Yordan’s Threepeat

Okay, so you may find the title misleading. He didn’t hit three home runs back-to-back-to-back. Yeah, but he three-peated on hits. AND more importantly, he did go back-to-back with the homers so…

We try not to feature players like Yordan Alvarez on here unless they do something spectacular. THAT was spectacular. What a horrible start to the Astros/Royals game for the pitchers…. But for us hitter sickos, it was pretty special. Alvarez smoked a two-run homer right off the bat, which was before all the other damage in the inning was done. The Astros batted around the Royals, clogging the bases for Yordan to hit a grand slam.

This game furthered Yordan’s lead over second for the American League home run title, and he ties Kyle Schwarber for the lead in all of baseball. He’s a much more well-rounded hitter than Schwarber, though. He’s square in the race for the batting title and has an on-base percentage well-above .400. He walks almost as much as he strikes out, and a good chunk of his outs are caused by good contact. He has absurd rate stats this season, and his expected stats are EVEN BETTER. He’s a complete and utter game-changer in fantasy and real life, and it’s awesome to see him at the peak of his powers.

Alvarez finished with a final line of 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI.

Yordan Alvarez (HOU): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday…

Bo Bichette (NYM): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI.

Yeah, part of me really wanted to feature Bichette as the featured player for the recap today. Not this time, Bo. With that said, he absolutely had his best night as a Met, putting up a dominant performance at the plate (bringing in six runs!!!!) against the team’s arch-rivals in Atlanta. It’s about time. Bichette has struggled mightily in nearly every offensive category, with that on-base percentage being exceptionally putrid. Every time I write about struggling players in a recap like this, I say that perhaps this is the game that will help them turn things around. Maybe this is that for Bo Bichette. It’s especially great to see him hitting two home runs, considering that his power production has seemingly diminished somewhat each season (barring his horrific injury-riddled 2024). I’m not super in on Bichette and honestly have always been the low man on him due to the bad plate discipline for a guy whose role is to get on base, but I do hope he can turn it around because he is fun when he gets hot.

Ceddanne Rafaela (BOS): 3-5, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, SB.

It was a combo meal, and also just complete and utter domination from Ceddanne Rafaela. After a tough series at the Trop, the Red Sox looked to bounce back, and they did big time. Rafaela led the charge, stuffing the stat sheet while being on cycle watch. He helped managers in every single category, and it was awesome. Rafaela can be a bit streaky and is perhaps a more valuable real-life player than fantasy player, but he now has a 120 wRC+ on the season. The Red Sox offense is pretty ugly this year, but it’s good to have production from Rafaela again. Hopefully, it sticks and doesn’t drop off like last season.

Wilyer Abreu (BOS): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.

Another Red Sox player who looked awesome in yesterday’s action was Wilyer Abreu. He’s been a slightly above-average hitter this season, with a wRC+ of 104 entering yesterday’s action. That rose to 112, in part because, like Rafaela, he stuffed the statsheet. Also, similarly to Rafaela, he hit two doubles, which are always welcome. Abreu is largely a solid power-hitting option for the Red Sox, though he’s hitting them out of the field at a rate he’s probably unhappy with. This can probably be attributed to his lack of pulling the ball in the air, as his pulled flyball percentage is down big from last year.

Liam Hicks (MIA): 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB.

Let’s be honest, I’m not sure even Liam Hicks or his family expected him to have this strong a start to 2026. He’s become an absolute must-roster player in fantasy, helping out pretty much everywhere except the stolen base department. He’s been known to be more of a contact hitter, focusing on putting balls into play instead of hitting them out of the yard. Yet, he’s doubled his home run total from last season, which is a very welcome development for the Marlins and fantasy managers. He’s doing this largely like Isaac Paredes, as every home run is to the pull side. He doesn’t have extreme pulled flyball numbers, though, just more than he used to. It’s working, and it’s showing why pulled flyballs are sneakily similar to barrels in terms of being ideal contact.

Gunnar Henderson (BAL): 3-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.

