Trent Free
Trent Grisham (NYY): 2-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Aaron Boone calls his leadoff hitter The Big Sleep. And it’s easy to see why. He is as cool as the other side of the pillow in center, making catches that few could handle look easy. And he has done nefarious work in the batter’s box all year, in key spots too; he has four hits, three home runs, two walks, and 16 RBI in nine plate appearances with the bases juiced this season. Maybe it’s his 80-grade handlebar mustache or his classic, no batting gloves, grip-it-and-rip-it style, but whatever the case is, he has made pitchers sweat bullets. Two nights ago, we saw him completely unwind Framber Valdez with a grand slam to the Crawford Boxes. Last night, he went yard again, blasting a three-run shot with two down in the eighth, that more-or-less iced the game.
Grisham’s numbers are astounding. He entered the year, hitting .191 with an 87 wRC+ over his previous three seasons combined. That’s 1,288 plate appearances. He had 70 career home runs. He has 100 now! Yes, that’s 30 home runs for a guy whose previous best was 17. He is tied with Rafael Devers at 11th on the home run leaderboard. He entered the game with a 134 wRC+, second-best on the Yankees and eighth among qualified outfielders. Madness.
Still, it’s not completely out of nowhere. You might remember Grisham entering the fantasy fracas five years ago, when he was one of the few players to go 10-10 during the calamitous 60-game season. He doesn’t steal bases anymore, but his .352 OBP back then mirrors now. I have no idea what transpired over the previous three seasons, but he has unexpectedly righted the ship and made fantasy managers who scooped him off waivers pleased as punch. I guess the only downside is that his pulled flyball approach might drag his batting average down a few ticks. Regardless, if you are wondering if the results are deserved, check out his PLV metrics: a 122 DV+, 112 Power+, and 120 Process+. Air-tight swing decisions and power. Yep, he’s a certified menace.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Thursday:
Luke Keaschall (MIN): 4-5, R, RBI, SB.
We haven’t seen Keaschall hit leadoff yet, but it worked well (Bryon Buxton sat). Well, you know, minus the Twins losing. Anyway, the 22-year-old rookie has nine steals on 11 attempts and entered last night’s rain-delayed game against the White Sox, slashing .311/.406/.496 through 138 plate appearances. Keaschall’s 11.8% walk and 13.2% strikeout rates fit the mold as a top-of-the-order catalyst. However, he’s probably a tick below average in the home run category, considering his 92 Power+.
Bobby Witt Jr. (KCR): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.
Ryan Zeferjahn had Witt right where he wanted him, with the bases empty, two down, and a 0-2 count. A 97 mph heater on the hands ought to do the trick. Nope! Witt’s 21st of the year (398 feet, 103.8 EV) proved to be the game-winner in a 4-3 triumph over the Angels. Witt’s Power+ is down a bit relative to last year (128 to 115). Still, he is within earshot of his third consecutive 30-30 season, and that is probably all that matters.
Kyle Teel (CHW): 3-5, 2B, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, SB.
Teel might have deserved the lead with this line. But, alas, I can’t get over Grisham’s comeback this year. Anyway, Teel’s sixth tater of the year was huge; a game-tying, three-run jack in the seventh off righty reliever Travis Adams. And it was an absolute laser beam down to the right field foul pole (413 feet, 113.7 EV). The big night has the rookie lefty hitting .293 with a .830 OPS. His work is backed by good PLV metrics, including a 108 Power+ and a 111 Process+. One of Chicago’s top prospects, he has lately become a fixture, hitting third or better since August 19th (he hit second last night). Teel is available in plenty of leagues (17% rostered on Yahoo!), and I can’t think of a reason not to go after him if you are bored with your current catcher.
Colson Montgomery (CHW): 1-2, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB.
After Teel’s game-tying bomb, Lenyn Sosa led off the ninth by reaching base on a throwing error by Royce Lewis. Colson Montgomery followed, working a full count against reliever Noah Davis before unloading a 94 mph heater over the heart of the plate. Unloaded is an understatement; the ball landed in the upper deck in right-center (454 feet, 111.6 EV). That’s 16 dingers in 180 at-bats. Needless to say, the young fella has some thump in his stick (124 Power+). Strikeouts, though, have been, and will likely remain his Achilles heel (87 Contact Ability+). Still, his sort of power is really hard to find in the middle infield.
Yordan Alvarez (HOU): 4-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Fantasy managers who took Yordan in the second round got unlucky. But he has rolled since returning on the 26th, going 14-for-28. Last night, he spoiled an otherwise solid performance from Carlos Rodón by sending a 2-1 slider that caught too much of the plate over the left-center fence for a game-tying solo shot in the third (394 feet, 101 EV). He made things a little closer in the ninth with a two-run single on a bloop that Anthony Volpe couldn’t get, and is slashing .273/.373/.438 through 158 plate appearances.
Kyle Manzardo (CLE): 1-2, HR, R, RBI, BB.
The Guardians lost, but they made it a ballgame late, with José Ramírez and Manzardo going back-to-back off Pete Fairbanks. Manzardo has done solid work in his first full season, hitting .232 with 25 home runs and a 112 wRC+. His 115 Power+ is legit. However, his splits have made him a borderline option in standard leagues, with him hitting .179 with a 93 wRC+ against left-handers.
Bryan Reynolds (PIT): 2-3, 2 R, RBI, BB.
Reynolds has had an awful season, hitting .244 with a 98 wRC, both career lows, ignoring 2020. But last night was noteworthy, though, as he tattooed a 113.5 mph line drive off Blake Snell, which is the hardest-hit ball of his career. The bat speed is there, at least. His 115 Power+ is about a standard deviation above the normal, which is to say, his 15 home runs aren’t indicative of his true talent. I’d have him underlined as a buy-low for next season.
Matt Wallner (MIN): 1-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB.
That’s 21 for Wallner. And, hey, this one came against a lefty. Wallner’s PLV metrics are good, including a 109 DV+, 115 Power+, and a 107 Process+. However, his 81 Contact Ability+ means a gruesome batting average, and given the Twins’ ragged lineup, it might not be worth the torment; he has just 36 RBI.
Luis Rengifo (LAA): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Rengifo started the scoring, hooking a slider from Noah Cameron just inside the left-field foul pole for his fifth of the year (384 feet, 108.2 EV). He had some intriguing numbers last year, hitting .300 on the nose with 24 stolen bases and a 119 wRC+. However, that hasn’t translated this season, with him hitting .245 with a 76 wRC+ across 479 PAs, the latter nearly matching his career high from two seasons ago (511). Rengifo has also performed better against left-handers (106 wRC+) than right-handers (86 wRC+) for his career, another reason to avoid him in standard leagues.
Vinnie Pasquantino (KCR): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.
The Pasquatch is hitting .256 with a 110 wRC+, not too different from last year’s .262 and 109. However, this was his 29th home run, ten more than he had last year in about 30 fewer plate appearances. His Power+ has gone up, but perhaps not as much as you’d think, jumping from 97 to 103, just a few points above league average. His Contact Ability+, meanwhile, has dipped from 128 to 120. Still, that seems like a good tradeoff if it means a few more home runs.
Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire | Featured image by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on Bluesky and X) and adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky
