Mets’ greatest hitter conversation is relatively short one. I’d list Bonilla, but I’m talking past greats and he’s still on the payroll. Howard Johnson was awesome, definitely better hitter than motel. Mookie Wilson is just fun. Say “Mookie Wilson” and try not to smile. Gary Carter created the term “the F bomb,” and hit pretty well too! Mike Piazza hit well and has the back scars to prove it. Carlos Beltran should be in the Hall of Fame, but was it from his Mets years? Jose Reyes was ridiculous for his early 20’s, then disappeared. Keith Hernandez should be in the Hall but a lot of that is defense. David Wright? I want to say he’s the best retired Mets hitter, but there’s Darryl Strawberry. He’s the best Mets’ hitter I ever saw. Effortless. Yesterday, Pete Alonso (3-for-5, 3 runs, 3 RBIs) put an exclamation on his claim with his 27th and 28th homer, and he’s clearly not done. He passed Strawberry for all-time Mets’ career leader in homers with 253. Though, Strawberry still ran down the lines way more. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Clay Holmes – 3 2/3 IP, 5 ER, ERA at 3.71 vs. Spencer Strider – 4 IP, 8 ER, ERA at 4.69. This start was billed as, “I might like and/or love both of these guys next year, but in shallower redraft leagues, they’re not helping you. Holmes is borderline, Strider’s just a mess right now.”
Brandon Nimmo – 2-for-5, 2 runs, 3 RBIs and his 20th homer. Nimmo found one!
Francisco Alvarez – 3-for-4, 3 runs, 4 RBIs and his 5th and 6th homer. There’s still time for Fran-Al to figure his shizz out, which brings me to the next guy who is Mr. Time To Figure Himself Out:
Brett Baty – 2-for-4, 2 RBIs and his 13th homer, 2nd homer in two games. But at this point, he might be Mr. Time To Figure Himself Out Is Quickly Running Out, but it’s still there. For unstints, if he hits seven homers before season break, and has 20 HRs going into next year, that’s hopeful.
Ranger Suarez – 5 1/3 IP, 6 ER, ERA at 3.28. Career ERA in the 1st half is 2.89 IP. Career 2nd half ERA: Infinity. No, it’s around 3.90, but still. Out-pitched by Brady Singer is just so embarrassing.
Brady Singer – 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 hits, zero walks, 6 Ks, ERA at 4.31. Cool, plus he’s got Ranger Suarez making him look like Nolan Ryan and Bob Gibson’s offspring, Bob Ryan–The journalist? Meh, you know what I’m saying!
Miguel Andujar – 1-for-4 and his 8th homer, 2nd homer in three games, as he bats cleanup. Finally, Reds have a corner man with power! Okay, I’m giving the Reds crap. Obviously, Andujar is hot.
Josh Hader – Hit the IL with strained left shoulder. No word on how long this straining will sideline him, i.e., no date to circle on the colander. Bryan Abreu is a must-add in all leagues. He could be a top ten closer the rest of the way if Hader’s out, and Joe Espada doesn’t try to get too cute and use the lefty Bennett Sousa for lefty-heavy 9th innings. Thinking about how the Astros could’ve had Paredes and Sousa highlighting their team, and what we missed as a society. Sad trombone. Sighs loudly, that’s not even the right instrument! Sobbing, a Sousa is in the tuba family!
Alex Bregman – 2-for-5, 2 runs, 2 RBIs and his 16th homer, and 2nd homer in two games. He sure does like hitting in Houston, maybe it was seeing his old friends, Altuve, Correa, Rubbermaid. Lots of pushback yesterday with comments defending Bregman, when I said he was disappointing this year. Rightfully pointing out he missed time. His stats prorated are awesome. Of course, some of us are in leagues where you lose Bregman for six weeks, you actually do lose him and can’t wiggle your nose and get those stats that he missed while on the IL, but not all of us, apparently.
Carlos Narvaez – 2-for-4, 2 runs, 3 RBIs and his 10th homer. Opened his player page, thinking, “Had he got a hit in August?” Just thinking that is not good, and no, he hadn’t.
Roman Anthony – 1-for-2, 4 runs and a slam (4) and legs (3), 2nd homer in two games. Shh, don’t push up your 2026 draft price.
Dustin May – 6 IP, 0 ER, 6 baserunners, 8 Ks, ERA at 4.67 vs. Spencer Arrighetti – 5 IP, 2 ER, 1 hit, 5 walks, 3 Ks, ERA at 6.38. This matchup was billed in the preseason as, “Pure Cinema.” Then before the game, “Ernest Scared Stupid.” Now, “The Naked Gun, the new one.” It was solid, enjoyable even. It wasn’t as good as the original. Any hoo! I wouldn’t trust either of these guys explicitly, but they both obviously have upside, and can be solid.
