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| Wednesday, September 20, 2023 |
| There isn't much a player can do at this late stage of the season to enter into our lineup plans, but Kenta Maeda may have just done it. The right-hander struck out eight over five one-hit innings Tuesday at the Reds, giving him three consecutive strong outings. It's a complete turnaround from a four-start stretch in which he delivered a 7.50 ERA and 1.83 WHIP, which seemed like enough to take him out of the running for the most crucial stretch of the season. But now he lines up for two starts next week, one against the Athletics and one at the Rockies, which might be too inviting to pass up. |
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| Cy Young locked up? |
| Meanwhile, Blake Snell may have locked up the NL Cy Young award with his seven no-hit innings against the Rockies Tuesday, lowering his league-best ERA to 2.33. One of his top competitors, Zac Gallen, more or less removed himself from the discussion with his fourth poor outing in five chances while Spencer Strider again saw his ERA go up despite a mostly dominant outing against the Phillies. |
| On the hitter front Tuesday, Seiya Suzuki went 3 for 4 with a home run, giving him a .347 batting average and 10 homers in his past 40 games. Nolan Jones further established himself as an all-around threat with three stolen bases. Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad homered for the second time in as many starts while Cubs outfielder Alexander Canario hit a grand slam in his first major-league start (neither is expected to play consistently down the stretch). Xander Bogaerts continued his massive September with another multi-hit game and is now batting .453 (29 for 64) with four home runs and four steals for the month, raising his season batting average from .258 to .280. |
| Of course, none of those developments changes what you do for the rest of 2023, but they might help shape your plans for next year. If you haven't given a thought to 2024 yet, now is a good time to start, and to that end, I've put together what I believe the first two rounds should look like. |
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| Predicting the first two rounds of your 2024 drafts |
| Scott White had some fun predicting the first two rounds of the 2024 drafts that will happen months from now. You can find his complete article with breakdowns of every pick in the first two rounds above. We'll highlight the first six picks here. |
| Ronald Acuna, OF, Braves |
| He's already the first player with 30 homers and 60 steals in a season and is closing in on 40/70. What's gone underappreciated are the improved contact skills, which have yielded a batting average that would lead the league most years. |
| Bobby Witt, SS, Royals |
| Witt is about to become the fourth ever player with 30 homers and 50 steals, but because Acuna has him beat on both fronts, it's flown under the radar. Though he's tried valiantly to close the gap in the second half, he's still under-performing his expected stats, which tells you all you need to know about his upside. |
| Julio Rodriguez, OF, Mariners |
| A second-half surge has clarified Rodriguez's standing among the elites. It's a close call between him and Corbin Carroll , who's an even better base-stealer, but Rodriguez is the better power hitter -- and with room still to improve in that regard. |
| Corbin Carroll, OF, Diamondbacks |
| Carroll is one of three first-rounders with a realistic shot at 50 stolen bases, which is a considerable advantage given that 40 may be too much to ask from any of the others. The repeated shoulder flare-ups do raise the concern of a more significant injury coming to light, though. |
| Mookie Betts, OF, Dodgers |
| The top four are such prolific base-stealers that it's hard to justify ranking Betts higher than this, for as good as he's been in 2023. But to be fair, it's more likely he takes a step back than sets a career high in home runs for the third consecutive year ... right? |
| Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers |
| reeman has made stolen bases a part of his game the past couple years and remains the best bet for batting average among early-round picks. Batting high in the Dodgers lineup assures him massive run and RBI totals, and his surplus of doubles makes him more like a top-three player in points leagues. |
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| News and Notes |
| Manny Machado was out of the lineup with that elbow injury after DHing on Monday.Max Fried is scheduled to start Thursday in Washington. He was scratched earlier this week with a blister on his left hand.Christian Yelich was out again Tuesday and has now missed 10 of the last 11 games with lingering back discomfort. Riley Greene will undergo surgery on his right elbow Wednesday. The details of the procedure have yet to be revealed. He's been out September 2 with an inflamed right elbow.Luis Arraez was scratched from the lineup due to a left ankle sprain.Ha-seong Kim has missed three straight with abdominal discomfort.Ryan Mountcastle has missed six straight with shoulder soreness.Jeimer Candelario could return next week. He went on the IL recently with a lower-back strain. Carlos Correa was out of the lineup Tuesday and is awaiting MRI results on his left foot. Adbert Alzolay threw long-toss Tuesday. There's an outside chance he could return this season. He went on the IL September 10 due to a right forearm strain.Michael Brantley was out of the lineup due to general soreness.Alex Burleson fractured his left thumb while stealing third base Tuesday.Jack Flaherty has been moved to the Orioles bullpen. He has a 7.11 ERA and 1.67 WHIP since joining the team. Brady Singer was placed on the IL with a left lower lumbar strain.Alex Faedo was placed on the IL with a blister on his right hand. |
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