Note: Strider was scratched before the game, and Wentz will start for him. Not injury-related, per reports.
Statcast is not a fan of Nacho Alvarez.
That’s a lot of blue, and that’s a lot of blue that is aaallllll the way to the left of those charts. When I’m looking at acquiring players in fantasy, I typically run away screaming from guys like this. Over 145 plate appearances heading into last night’s game, Alvarez was hitting .250/.329/.328 (88 wRC+). You can see the emptiness in that line as his SLG is higher than the OBP, and he has *checks notes* 0 home runs in that span. He also has *checks notes* 0 stolen bases in that span. But I do have him on one of my fantasy leagues, and I’ll have a decision to make this offseason in terms of needing to move him to my 40-man roster or just letting him go. No one will pick him up, but I’m likely to hold onto him. Why? He’ll turn 23 just after Opening Day 2026. The young infielder doesn’t whiff a lot, has a decent idea of the strike zone, and squares it up fairly often. Just need a bit more Man Strength (TM).
Eugenio Suarez is one of my favorite players. I am a resident Cincinnati Reds fan. I didn’t really choose that life, but when you live near a baseball stadium, it’s hard not to have some sort of rooting interest (Great American Ballpark is underappreciated, IMO). And Suarez is easy to love. He plays with a smile. He plays pretty good defense. His name is fun to say. And he drops bombs. Hitting .234/.304/.534 (127 wRC+), Suarez has 42 home runs on the season, and he sits at over 30 WAR for his career. It’s not Hall of Fame-worthy – he’s never really been one of the best players in the game – but he’s got seven (SEVEN) four-win (give or take a few tenths) seasons in his career. That’s a lot of quality seasons, and I don’t want him to go unappreciated.