Well friends, this is it, the final day of the 2019 MLB regular season. On behalf of the Daily Notes team, it has been a pleasure to be by your side all season. That said, there's still some work to do as some fantasy championships still lie in the balance. Keep in mind all the games start at the same time, starting just after 3:00 p.m. ET.
For the final time, here are some players in a good spot to help you seal a victory, all available on at least half of ESPN leagues. Good luck to those still grinding. Let's ship this thing!
Pitching
Tanner Roark (R), rostered in 23% of ESPN leagues, Oakland Athletics at Seattle Mariners: There is no longer anything on the line after the Athletics locked up home field for the wild-card game. However, since Roark won't pitch again until at least Friday, there's a good chance he has a regular start. That said, he's been homer-happy of late, surrendering eight longballs over his last three efforts, spanning just 13 1/3 innings. Prior to that, though, Roark was one of the key cogs in the Athletics' playoff surge. He's a risk, but in his favor is the fact he is facing an offense well below-average in terms of HR rate down the stretch.
Sandy Alcantara (R), 18%, Miami Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies: Considering he's just 23 years old, it's a little surprising Alcantara will make this start as his 191 1/3 frames are the 19th most in all of baseball. The youngster has just 146 strikeouts, though he has fanned 45 in his last 48 ⅔ IP, a much more fantasy-friendly rate. Helping Alcantara's cause is facing a Phillies whiffing 26 percent of the time in September.
Spencer Turnbull (R), 6%, Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox: Turnbull did his best to play spoiler down the stretch, facing the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins in his last two outings, throwing 11 combined innings with just three earned runs allowed, punching out 13. The 27-year-old righty looks to close the season on a high note, drawing another offense fanning at a 26 percent clip over the final month of the season.
Pitchers to Avoid
Keep in mind several playoff-bound starters will have truncated outings. Most notably, Gerrit Cole, Mike Soroka and perhaps Blake Snell will likely hit the showers early.
Bullpen
As you might imagine, it's "all hands on deck" as several clubs will empty their bullpens on the last day of the season. Here are the teams slated to use all relievers, with the opener in parentheses: Philadelphia Phillies (Blake Parker), New York Yankees (Chad Green), Chicago Cubs (Derek Holland) and San Diego Padres (Michel Baez).
Hitting
Catcher -- Willians Astudillo (R), 5%, Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals (RHP Jorge Lopez): It will be fun seeing Astudillo on a national stage in the playoffs as his penchant for putting the ball in play will be a sharp contrast to all the inevitable talk about sacrificing contact for power in today's landscape. Heading into Saturday's action, Astudillo fanned only seven times while drawing just five walks in 198 plate appearances. That's a week for some hitters.
First Base -- Ryan McMahon (L), 21%, Colorado Rockies vs. Milwaukee Brewers (RHP Adrian Houser): Chasing power? There's nothing like one more game in Coors Field to find another homer or two. Outfielder Sam Hilliard as well as utilityman Garrett Hampson are also in play.
Second Base -- Jon Berti (R), 11%, Miami Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies (Bullpen game): Berti's early week heroics (four steals on Tuesday night) will likely be the difference in a bunch of leagues. He tacked on another swipe Friday, why stop now? For the season, Berti has pilfered 17 bags in 18 tries.
Third Base -- Joey Wendle (L), 14%, Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays (RHP Clay Buchholz): Wendle helped fill the void with Yandy Diaz sidelined over the second half, slashing .286/.345/.416 with four steals in September. Speaking of Diaz, there's a chance he returns on the last day of the season in advance of helping the Rays in the postseason.
Shortstop -- Jose Peraza (R), 47%, Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates (RHP Trevor Williams): It's been a disappointing campaign for Peraza as he appeared to establish himself as a regular after a breakthrough 2018 season where he played 157 games. Still just 25-years old, Peraza has a chance to be an everyday player, though maybe not with the Reds. He's been seeing a lot of action down the stretch, carrying a modest eight-game hitting into Sunday's action. Over that time, Peraza is hitting .333 (10-for-30) with a pair of steals.
Corner Infield -- Mitch Moreland (L), 11%, Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles (RHP Chandler Shepherd): Referencing personal goals is a sensitive subject in Boston this week, but with Moreland sitting at 19 homers, you know he'll be looking to deposit one into right field stands in what is likely his last game with the Red Sox. Five September homers has Moreland in reach of 20, after falling short last season for the first time since 2014.
Middle Infield -- Shed Long (L), 7%, Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics (RHP Tanner Roark): Long is making his case for being the Mariners leadoff hitter next season, batting .316/.358/.566 the final month. The former Reds prospect should be given the chance to secure second base next spring.
Outfield -- Adam Frazier (L), 37%, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds (RHP Tyler Mahle): Frazier has quietly been on a tear since August 20, posting a .344/.389/.549 slash, featuring four homers with a couple of bags. Meanwhile Bauer... honestly, I have no idea what's going on with Bauer other than he's been horrific since being acquired by the Reds, registering a 6.39 ERA, albeit it with 68 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings.
Outfield -- Austin Hays (R), 9%, Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox (LHP Eduardo Rodriguez): Moreland isn't the only Red Sox player with a personal goal on the line as Rodriguez is looking for his 20th win. Alex Cora admitted Rodriguez would have been taken out of his last outing in the first inning had he not two needed two wins to reach the milestone. The lefty recorded his 19th despite allowing seven runs in five frames in Arlington to begin the week. Hays will attempt to thwart Rodriguez as he's crushing it down the stretch, slashing .333/.404/.590 with two bags since September 18.
Outfield -- Delino DeShields (R), 4%, Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees (Bullpen game): With steals likely to decide several fantasy contests, DeShields is another strong candidate to run wild on the last day of the season.