Bo Bichette (TOR): 3-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, SB.
Bo Bichette continues his torrid season on his way to the 25-25 club after going three for five with a pair of RBI, belting his 22nd home run and stealing his 22nd base of the season on Thursday. This marks his fourth combo meal on the year. The three-hit night was a welcome sight in New York as the Blue Jays’ shortstop failed to collect a hit throughout the recent four-game series heading into Thursday’s finale. It will take a bit more than a three-game hitless streak to bring down the shine on what has been a very successful 2021 campaign for the 23-year-old. Expect Bichette to get some first-round love in next year’s drafts.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Thursday
Hunter Dozier (KC): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
If your fantasy team benefitted from Hunter Dozier’s two-hit performance on Thursday, it probably isn’t doing too well (sorry) as it’s probably also absorbed his three-week skid of .161/.238/.179 heading into Thursday’s matchup. Typically one may be solace in knowing Dozier is still finding just about every day playing time, though his volume is doing more harm than good and the Royals’ utility corner has been nothing short of detrimental to fantasy rosters as of late and should be avoided until he can string together a few more games like this one.
Nicky Lopez (KC): 3-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Listen, I’m going to editorialize here a little bit. Nicky Lopez, I’m happy to see some pop. I really am. But let’s be honest — you weren’t added to all those fantasy rosters to chip in a home run every few weeks. What happened to the guy who stole eight bags in seven games? That’s who we want down the stretch. Regardless, the 54 hits through your last 60 plate appearances aren’t hurting anything so I can look the other way…for now.
Lane Thomas (WSH): 2-3, 3B, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB.
Since joining the Nationals halfway through August, Lane Thomas has put together a .300/.380/.500 through 92 plate appearances, and that was before his multi-hit performance on Thursday. He’s spent a majority of his time at the top of the Washington lineup, even long before Victor Robles was demoted, and has scored 14 runs through 22 games despite the overall lack of production from the new-look National’s offense.
Luis García (WSH): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Luis García has strung together a nice little string of performances as of late, collecting five multi-hit performances in his last 10 games. The overall volume of playing every day at second base for the Nationals and the collection of hits has done little to add to García’s counting stat total, however, perhaps being attributed to spending most of his time hitting one spot above the pitcher in the lineup. Since his most recent call-up just before the trade deadline, Garcia has played 40 games and has amassed just 19 runs scored and 10 RBI, while slashing .234/.270/.397. If Washington decides to move García up in the order he could provide more production for fantasy rosters in the final two weeks, assuming he can continue his recent success at the plate. Until then, just keep an eye on him for your 2022 drafts.
Stephen Vogt (ATL): 2-2, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Happy Birthday Stephen Vogt. No, it wasn’t actually his birthday yesterday, but he sure did celebrate as if it was with his pair of solo shots in Thursday’s game against the Nationals. The performance marked just the fourth time in Vogt’s career he’s blasted two balls over the fence in one game, the last one coming back in June of 2017. As fun as this was to see, Vogt typically provides a perfect blend of lacking production and playing time that should keep him off all fantasy radars for the remainder of the season.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (MIA): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, SB.
The combo meal for Jazz Chisholm was his fourth of the season and brings him that much closer to a 20-20 season. The Miami rookie now sits at 15 home runs and 19 stolen bases on the year, and now heads into the weekend trying to pad those stats to get back in the NL Rookie of the Year conversation.
Javier Báez (NYM): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 SB.
The Mets knew what they were getting when they traded for Báez at the deadline, as he’s mostly delivered on those expectations to the tune of seven home runs, three stolen bases, and of course, a 31.1% strikeout rate. Regardless of that, Báez has produced a 133 wRC+ in his time in New York, while slashing a respectable .265/.321/.541 through 106 plate appearances in a Mets’ uniform.
Featured Imaged by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter)