Sandy Alcantara, SP, MIA
Alcantara tossed 8.0 innings of one-run ball against the Nationals on Saturday night. He gave up three hits, walked one, and struck out 11 in the contest. The impressive 27-year-old has rebounded after a couple of poor outings against tough offenses (6 ER @LAD, 6ER @ATL) at the end of August/beginning of September. Alcantara isn't a big strikeout guy (7.96 K/9), but his durability and ability to go deep into games make him one of the best fantasy options. His 220.2 IP leads the league by over 20.0 innings, and his unheard-of FIVE complete games lead the league by two. Alcantara's durability and consistency over the past two seasons are unmatched. He is still well within his prime as a freshly turned 27-year-old and should be one of the first pitchers off the board in most fantasy formats next season.
Luis Robert, OF, CHW
Robert (wrist) was placed on the 10-day IL on Saturday and reportedly won't play again this season. The 25-year-old has battled injuries for most of his career and will be a perplexing option in next season's fantasy draft. He has shown glimpses of greatness, but his numbers took a significant dip this season. Still, he slashed .284/.319/.426 with 12 homers and 11 stolen bases in 401 plate appearances. At this point, it seems that health and plate discipline--his 48.3% O-Swing% ranked worst in the majors (min 400 PA)--are the only things that will keep him from being a top-end fantasy outfielder for the foreseeable future.
Domingo German, SP, NYY
German gave up three runs in 5.0 innings of work on Saturday afternoon against the Red Sox. He had been out of the rotation the past few weeks, but with Frankie Montas hitting the IL, German has been slotted back in to the starter role. The 30-year-old right-hander has posted a career-low 3.30 ERA across 62.2 innings this season which is bizarre considering how lackluster his underlying stats are. His swing and miss ability has significantly deteriorated--6.61 K/9, 10.1% SwStr%, and 34.0% O-Swing% (all career-lows)--and batters have a 40.4% HardHit% and 90.4% Z-Contact (career highs) against him in 2022. Being on the wrong side of 30 with only one solid campaign to his name (18-4, 4.03 ERA in 2019), don't expect German to be a major fantasy contributor in 2023.
Anthony Rizzo, 1B, NYY
Rizzo hit his 32nd home run of the season on Friday afternoon. The 33-year-old has now hit exactly 32 homers four times in his career but never more. The Yankees still have 11 games to go in 2022, so Rizzo has an excellent chance at setting a new career-high this season. So, as expected, the home runs have come easily in his first year in pinstripes; however, Rizzo's .225 average and .339 OBP are still way below his career numbers. The big lefty has been trending downwards since 2019, and at 33 years old, his fantasy contributions will be heavily reliant on Yankee Stadium and the long ball from here on out.
Johan Oviedo, SP, PIT
Oviedo hurled 7.0 shutout innings against the Cubs on Saturday evening. He surrendered three hits, walked none, and struck out seven in the stellar outing. The 24-year-old has taken a step forward in 2022 with the Pirates. Oviedo owns a 3.13/4.03 ERA/xFIP and a 9.59 K/9. Those are significant improvements upon the 4.91/5.22 ERA/xFIP and 7.36 K/9 he posted a season ago in St. Louis. He seems to be figuring out how to pitch to big league hitters; his improved 30.8 O-Swing% and 12.0 SwStr% bear that out. Oviedo still has shown some control issues (4.11 BB/9), and he has only thrown 46.0 big league innings this season, but his 2022 improvements should be enough to earn him a spot in Pittsburgh's rotation next season.
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