a .715 OPS in 468 plate appearances. He’s a platoon bat at this point in his career, but he’ll be an interesting bat for Chicago in the postseason.
Manny Machado (SDP): 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.
The Padres killed Arizona’s postseason hopes and dreams with a 10-7 win on Saturday. Machado was one of San Diego’s standout performers, with two hits, including a home run, and three RBI. It hasn’t been a great year for Machado, as he is hitting .216 with a .710 OPS this year. However, he has 30 home runs (his most since 2023), and is hitting better in the second half (though the power is down). That’s a good sign for San Diego as they head into the postseason next week.
Drake Baldwin (ATL): 3-5, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Atlanta beat the Marlins 8-3 in Miami on Saturday, solidifying their place at the top of the NL East. They also got another banner day from Baldwin: three hits, two RBI, and a home run, his 25th of the year. After winning NL Rookie of the Year last year, Baldwin has improved his batting average, OBP, OPS, and has six more homers. Atlanta will be set at catcher for a good while.
Danny Jansen (TEX): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The Rangers did what they were supposed to do on Saturday. Now they need to win on Sunday and hope the Astros lose to make the postseason. Jansen had a nice performance on Saturday, with two hits and his seventh homer of the year. Could Jansen do that again on Sunday? They may need it, especially with so much on the line in the final game of the MLB season.
