No Smada on the major leagues, but we pulled Rhys in to cover the highest level of baseball in the land.

MLB - Rhys White

Jackson Holliday, 2B BAL (MLB) 0-for-3

Jackson Holliday’s baserunning mishap kept the Tigers’ postseason dreams alive, and for that, I’m forever indebted to him. Is Holliday secretly a Detroit sleeper agent after hearing all those Tarik Skubal trade rumors? I didn’t think he’d struggle this much, but here we are. He’s been having some trouble with left-handed pitching. This might just be a slight blip in his production, though, and he could really take off next offseason. What I’m getting at is that Holliday could be a great buy-low candidate, especially if he’s rostered by a reactionary manager in your league.

Cade Povich, LHP BAL (MLB) 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K 

13 swings and misses, sheesh. I’ll definitely be picking up some shares of Povich after outings like this. That four-seam/sweeper combo really does things to me. I would like to see him dial in the command a bit more, though—a near 10% walk rate with some homer issues isn’t exactly a recipe for success.

Trey Sweeney, SS DET (MLB) 2-for-5, 2B, R 

Dillon Dingler, C DET (MLB) 2-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI, BB

Jace Jung, PH DET (MLB) 1-for-1, 2B

The young Tigers, baby! I haven’t been this excited about a Tigers team since 2016, when I was 19. Trey Sweeney is a major league-caliber defender, but you really have to squint when he’s up at bat. If he provides anything offensively, he’s viable in the deepest of deep leagues. Same with Dillon Dingler—I only roster him because I need a minimum number of Tigers in a 30-teamer. The dream is that he hovers around a top 15-18 catcher with some speed. He’s more viable in two-catcher leagues, but why do we do this to ourselves? They’re gross. As for Jung, still no homers at the major league level, but you won’t hear him talking about it—don’t put that in the papers!

Elly De La Cruz, SS CIN (MLB) 3-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI

Elly is definitely something else! His combination of power and speed makes him an outlier, even with that high strikeout rate. Sometimes, tools like his are just too good to overlook. 25/65 is crazy!

Rhett Lowder, RHP CIN (MLB) 5 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K 

Lowder will always worry me because the whiffs aren’t ever going to be crazy with him, and he pitches in the worst homer park in the league—at least until we get a team in Mexico City. Nine swings and misses are fine, and there is some value in rostering him, but in a tiebreaker scenario, I’d rather have a pitcher who won’t have half of his starts at Great American. Lowder settles in as a nice SP4/SP5 type; you just have to pick and choose your spots with him.

Mark Vientos, 3B NYM (MLB) 0-for-5, 5 K 

An Olympic rings moment for the Mets' third baseman of the future. It's wild to me that it took the team this long to realize Vientos was better than Baty.

Brady Singer, RHP KC (MLB) 5.1 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, BB, 6 K, 4 HR Allowed 

Rough day at the office. 

Wyatt Langford, LF TEX (MLB) 2-for-4, R, BB, SB 

Twelve homers and sixteen stolen bases isn’t a bad rookie year, especially if the expectations weren’t unrealistic. Sure, more power would be nice, but that should come in time—it’s incredibly tough to hit major league pitching. Next season, we could see a breakout from Langford, as he’s already shown flashes of the tools that made him such a highly regarded prospect. The dream scenario is he takes that next step and hits 20 homers next year.

Jackson Merrill, CF SD (MLB) 2-for-3, R, RBI, BB

Merrill might be the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year based on odds, but if I were a betting man, I’d actually put my money on Paul Skenes. It’s a narrative-driven award, and Skenes has the better story going for him. That’s not to take anything away from Merrill—he’s been fantastic—but it’s hard to overlook a pitcher who could be the best in the National League. As good as Merrill has been in center field, Skenes just feels like the type of player who garners more attention for an award like this.

Triple-A -Matt Thomspon

Orelvis Martinez, 3B TOR (Triple-A) 3-for-5, 2 R, K

Martinez should be in the mix for a starting infield spot with the Blue Jays entering 2025, and he’s showing some versatility by playing exclusively third base since coming back from his suspension. There’s big power here but it’s completely fair to wonder how much of it is real. 