Despite being a below-average hitter by wRC+ this season, I am writing about Gunnar Henderson quite a bit, it seems. He shows up on Fridays. This was an excellent game from him against the Padres, as he got on base every time he came to the plate, showcasing the combination of contact, discipline and power that made him a star. I keep hoping to see the consistency, as he was a high-round draft pick in fantasy and looked to be the next possible 10-WAR player. While not as valuable at the plate this season, it’s impressive that he’s almost tied his home run total from last year. Just three more to go!

Alejandro Kirk (TOR): 3-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB.

He’s baaaaaack, and he’s already mashing! We missed you, buddy. Slap-hitting catchers don’t always have the most value in category-based leagues, but Kirk’s ability to keep hitting has made him one of those must-roster guys. In his first at-bat back from injury, he smoked a double deep into the park. He then had two more singles on the night, one of which was hit at a pretty impressive 106mph, which you don’t always see from Kirk, who is more of a quantity as opposed to quality-of-contact guy. He also took a walk, which is great to see, as if he’s walking a lot, he’s bound to be an on-base machine for a Blue Jays team that has desparately needed offensive reinforcements.

Miguel Vargas (CHW): 3-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB.

I saw a conversation online the other day about which players in Major League Baseball have the best eye at the plate. The obvious answer of Juan Soto was brought up, with players like Kevin McGonigle and Max Muncy rightfully given their flowers. It’s interesting, though, as Miguel Vargas is definitely on their level, and he’s just getting started. This excellent pitch recognition and lack of chase is driving his breakout, as he has a 145 wRC+ on the season and is helping fantasy managers out big time in most categories. Yesterday’s game marked an opportunity for revenge against his old club, which sent him to the Southside as part of the deal that netted the Dodgers Tommy Edman and Michael Kopech. While the Dodgers certainly needed those players for their 2024 ring, there is certain to be a fair bit of regret in the front office that they let such a strong hitter go. If your league has somehow missed the memo on his dominance, pick him up. He’s legit.

Byron Buxton (MIN): 3-3, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI, BB.

The world is a better place when Byron Buxton is playing well. I’m happy to report that he is indeed playing well. This was a pretty standard Buxton statline for the most part, as he gets a lot of extra base hits and is prone to having monster games like this. However, the walk is always fun to see, as that’s an area of his game that doesn’t always come through. I guess if you make good contact as much as Buxton does, you can swing away (well, actually don’t if it’s a bad pitch but you know what I mean). Buxton has been really sneaky with his greatness the last couple of years, as you don’t hear about him often. This is probably due to the Twins not being great and the seemingly inevitable injury risk, but he’s healthy and mashing!

Dominic Canzone (SEA): 2-4, 3B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Well, hot dang! The Dominator gave fans a statline as delicious as a good calzone. This was an excellent outing and one that certainly should put him on peoples’ radars, as he’s definitely one of the more underrated designated hitters in the game. He does have a bit of Joc Pederson disease, in that he sits often against lefties, largely because his numbers against them are shockingly bad. Against righties, though, he’s ready to dominate. He makes excellent contact due to great bat speed and launch angle management. In the second inning, he cleared the bases with what was his first career Major League triple! It would actually have been gone in a few parks, but I feel like this is one of the rare times he was probably okay with it not going out. Especially as he got one out in the eighth to make up for it.

Bryce Eldridge (SFG): 3-4, HR, R, RBI.

Yesterday’s game was certainly one to forget for the Giants. Though there was one impressive bright spot: Bryce Eldridge. Eldridge might just be the best hitter the Giants have developed since their dynasty days, as the top prospect is off to a scorching start to his career. He’s hitting at a 27-homer pace across a full season, which is really solid for a youngster who plays in a difficult offensive environment like San Francisco. The lefty hitter got another home run into right field today, and this one would clear the fences in most ballparks, unlike the crazy comeback walkoff grand slam he hit that was a unicorn homer, only out at Oracle Park. He has an elite combination of power and discipline, and he should be on your teams if available.