Three Up:
1. New York Yankees Outfielder Aaron Judge — The slugger continues to cement his MVP season with another monster week. Judge hit .500 with four home runs, six RBIs and nine runs scored. Judge’s season is historic. He is now batting .316 with 59 home runs, 127 RBIs, 122 runs scored, 16 stolen bases and a 1.120 OPS. The more underrated aspect of Judge is his speed. He has the potential to finish with 20 stolen bases.
2. Houston Astros Outfielder Yordan Alvarez — Like Judge, Alvarez has been slugging all season and making an impact for fantasy managers. Alvarez finished the week hitting .520 with five home runs, 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored. The outfielder is hitting .304 with 37 home runs, 93 RBIs and 90 runs scored in only 122 games played. If Alvarez didn’t land on the injured list in July, he may be pushing 50 home runs. The 25-year-old could be a nice bet for 2023 American League MVP.
3. San Diego Padres Starting Pitcher Yu Darvish — It’s been a really strong September for the right-hander, as Darvish has allowed just three earned runs total in four starts. Even more impressive, Darvish has pitched at least six innings in every start but two. At the age of 36, Darvish is proving to still be durable and effective. Overall, the righty has a 3.05 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 183 strikeouts and 15 wins.
Three Down:
1. Colorado Rockies First Baseman C.J. Cron — It’s pretty simple with Cron. When he’s playing at home, he’s a stud. When the Rockies are on the road, he’s a mediocre player. Cron finished the week hitting .111 with eight strikeouts and no home runs. For the season, Cron is batting .297 with 21 home runs at home and .226 with seven home runs on the road. The overall numbers are fine, as he’s batting .261 with 28 home runs, 97 RBIs and 76 runs scored. The good news? The Rockies are about to play seven home games this upcoming week, so Cron is about to give fantasy owners a huge boost with only a couple weeks of the season left.
2. Philadelphia Phillies Outfielder Bryce Harper — The reigning National League MVP continues to struggle since returning from the injured list. This past week, Harper collected only three hits while striking out seven times. In 20 games since coming back, Harper is batting .222 with only two home runs and has 22 strikeouts. The Phillies desperately need their slugger to get hot as they try to hold on to the final wild-card spot. As a person who bet on the Phillies to make the playoffs, I would like to see that as well. Fantasy managers trying to win a championship need Harper to get on a streak in the final couple of weeks.
3. Boston Red Sox Designated Hitter J.D. Martinez — The 35-year-old finished the week hitting .222 with no home runs and only one RBI. It’s been a disappointing season for Martinez despite the .272 batting average. I don’t put much stock in the shortened 2020 season, so his .423 slugging percentage this year would be his lowest full-season slugging percentage since 2013. Martinez only has 11 home runs, surprising for a hitter who mashed more than 40 home runs twice in his career. Fantasy managers drafted Martinez for his power, which has not manifested this year.
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