Petes of Strength

Pete Alonso (BAL): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Not much went right with the Orioles this season. But Pete Alonso (2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI) was certainly one of them. Last night he spoiled Trey Yesavage’s return with an oppo-shot (362 feet, 101.4 EV) in his first at-bat. However, he saved his best for last with a go-ahead two-run missile to left with two down in the eighth (400 feet, 112.9 EV).

Alonso’s 40th home run has him in a three-way tie with Olson and Alvarez for fourth on the home run leaderboard. His .869 OPS is 11th among qualified hitters, a few points behind Harper. Going back further, Alonso’s career 133 wRC+ ranks 13th among qualified hitters since he debuted in 2019. And his 304 home runs during that span rank second behind only Kyle Schwarber’s 318. Behind him? That would be Aaron Judge with 302. OK, fine, Alonso has about 900 more PAs than Judge. Still, the former Met has been as reliable a slugger as anyone, and not to mention he leads everyone with 817 RBI. Not too shabby.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday:

Hao-Yu Lee (DET): 3-5, 2 2B, R, RBI.

Lee, a 23-year-old rookie, is 9-for-his last 19. The Tigers have also given him more looks hitting second or third lately. He has a .757 OPS and 10 home runs through 340 PAs. But his 24.8% K rate is a little high for someone with fringe power. Let’s consider him a 15-team play.

Drew Gilbert (SFG): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Gilbert smacked his 11th home run on a letter-high cutter from Zebby Matthews while leading off the fifth. The 25-year-old lefty is slashing .237/ .327/ .396 across 384 PAs and is far off the fantasy radar as a part-time player in a lineup that is, well, not exactly a sight for sore eyes at the moment.

Yohandy Morales (WSN): 1-1, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Morales came off the bench with two down in the eighth and got the Nats on the board by going against the traffic on a knee-high sinker from lefty reliever Drew Sommers (349 feet, 100 EV). The 24-year-old rookie first baseman has produced a .973 OPS across 36 PAs, but he remains locked in a carousel for at-bats with Abimelec Ortiz and Andrés Chapparro.

Gunnar Henderson (BAL): 3-4, 3B, HR, R, RBI.

Henderson’s 24th was a solo shot off righty reliever Chad Dallas in the sixth. His career-low .718 OPS is backed by a hard-hit rate that has now fallen for the third consecutive season to 43.3%; that’s still over six points above the league average, but the Henderson who hit 37 bombs three years ago has felt more and more like a distant memory.

Emmanuel Rodriguez (MIN): 1-3, HR, R, RBI.

Rodriguez has struggled with whiffs since debuting on September 12th (35.3% K rate). However, we caught a glimpse of the power that made him a notable prospect last night: a solo shot into the Giants’ bullpen just to the left of straightaway center (411 feet, 106.8 EV). He showed promising potential, particularly for OBP leagues, with an 18.6% BB rate at Triple-A.

Brooks Lee (MIN): 1-4, HR, R, RBI.

Lee got the Twins on the board by parking a hanging slider from Blade Tidwell into Levi’s Landing (387 feet, 97.6 EV). If you were to have told me at the beginning of the season that Lee would have two more home runs than Ketel Marte (24) in just about the same number of PAs, I’d have laughed. But here we are. Lee’s .735 OPS is 80 points better than last year’s. I still don’t buy into it, though. His 91 Power is more what you’d expect from someone with a 20-home-run ceiling.

James Wood (WSN): 1-4, R.

An infield hit qualifies as a big night for Wood lately. It’s been a tale of two halves: he posted a 163 wRC+ before the All-Star Game, and an 80 wRC+ since. Nats manager Blake Butera recently benched him for not hustling. I wouldn’t read much into that. A tough learning lesson, if anything. Regardless, as Scott Chu mentioned in his most recent Hitter’s List, you have to stick with him and hope for the best. He can turn the tide with one good game. That wormburner single, by the way, led the game with an EV of 111. Well, hey, at least it’s something.

Spencer Torkelson (DET): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Tork grooved a high-and-tight 2-2 fastball from righty reliever Luis Perales for his 25th home run (380 feet, 97.1 EV). He has been a little more productive against RHP (113 wRC+) than LHP (107 wRC+). But a career-high 31.2% K rate has caused trouble. Regardless, he remains a solid bet if you’re chasing home runs (114 Power via PLV).

Christian Encarnacion-Strand (BAL): 1-3.

Speaking of power, CES has banged 10 home runs with a rock-solid .817 OPS in just over 201 PAs. He sat Sunday, but returned today and hit fifth against Yesavage, so if you have been rolling with him for power, you can keep the train rolling. His near 50% chase rate has me doubting his long-term outlook, but the power is legit (134 Power via PLV). For those in deep leagues, he’s probably one of the best home run darts available on the wire.

Jonah Cox (SFG): 1-4, 2B.

Cox continues to start for the Giants every night, making him an option for those seeking speed; he has 14 SBs on 18 attempts so far. Unfortunately, the strikeouts aren’t going away, as he earned the hat trick last night to go along with the double. Cox is riding a pretty ridiculous .464 BABIP right now, but, hey, maybe he can keep it going?

Featured image by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on Bluesky and X) and adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on Bluesky)