Oswald Peraza, 3B NYY (Triple-A) 3-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI

A double-dong day for Peraza as he makes a push to make the Yankees playoff roster. The versatility certainly gives him a chance. I expect more bouncing between Triple-A and the big leagues next year. Hes a nice player to have around.

Ben Rice, C NYY (Triple-A) 2-for-5, HR

Can he be good enough defensively to function as the backup catcher? He hits left-handed so he’s not a natural fit to mix with Austin Wells. Is there enough bat to be a first baseman/DH? Lots of questions here. 

Zack Thompson, LHP STL (Triple-A) 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Thompson has been pitching well of late but I can never recommend him to anyone for fantasy outside of a spot start. 

Eddys Leonard, SS DET (Triple-A) 4-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, K, SB

A double-dong for the Tigers utility man of the future. He also added a stolen bag. The former Dodgers prospect can hit a bit, and while the ceiling isn’t all that high theres a path to be a useful fantasy option in that role.

Tyler Freeman, 2B CLE (Triple-A) 5-for-6, HR, 2 2B, 4 RBI, SB

Freeman’s hit tool just hasn’t played up at the big league level. He’s also showing more power than he ever has, and I’m sure those two things are related. He’s a low-upside option going forward in dynasty.

Jackson Rutledge, RHP WSH (Triple-A) 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

September has been his best month of the season ERA wise but the peripheral stats haven’t been there. Too many walks for Rutledge, and while it is nice to just see him out here healthy I do wonder how much longer he will remain a starter.

Brandon Birdsell, RHP CHC (Triple-A) 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, BB, 10 K

Birdsell has been really good since getting to Iowa and this is his best start of the year. He commands and sequences really well despite the lack of fastball velocity. If you’re into scouring the landscape for the next Kyle Hendricks type this might be him. Swap out the changeup for a breaking ball and you might have it.

Jett Williams, SS NYM (Triple-A) 2-for-4, 2B, 3 R, BB, K

Williams is really good. Gotta love guys that just get on base all the time.

Drew Gilbert, OF NYM (Triple-A) 1-for-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB

It’s still been a bit of a lot season for Gilbert but he’s finishing really strong. He’s going to be in the outfield mix in 2025 for the Mets. He’s a 20 homer type bat that should provide averagish projection.

Kodai Senga, RHP NYM (Triple-A) IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K

I thought he was done for the season but there’s a chance he can contribute out of the bullpen if the Mets make a deep playoff run. Good sign for a normal start to 2025 here too. 

Jakob Marsee, OF MIA (Triple-A) 3-for-3, RBI, BB

Marsee has been quiet since the trade to the Marlins organiation but he’s a dude im interested in for 2025. The Marlins have no clearcut centerfield option and while he may be a tad stretched in cetner he’s still the best offensive option they have there. 

Roman Anthony, OF BOS (Triple-A) 2-for-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB, SB

Roman is just really good. Sorry, not much more analysis needed there.

Dalton Rushing, OF LAD (Triple-A) 3-for-6, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI

Rushing’s Triple-A production has been nearly identical to his work in Double-A. He’s hitting .279/.396/.522 with nine homers in 36 games since moving to the outfield. He’s really good, and could provide something similar to an Arozarena without the steals in fantasy.

Ryan Ward, OF LAD (Triple-A) 2-for-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB, K

A double-dong for Ward, one of the better organizational soldiers that you will find. I’m hopeful he gets a big league opportunity soon because the power is monstrous. 

James Outman, OF LAD (Triple-A) 4-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, K

I’m still in on Outman as we enter 2025. He’s the Dodgers best option in centerfield, assuming they move Edman back to the infield. The power and speed are legit tools and they will give him another opportunity. 

Tony Gonsolin, RHP LAD (Triple-A) 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, 6 K

Time is the biggest enemy here. Gonsolin has time for one more controlled outing before we the playoffs and I think the Dodgers might need him with how their pitching situation is looking. At worst he should be good to go with no restrictions in early 2025.