Logan Allen – 5 IP, 2 ER, 8 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.94. Streamed Allen in one league, but mostly because I’m a whore for two-start weeks, and not necessarily because the Streamonator loved either.
Jose Ramirez – 3-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs and his 24th homer. If JoJo-Ram every faces JoJo-Rom, the universe could turn in on itself. Who’s for it? Okay, now who’s against it? Counted less hands against. Hmm.
Kyle Manzardo – 1-for-4 and his 21st homer, and 3rd homer in two games. Welp, I’m back to getting sonvabenched by Manzardo, because I have to start Naylor. This is a me problem.
Janson Junk – 5 IP, 3 ER, 6 hits, zero walks, 2 Ks, ERA at 4.06. Ironically (I don’t know if it’s irony, only Brits know irony), Junk does not waste any. Everything is in the zone, which makes the opponents earn their runs, and they do ish. Not a ton. That’s what ish means. Was that clear?
Felix Bautista – Will miss the rest of the season. That’s okay, the O’s have (fill-in name of guy I don’t want in fantasy) in the 9th. That guy is great! Sadly, Bautista’s shoulder injury is “significant” and if a team is saying that, he’s gonna miss time, if not all of 2026, but that won’t become apparent until April, when it’s too late.
Zach Eflin – Will miss the rest of the year with a lumbar microdiscectomy. They do those in aisle seven of Home Depot. By the sinks.
Dean Kremer – 8 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 4.17. Damn, strongly considered streaming Kremer. Only thing stopping me was that he was Dean Kremer. If Dean Kremer was like Kean Dremer? I might’ve done it!
George Kirby – 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 hits, zero walks, 7 Ks, ERA at 3.71. I will say this for M’s pitchers, even if their ERA isn’t amazing, their underlying stats always are.
Carlos Rodon – 7 IP, 1 ER, 1 hit, 2 walks, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.25. You might Carloss some, but you just Carwon one.
Aaron Judge – 1-for-2, 2 runs and a slam (38) and legs (7). Somebody must’ve heard he was falling into third on the season-long Player Rater. Yes, that’s likely what spurred him on. And only that.
Anthony Volpe – 1-for-4, 3 RBIs and his 18th homer. In solidarity with Volpe, the fan in the stands was in position for the home run ball but bobbled it and let it roll away.
Giancarlo Stanton – 4-for-5, 3 RBIs and his 12th homer, 2nd homer in two games, hitting .300. There was Discourse, capital D, that Giancarlo wasn’t a HOFer, and I nearly lost it. It being my cool.
Blaze Alexander – 1-for-3 and his 4th homer, and 2nd homer in two games. As I said yesterday when I wrote up Blaze Alexander — Hitter-Tron loved Alexander this week, so I grabbed him. Doesn’t need to be that much deeper for the final six weeks of the season.
Ketel Marte – 2-for-4, 2 RBIs and a slam (22) and legs (3). Topps should make a combo card with Blaze and Ketel called The Molotov Cocktail.
Miguel Vargas – 0-for-3, 1 run as he was activated from the IL. Making room for Vargas, Corey Julks was DFA’d. Julks on you, Corey!
Yoendrys Gomez – 5 IP, 1 ER, 1 hit, 1 walk, 7 Ks, as he was recalled up. He had a walk rate in the minors of 4.1, and it’s 5.6 BB/9 in the majors (he was in the majors earlier this year). You’re asking for a special kind of roofie’ing if you’re picking up a White Sox rookie with bad command.
Jack Flaherty – 4 1/3 IP, 5 ER, ERA at 4.76. This is on the Tigers too! A team that has good pitching coaches! Flaherty would be a 7.50 ERA guy on the Angels.
Colt Keith – 2-for-5, 3 RBIs and his 10th homer, hitting .263. Don’t push Cool Colt Keith because he’s close to the edge of being unrosterable.
Dillon Dingler – 1-for-2, 2 runs, 2 RBIs and his 11th homer, Hang ’em and bang’ em, it’s the Dingler way.
Jackson Merrill – 2-for-4 and his 9th homer. He’s been so bad this year I forgot about him. What a miserable sophomore season. Where does he go next year? Just inside the top 100?
Robbie Ray – 6 IP, 4 ER, 8 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 2.98. My pants are sadly much looser now.
Jose Berrios – 5 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 6 baserunners (4 BBs), 3 Ks, ERA at 3.74. Not an xFIP under 4 in three years, and three years of ERAs: 3.65, 3.60 and this year. Someone’s able to go outside in the rain without an umbrella and not get wet.
