Mickey Gasper (C/1B - BOS) - Gasper walked twice and was hit by a pitch in 4 trips to the plate on Sunday against the Orioles. It's pretty rare for 3 organizations to "miss" on a guy, but I really feel like the 30 year old Gasper has some value for the stretch run (and possibly beyond). He's in his 9th professional season as a 1B/C, posting a career minor league slash line of 283/398/471 and showing very strong plate discipline and contact ability to go along with average power and below average speed. He hasn't posted an OBP below .385 at any minor-league stop since 2019 and has routinely hit 8-10 HRs in what amount to half-seasons. That's one of the interesting things: his career high in games played is 107, yet I can't find any documented injuries other than plantar fasciitis last year and a groin strain this season. He's going to likely pass that game total early this coming week, and he's as hot now as he's ever been. Since coming back to the Red Sox on 8/17, Gasper is 17-49 with 4 2B and 8 HR, and his BB:K ratio is 15:7. Add in 4 HBPs and you've got a slash line of 347/529/918 for this 3-week stretch. Obviously this is a hot streak, but he was hitting 337/450/566 in 54 G at AAA this year as well. He's a poor defender, which certainly contributes to multiple teams having given up on him, but someone with this level of patience and contact ability with solid-average pop should absolutely be getting some playing time. I don't think this is a fluke at all: I think this is an OBP-weighted decent offensive package that can produce as a C/1B eligible bat.
Cesar Perdomo (SP -SF) - Cesar Perdomo's first major league start was a good one, as the 24 year old held the Mets to 3 singles and a walk over 6 shutout innings, striking out 4 in a no-decision. The left-hander has decent control and a very good changeup, and pitching in SF can mitigate some of the flyball-related negative outcomes to be sure. He wasn't guaranteed another start for the Giants, but I'd expect that he earned at least one more with his performance on Sunday in what will likely be a home matchup against the Padres. I wouldn't be opposed to taking a risk with him for that outing, but a start would loom at the Dodgers after that, and as a relatively soft-tosser that allows some HRs that's a no-fly zone for me. I think Perdomo's ceiling is that of a spot-starter/streaming candidate based on his stuff and his minor league track record, but he's been very solid in his first two outings.
Leonardo Bernal (C - STL) - Bernal was promoted to the Cardinals on 9/1, and since then he's played every day and hit in every game, logging 5 games at C, 1 at 1B, and 1 at DH. The 22 year old has solid plate discipline, average contact ability, average power, and decent catcher's speed (below average speed). He's been solid albeit unspectacular while steadily climbing the organizational ladder, and his development into a solid major league hitter would allow Ivan Herrera to move more into a full-time DH role. That strikes me as a possibility for 2027, especially as well as Bernal has started his career offensively (8-24, 2B, HR). He's definitely a reasonable option if you have a need at C for the stretch run this year.
Hagen Smith (RP - CWS) - Smith tossed 3 no-hit innings against the Twins on Sunday to pick up his 3rd win, striking out 4. The stats are pretty stunning for the 23 year old through his first 10 games: 16 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 10 BB, 23 K. Outside of the walks he's been brilliant, and 7 of the walks were in 2 appearances. Since he walked over 6 men per 9 in both stops at the minors as well though, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that this will remain an issue, but the fact that MLB hitters are 5-52 against him so far is incredibly impressive. Pitching in long relief keeps his value fairly low right now, but he will absolutely merit watching next spring to see if he can break camp in the rotation or at the back end of the bullpen.
Kyle Harrison (SP - MIL) - Harrison's slide continued on Sunday against the Reds, as the 25 year old allowed 6 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits over 3 2/3 innings in a 12-8 loss, walking 4 and fanning 4. The strikeouts have still been there as the performance has slipped (38 K in 33 2/3 IP since 7/1), but the walk rate has nearly doubled and he's allowed a homer every 3 innings. The Brewers have 6 starters right now, and after the game there was discussion from manager Pat Murphy that either planned shorter outings or a relief role could be in the cards for Harrison moving forward. He can't really be trusted in any format right now, although his ERA at home during this stretch is still 0.00 over 10 innings (his next start is at home against these same Reds). I might consider him next week if I didn't have any better options due to the home/road splits, but I certainly wouldn't feel good about it and I'd have to make sure he was actually starting first.
