Daniel Murphy, 2B/1B, New York Mets -- Murphy finished 1-for-4 with a stolen base (his 20th straight without being caught)in New York's 1-0 win over Cincy yesterday afternoon. Two nights ago, he had the deciding 3-run homer on a 12-pitch at-bat, giving him 13 on the year, a career high. Murph has also set career highs in RBI (76) and SB (21), as well as finishing the season strong, slashing .303/.351/.494 with three homers and 13 RBI this month. For a guy who was only being drafted in the deepest of mixed leagues and NL Only formats, he has definitely turned heads this season and has all but cemented himself into the top 125 on fantasy big boards for 2014 (Ranked out of the top 250 to start season).
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Cincinnati Reds -- With his contract expiring at the end of this season, Choo is one of the better players in a rather weak free agent pool. Although he will turn 32 in July of next season and his fielding has declined a bit, he has proven to be a guy who gets on base (.389 career OBP, .424 OBP in 2013). He also has a nice combination of speed and power with this being his third 20/20 season of his career. There are a few teams who are in the market for an outfielder, with the Mets, Red Sox and Giants being possible suitors, but Choo's numbers will be effected depending on who he decides to sign with. It's a bit unnerving knowing that Choo had his best season in a hitter friendly Great American Ballpark, but he did score 106 runs this year and continues to be an bit time contributor in all categories, aside from maybe RBI because he's moved around the order a lot over the course of his career. He is a top 50 player if he chooses a hitter's park for sure, but still should be a 4th-6th round draft pick come next season regardless of what team he chooses.
Matt Adams, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals -- Adams is making a case to get a starting job come 2014. Once Allen Craig went down in early September, Adams was called on to fill the void, and he has more than obliged, slashing to the tune of .316/.342/.605 with eight homers, 15 RBI and 16 runs scored this month. Also a free agent in 2014, Adams has definitely impressed enough to earn a full-time gig somewhere. I wouldn't consider him keeper worthy, but he could be a nice mid-round sleeper come the 2014 draft depending on his situation and how he fits in his new team's plans. Adams is batting .285 with 17 HR and 51 RBI in just 284 at-bats this season.
Carlos Gomez, OF, Milwaukee Brewers -- Gomez went yard for the 23rd time this season, but it was his only at-bat, as he exited the game after getting into an altercation with Atlanta catcher Brian McCann on his way to home plate. Gomez appeared to yell something at pitcher Paul Maholm while jogging slowly to first and when McCann confronted Gomez, it got chippy and the benches ended up clearing. It's not clear whether Gomez will be suspended or not, but he at least made the most of his at-bat. The 27-year old now has four homers and eight RBI in his last 10 games, showing flashes of the guy who slashed .295/.337/.533 with 14 HR and 45 RBI pre-ASB. With his recent spike in power and run production the last two years, combined with his already uncanny ability to steal bases (37 in 2013), he is a must-keep player and a guy who should be drafted in the first four rounds of the draft next season.
Brian McCann, C, Atlanta Braves -- On the other side of the fight, McCann, who was not forced to leave, finished 0-for-3. He is a free agent come the end of this season and with catchers who can produce offensively like this guy (.800+ OPS in 6 of last 8 seasons) at a premium, let the games begin. The Yankees are a big name that sticks out as they could use a catcher to fill the void left by Jorge Posada a few years back. It doesn't matter what team he ends up with (it's very possible he stays in Atlanta), he'll produce top 5 fantasy catcher stats as long as he's healthy. In 101 games, the veteran is batting .256 with 20 HR and 56 RBI after missing the entire first month of the season because of injury.
