Triston Casas, 1B, BOS
Casas went 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI, and a walk on Thursday night. After starting his big league career off rather slowly, the youngster has vastly improved at the plate over the past few weeks. He is riding a four-game hit streak and is hitting .435 with three homers and seven RBI over his past eight games. What's most encouraging about Casas over those eight contests is that he has 11 walks compared to just five strikeouts. He now owns an impressive 21.8% BB% and a 21.8% K% in his 78 career plate appearances. Casas had 13.6% BB% and 27.2% K% in his first 44 plate appearances. The 22-year-old still has a lot to improve upon and learn at the big league level, but his patience at the plate thus far (20.4% O-Swing% and 9.7% SwStr%) is a very encouraging sign for the future.
Lucas Giolito, SP, CHW
Giolito gave up two runs across 5.0 innings on Thursday afternoon in Minnesota. He is 10-9 with a 5.00 ERA and 10.07 K/9 in 154.2 innings this season. The 28-year-old hasn't been the borderline ace he has been the past few seasons; however, the advanced metrics are more favorable than the traditional ones, which is a positive. Giolito has a solid 3.60/4.08 xFIP/FIP and a 3.74 SIERA. His career-worst 39.8% HardHit% and declining SwStr% (12.2%) are still concerning, but Giolito is far from a lost cause at 28 years old. It will be tough to determine when he will be drafted next season, but it's a good bet he will drop to a favorable and enticing round after his ugly 2022 campaign.
Shohei Ohtani, SP/OF, LAA
Ohtani surrendered just two hits across 8.0 shutout innings on Thursday evening. He struck out ten and walked one on the mound while going 2 for 4 with an RBI at the dish. The incredible two-way Ohtani won the AL MVP last season mainly due to his prowess at the plate (46 homers); however, he has been more impressive on the mound than at the plate in 2022. He is 15-8 with a 2.35 ERA across 161.0 innings (all career highs) and owns the highest K% and second best SIERA for pitchers with at least 150 IP this season. And with 34 homers, 94 RBI, and a .275/.358/.529 triple-slash line, he hasn't exactly been a slouch at the plate either. If Judge wasn't vying for the AL home run record and triple-crown, Shohei would be a shoo-in for another AL MVP in 2022.
JD Martinez, OF, BOS
Martinez went 2 for 4 with a homer and a double on Thursday night against the Orioles. The aging outfield is heating up late and improving his lackluster numbers before the season's end. Martinez is currently on a four-game hitting streak in which he is 7 for 17 with two homers and three doubles. For the season, his .273/.341/.442 triple-slash line isn't terrible; it just isn't JD Martinez-like. What's worrisome is the lack of power and career-low 40.8% HardHit%. Martinez has just 14 homers and owns a .169 ISO; those are his worst outputs since he was a part-time player in Houston in 2013 (excluding the COVID 2020 season). JD has been a fantasy stalwart for a long time, but there shouldn't be much optimism for the 35-year-old come the 2023 fantasy draft.
Nick Castellanos, OF, CIN
Castellanos' first season in Philly has been a disappointment, to say the least. The 30-year-old outfielder owns a .311 wOBA and 98 wRC+ (his worst since 2015) and has had a complete power outage in 2022. Castellanos owns a .130 ISO and has just 13 home runs, which are the worst outputs of his career, including the COVID 2020 campaign when he had roughly 300 fewer plate appearances. If that isn't alarming enough, the 30-year-old's 70.3% Contact% is a career low, while his 44.2% O-Swing% and 17.1% SwStr% are second and third lowest in the league, respectively (as well as career lows).
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