Fantasy Baseball September 26 Round Up: The Cleveland Guardians Clinch the AL Central
Week 24 of the major league baseball season is now a wrap but before closing the door on the week we need to first take a look back at the top fantasy baseball news and headlines from Sunday’s major league baseball games. Yesterday’s action was highlighted by record breaking performances by Pete Alonso and the Dodgers, the Triple Crown Watch, and a big announcement by the Marlins. Do not forget to check out our updated September fantasy baseball player rankings before setting your lineups this week plus the latest MLB injury report, fantasy baseball player spotlight series, and players trending up and down in the fantasy baseball stock watch. So, before you start another fantasy baseball week let’s go back and look at yesterday’s top performances.
Guardians Punch Their Ticket
Cleveland clinched its first division title in four years yesterday! Per MLB.com the Guardians are now the first team in MLB history to win a division or league title with at least 16 rookies making their Major League debuts and are the eighth team to qualify for the playoffs as MLB’s youngest team and the first to do so since the 1986 Mets.
Triple Crown Watch
He only went 2-for-11 over the weekend at Yankee Stadium without a home run but Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge still leads the American League in the Triple Crown. There are only 10 days left in the season and Judge's home run lead is safe since his 60 home runs are 23 more than Yordan Alvarez. His 128 RBIs are 11 more than José Ramírez (117) and he is tied for the American League batting title with Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, with both players batting .314. Judge will also have a chance to tie the American League single-season home run record of 61 set by Roger Maris in Toronto tonight- he is on pace to finish the season with 64.
#106- Dodgers Tie Franchise Record
The Dodgers defeated the Cardinals 4-1 yesterday to take the rubber match of their weekend series at Dodger Stadium and tie the franchise record of 106 wins. They also had 106 wins in the 2019 and 2021 seasons. With the win, the Dodgers clinched the No. 1 seed in the National League and are guaranteed home-field advantage through the NL Championship Series- the Dodgers’ magic number for homefield in the World Series is now at four.
What a Royal Comeback
It had to be one of the most exciting baseball games played this season. It all took place yesterday afternoon in Kansas City.
The Royals were losing 11-2 entering the sixth inning and then proceeded to score 11 runs in that inning to beat the Mariners 13-12. It was the highest scoring game in Kaufman Stadium in several years and the win guaranteed that the Royals would not lose 100 games this season!
“Donnie Baseball” Will Not Return in 2023
After seven years Don Mattingly – arguably the best pure hitter of his generation (and I 100% agree!) will step down as the Miami Marlins manager. Reports are that Mattingly and the Marlins mutually agreed that this will be his last season managing the team. In seven seasons he led the team to the playoffs once in 2020 and currently has a winning percentage of .428. How sweet would a return to The Bronx be?
Alonso Breaks Team RBI Mark
Pete Alonso just set another single-season Mets record. His big two-run homer in the top of the fourth inning in Oakland moved him past David Wright and Mike Piazza for the most RBIs in a season by at Met at 125. He ended the day 4-for-4 and now sits at 128 RBIs this season.
Alonso is already the Mets’ single-season home run leader after jacking 53 as a rookie in 2019.
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Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.