Quick acknowledgment of Ronald Acuna, who became the first player in Major League history to hit 30 home runs and steal 60 bases in a season. Those numbers look astounding now, though a year ago, the steals would have made Acuna appear like an alien.
Is the best yet to come for Acuna? He turns 26 in December, and many MLB superstars had their peak seasons during ages 26-28. He is extraordinary and appears fully recovered from the torn ACL he suffered two years ago. His batting eye has improved to the point he’s walked 70 times and struck out 73. Last year, he struck out 126 times.
Let’s appreciate greatness as the calendar turns to the final month of the season. What more does Acuna have in store to put up even more gaudy numbers? We’ll wait to find out.
First, it’s time for some deep sleepers.
Fantasy Baseball Deep Sleepers & Waiver Wire Pickups
Ronny Mauricio (SS – NYM): Rostered 11%
In 490 Triple-A at-bats, Ronny Mauricio has 23 home runs and 24 steals while hitting .292 with a .852 OPS. He’s getting the call to the Show. The Mets are far out of the race and will give the young player plenty of runway to see if he could be in their 2024 plans.
Davis Schneider (2B/3B – TOR): Rostered 18%
Since his Aug. 4 call-up, Davis Schneider has been blistering hot with a .426 average, six home runs and 14 RBI in 14 games. In Triple-A, he had a .275 average but a stellar .416 OBP with 21 home runs in 87 games. He gets extra style points for the 1970s-era mustache.
Noelvi Marte (3B/SS – CIN): Rostered 7%
Since getting the call to the Big Leagues on Aug. 20, Noelvi Marte has done very little, hitting .171 without a home run in 11 games. He does have five steals, however. With Matt McLain on the sidelines with an oblique injury, Marte should get more playing time in the infield. He was another of the Reds’ top prospects to hit the Majors this year, hitting 11 home runs and stealing 18 bases in 348 Minor League at-bats.
Jasson Dominguez (OF – NYY): Rostered 11%
The Yankees would like to see the Mets, top prospect for top prospect. Jasson Dominguez is getting called up in a lost season for the Bronx Bombers. Just 20, the native of the Dominican Republic is a compact 5-9 and 190 lbs., but he has plenty of pop with 15 home runs and 40 steals across two levels in the Minor Leagues. We should see him get plenty of opportunities for at-bats the rest of the way.
Brandon Williamson (SP – CIN): Rostered 17%
The lefty has pitched 30 innings since Aug. 7 and has a 2.70 ERA and 1.000 WHIP with 32 strikeouts. He deserves better than the 1-2 record he has in that span. Brandon Williamson will pitch deep into his rookie season for a Reds team striving to make the playoffs.
Kyle Harrison (SP – SF): Rostered 21%
The Giants’ top pitching prospect really announced himself with 11 strikeouts in 6.1 innings against the Reds. The strikeouts followed him from the Minor Leagues, where he had 109 punchouts in 67.2 innings. Kyle Harrison will get every opportunity to showcase himself as the Giants fight for the wild card. The kid is alright.
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