Daulton Varsho – 2-for-4, 2 runs and his 12th homer, 3rd homer in a week, 4th homer in eight days, a Beatles week. There is something to just riding hot hands on hot teams, and the Jays have been great and Varsho’s hot.
Andres Gimenez – 1-for-3 as he was activated from the IL. Don’t like that at all. Jays’ lineup didn’t need anyone else getting at-bats. We were at capacity!
Ernie Clement – 1-for-4, 3 RBIs and his 9th homer, 2nd homer in two games, third homer in three games, 4th homer in a week. One of the hottest schmotatoes in the land, your friend and mine, Ernie.
Javier Assad – 4 IP, 4 ER, as he was activated from the IL. He was out since February with an oblique injury. That might be our first pulling a Kotchman this year. A classic glossary term. Since it wasn’t an arm injury, I could see adding–Assadding, if you will–but at his best he’s a 7.7 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, which is a Streamonator call on most occasions. Plus, yesterday, he only went 70 pitches, so maybe wait a start or three.
Pete Crow-Armstrong – 0-for-4. 3-for-37 in August with zero runs, zero homers, zero RBIs, zero walks and 14 Ks. If you’re gonna make a wish with a genie, why ask for the wish to be, “Good through July?”
Vinnie Pasquantino – 2-for-3, 5 RBIs and his 21st homer. Pasketti and Manzardo don’t even know they’re going toe-to-toe for who will be drafted first of the two next year. Two Italians duking it out and I’m only thinking Manzardo is Italian because his last name ends in a vowel and might not be. “Give me a fantasy team with extra power!” “And hold the average!” “And hold the steals!” “Hey, Jimmy, give me power with nothing!” “Nothing???”
Nick Kurtz – 0-for-4 as he hit leadoff. Why? Kurtz as a leadoff man makes zero sense.
Jacob Lopez – 7 IP, 0 ER, 4 hits, zero walks, 9 Ks, ERA at 3.30. [biting wrist like Lenny and Squiggy] Just gave you my Jacob Lopez fantasy. I said he could be a sleeper for next year, so, yes, I like him.
Shane Baz – 7 IP, 4 ER, 8 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 4.93. Keep saying some form of “just don’t trust starters who are within earshot of a 5 ERA,” and not sure it’s getting through.
Shohei Ohtani – 1-for-3, 2 runs and his 43rd homer, hitting .284, four straight games with a homer. In this game, he also hit into a triple play, or one more out than massive financial crime that he’s been involved in but not privy to.
Emmet Sheehan – 5 IP, 5 ER, ERA at 3.86. Just trying to get out of August with my ratios intact, and no one is making it easy. Still like him, his numbers look solid, but he’s not been unlucky with a 3.86 ERA, if you follow.
Dalton Rushing – 2-for-3, 2 RBIs and his 2nd homer. Surprised to find him still on the Dodgers. Guess he’ll be traded this winter.
Alex Vesia – 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 1 hit, 3 walks, ERA at 2.76, and the blown save. They could’ve traded for a closer. They could’ve.
Taylor Ward – 2-for-5, 3 runs, 2 RBIs and his 28th homer. If you hit 32+ homers, and above .230, you have value in all leagues, no matter how shallow. And that’s where Ward is headed.
Freddy Peralta – 6 IP, 0 ER, 4 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 2.90. Brewers exploded for a bunch of runs, and FreddyKBB cruised out to the Ivictory Coast for a free night at the W.
Andrew Vaughn – 1-for-4, 3 RBIs and his 13th homer. We’re now realizing if he were drafted by the Brewers instead of the White Sox, we’d be debating Vaughn or Trout? Who’s better?
Christian Yelich – 3-for-3, 2 runs, 3 RBIs and his 23rd homer, 2nd homer in two games, hitting .265. For the last two preseasons, I bet Yelich to win the NL MVP, but not this year when he has a solid chance of coming in the top three behind Ohtani.
Caleb Durbin – 1-for-5, 2 RBIs and his 6th homer. Also, in this game, Sal Frelick (2-for-4, 3 runs, 2 RBIs) hit his 9th homer. What I said for Varsho about the Jays goes double for the Brewers.
Brice Turang – and his 2nd homer in two games, third homer in four games, and fourth homer in five games. How about some steals? Ha, such an ingrate. But seriously, run some more!
Paul Skenes – 4 IP, 4 ER, ERA at 2.13. Shut him down! Not seriously, but I wouldn’t mind it for my leagues where I don’t have him, which is all of them.
Oneil Cruz – Left the game after colliding with Suwinski. What’s the chances these two guys made contact at the same time?
