Bryce Harper (PHI): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB.
In case you’ve forgotten, Bryce Harper is still really good at baseball. He extends his current 12-game hit streak with two doubles and a home run on Thursday, giving him five straight games with an extra-base hit and four multi-hit performances in his last seven games while tacking on two walks for good measure. His three runs and four RBI on Thursday give him the same number of RBI as games played through September thus far, thanks in part to his seven long balls in the month.
Harper’s .314/.428/.627 slash on the season places him third in the NL in batting average, second in on-base percentage and second in slugging. The Phillies only have one more scheduled day off between now and the end of the season, so Harper should see plenty of opportunities to push his team into the playoffs as he undoubtedly will continue to push his fantasy teams through theirs.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Thursday:
Willson Contreras (CHC): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Despite a couple of injury concerns and overall mundane season line of .228/.332/.418 with a 105 wRC+ through 440 plate appearances, Willson Contreras has continued to provide plenty of value for his fantasy rosters in 2021. After hitting a solo shot in the sixth inning, the Cubs’ primary backstop now has 19 long balls on the season, placing him second among National League catchers, behind just Los Angeles’ Will Smith, in the category.
Alex Bregman (HOU): 2-5, R, 4 RBI, BB.
Alex Bregman has reached base in every game since returning from the IL in late August, stringing together 18 straight and collecting a hit in all but two of those games along the way. Though just six of his 25 hits in that time have gone for extra bases (three doubles, three home runs), Bregman has totaled 17 RBI and seven multi-hit performances, bringing his slash line up to .379/.440/.561 through his last 75 plate appearances and is providing more than just name value to rosters down the stretch.
Carlos Correa (HOU): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.
The Carlos Correa showcase season continues as the current Astros’ shortstop continues to put his best foot forward before hitting the shortstop-heavy open market this offseason. Correa should easily cross the 600 plate appearance mark (he currently sits at 582) — the first time he’s done so since 2016 — and is on pace to set new career highs in just about every counting stat, mostly due to his ability to stay healthy enough throughout the season.
Jean Segura (PHI): 3-6, 3 R, 3 RBI.
Jean Segura broke his modest eight-game hit streak on Wednesday, going hitless in a start for just the second time this month, but made up for it and then some with a three-hit game Thursday. Thanks to some good opportunities provided and the production of the Phillies’ lineup behind him, Segura was able to match his hits (all singles) with a trio of runs scored and RBI on the game as well. Segura has struck out just three times through 60 plate appearances this month, and his September line of .321/.367/.464 is undoubtedly helping fantasy teams push through their H2H playoffs.
Odúbel Herrera (PHI): 2-5, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.
Regardless of the added hype that has surrounded Odúbel Herrera at different points of the season, he has put together a perfectly average season. The Philadelphia outfielder brought his season-long wRC+ up to 97 with his two-hit performance Thursday, just three ticks below your average replacement. Despite collecting 14 hits through 13 games played in September, Herrera has not done much else as of late, which is especially unfortunate considering he’s hitting at the top of the lineup in front of the aforementioned Harper, Segura, and McCutchen.
Andrew McCutchen (PHI): 2-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Oh, I realize now that there’s a lot of Phillies on this list. That’s what a short slate and a 17-run game will do I guess. Andrew McCutchen earned his way here with a pair of doubles, something he’s only done three times this season, and a pair of RBI and runs scored on the day. Despite the nice performance Thursday, McCutchen has not been able to get on the same role as some of his other aforementioned teammates, now hitting .204 through September. His 34% hard-hit rate and nearly 45% fly-ball rate on the month may help explain his .222 BABIP, but it also predicts that without a quick change in the final two weeks that we may see more of the same to finish off the season.
Josh Harrison (OAK): 4-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI.
So yeah, Josh Harrison is now leading off for the A’s and he seems to have taken a liking to it. Since moving to the top of the order on a regular basis for Oakland at the end of August, Harrison is slashing .324/.346/.392 and while he hasn’t provided much any pop in that time, the positional Swiss army knife has provided great value in most other areas, especially in daily move leagues where he can fill in and produce in almost every position at a moments’ notice. With the Athletics only having one more scheduled off day themselves, Harrison should continue to get plenty of run down the stretch and should be rostered across the board.
Salvador Perez (KC): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Another day, another home run for Salvador Perez. Ho-hum. As Nick Pollack would say, this guy is dope and you should feel dope for rostering him. Enjoy the ride the rest of the way as Perez battles with Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr./strong> for the American League (and MLB) home run crown in the final two weeks of the season.
Featured Imaged by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter)