Pete Alonso played hero as the Mets advanced to the NLDS; Devin Williams picked the wrong time to have a meltdown; and Terry Francona has come out of retirement to manage the Reds.

Jake Bauers’ Heroics Not Enough

The deciding game of the Mets-Brewers Wild Card series was a lower-scoring affair than most expected as both Jose Quintana (six shutout innings, four hits and one walk against five strikeouts) and Tobias Myers (five goose egg frames, two hits and no walks vs. five Ks) were superb.

Milwaukee seemed to have this game in control when it snapped a scoreless duel in the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back homers, the first by pinch-hitter Jake Bauers, one of several unlikely heroes for the Brew Crew.

He delivered hits in both games he played in this series to help take the sting out of what was an extremely difficult second half. In a part-time role, Bauers kept improving each month, capped by a superb June in which he got on base 40 per cent of the time.

But then the wheels fell off. Starting in July, his OPS by month: 659, 560 and 525. Yuck.

Back in 2019, we started to get bullish on Bauers, but realistically he’s never delivered on his promise. Milwaukee gave him plenty of rope this year, and he did manage his most runs since 2019 thanks to the extra PT, but at the end of the day, a first baseman that can’t hit for average (.199) or power (.361 SLG), is simply average defensively (zero runs saved above average) and probably doesn’t have any upside (he’ll be 29 on Sunday) is going to have a tough time sticking.

Good for Bauers for getting his first career postseason homer, even if it was in a losing effort. Ultimately, it may be his last, but he’ll have that moment to cherish as his name drifts from the collective memory of baseball fans.

Fernando Tatis Jr. Locked In

Could 2024 be the year when someone hits 11 or more postseason homers to break the all-time record? Chances are slim (+5500 as per FanDuel), but there are certainly some options.

You’ve got the usual suspects like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, sure. But how about a less obvious pick like Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.?

Tatis looked as locked in as anyone in the Wild Card round, hitting a two-run jack with a walk in the opener and then enjoying a perfect day at the plate in Game Two (3-for-3 with a walk).

He was slumping a bit heading into the playoffs (going hitless in three of his last five games), putting a dent in an otherwise strong September. Of course, Tatis was red hot in June before getting suffered a stress reaction in his right femur, an injury that cost him almost 60 games — unfortunately not an uncommon occurrence for him.

Notwithstanding losing such a huge chunk of the campaign, he bounced back somewhat after enduring his worst season in 2023. Tatis Jr. hit much better this year, and while his on-base percentage still wasn’t quite where we expect it to be, he definitely recovered in this regard.

A massive postseason showing — similar to what he did in 2020, but ideally over a longer run — would really help cement his status as an elite Fantasy option heading into 2025.

How Much Does Max Scherzer Have Left?

Max Scherzer, coming off an injury-plagued 2024 campaign, has stated he wants to pitch next year. And it’s not that he didn’t flash some of his patented filthy stuff this year, but he sure looked middling towards the end of the campaign.

In fairness, it’s hard to gauge his season objectively without qualifying it by acknowledging how much he struggled to stay healthy. When Scherzer finally made his season debut in June, he looked great, but July was a slog as he was very hittable. And then came another injury and, once he was finally returned in mid-September, his lone start was meh.

Then his season ended early with a hamstring injury, probably signaling the end to his Texas career, consisting of just 17 starts over two seasons. Scherzer pitched well last year when he was able to take the mound, but he regressed this year. Not to the point that we’re sure he’s done (3.95 ERA), but at the age of 40 it is fair to wonder when the end is coming.

Scherzer’s Hall of Fame resume is complete: he’s a three-time Cy Young award winner who ranks 80th all-time in WAR, so there’s nothing left to prove, but we’re sure he’d like to go out on his own terms as opposed to having injuries seal his fate.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

English musician Billy Bragg mostly writes about political and romantic themes. In 1986, he released his third album, Talking with the Taxman About Poetry, which includes “The Passion,” featuring vocals by Kirsty MacColl, an English singer who enjoyed some success in the 1980s and ’90s.

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