This article is part of our Regan's Rumblings series.
The end of the regular season is upon us, and I have to admit that it snuck up on me a bit. Let's take a look, by position, of the breakout stars and fantasy duds. We knew we would see high-profile players end up with poor numbers, just as we knew that formerly lesser players would put up numbers in 60 games that they wouldn't likely manage in a full season.
Catcher
Stud – Travis d'Arnaud, ATL
d'Arnaud was fine last year, batting .251/.312/.433 with 16 homers in 391 plate appearances, but he's been elite this year, batting .338/.400/.568. It seems unlikely he'll do anywhere near that over a full season, but he's certainly not fading this month, posting a 1.071 OPS in September. I'm pretty sure a .418 BABIP is not sustainable, but, then again, d'Arnaud has posted an excellent 50.5 percent hard-hit rate. He should be able to at least hang on for a few more years now and would be one of many players who could benefit from an NL DH should he stick with the Braves or another NL club.
Dud – Gary Sanchez, NYY
Sanchez is hitting .267/.333/.667 in his last eight games, but there's really no time to save a season for a guy batting .151/.253/.396. He does have 10 home runs, so the power hasn't fallen completely apart, but a 36.7 K percentage is going to make any hitter's line look poor. He's somehow posted a .155 BABIP despite a halfway
