Corners Report: Stretch Run Tidbits

Apologies for last week to my many, many fans, it was a great week, though, and there really wasn’t time to put into this what it needs to be. I had thought to do ranks, but then thought “why?” How does that help people win their leagues?

So let’s go into more guys whose struggles and successes aren’t yet reflected in their season-long stats. And pour one out for Nick Kurtz and his season-ending thumb injury.

Michael Busch has been a disappointment, to say the least, and shows no signs of snapping out of this. In fact, “this” is probably just a baseline of what to expect. Manager Craig Counsell already is talking about plans for a backup 1B; conveniently, Matt Shaw is slated to return from injury and hits lefties well, while Busch hits nobody well. He is left-handed so he will keep getting those at bats. Keep him around in an OBP league, but man, this has been a rough ride, and he looks to be moving to part-time duty soon.

Verdict: Still good in OBP leagues but feel free to upgrade if you can.

In better news in Cubland, Alex Bregman seems to have staved off Father Time for a bit. In his last encouraging week, he went deep four times and hit .313. I have no confidence that the power will stick (Wrigley saps pull power from righties), but he seems to be a reliable bat at third base going forward.

Verdict: Yeah, he’s back.

Zac Gelof is doing his best Kurtz impersonation with three home runs in his last seven games, slugging almost .900 in that time. Yes, you should be doing what you need to do to get him. He’s fourth overall, like all hitters, in the last seven. That’s not bad, right?

Verdict: Ride the train and sit back and enjoy the view.

Abimelec Ortiz is your new 1B in Washington. Five home runs in his first 40 AB will get attention. He’s smacking it around, no question, hitting .300 as well and a good hard hit rate. Only question is the walks. He has just one. He’d also seen his prospect sheen dim. Ortiz was not a top ten 1B prospect league-wide, and was the 19th rated prospect. He looks from here to be on a heater, and the league adjustment will be something to monitor.

Verdict: Get him but move quickly.

Manny Machado is off that heater he was on. Another could be coming, but what a disappointment he’s been. He was supposed to be the safe guy! He’s been about as safe as fingers on the Fourth of July or swimming after dusk in the ocean. You have to downgrade him for next year, and forever, really, since this possibility exists. The long run of second round ADP ends next year for Manny.

Verdict: Very sad

Just when Vlad Guerrero Jr. starts lacing some liners, he goes on the concussion IL. It’s comical, actually, how hard this season has been with injured corners. Still gonna buy the dip next year.

Ryan O’Hearn is done for the year, probably.    Vinnie Pasquantino might be floating around, and he just came back from injury and would be a solid replacement. There’s likely nobody on waivers with his upside, and 46% of leagues don’t roster him. He was hitting well before the injury; I like him as a possible difference maker down the stretch.

Finally, Jared Young of the Mets is making some noise that I, for one, missed because, well, you know, Mets. Playing regularly for the first time at age 30, he’s batting .271 with nearly an .800 OPS. August has been even better: .333 average and a couple HR in 12 games. The metrics suggest some overperformance, but hey, we’ve seen guys pop off to end seasons before. If you need a guy, Young is worth checking into while he’s hot.

Well, hope as we move toward September that you guys have some chips to chase. For accountability, I’m in first in two local leagues, seventh in TGFBI after losing my five starting OF to injury, 10th in Razzslam cuz I can’t figure out the best ball format, and tenth in the Commentators league because I did a terrible job. Hope some of this helps!