Isaac

Collins

“We want a neutral ballpark where if you hit a ball well, it should be a home run,” said Royals general manager J.J. Picollo. According to Stacast’s Park Factors, Kauffman Stadium ranked 6th in baseball as an offensive park. However, this ranking was largely due to its having the second-largest outfield in baseball, which promotes doubles and triples. It ranked 25th in baseball as a home run park, which is the fourth-lowest mark of any stadium that has been in use for at least the last three seasons. The team will keep centerfield at 410 feet, but will shorten the power alleys from 389 feet to 379 feet, and “the fences will continue on that path, 9 to 10 feet shorter, nearly all the way to the corners.” This will not only help established power hitters like Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, and Salvador Perez hit more home runs, but should be a nice boost for young players with plus power like Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen. However, batting average hitters with fringe power, like Isaac Collins and Jonathan India, may see a slight regression with a smaller outfield for extra base hits to fall in.

Collins lands in Kansas City as the kind of underrated hitter who quietly forces his way into relevance, providing the Royals with a versatile corner outfield option after slashing a robust .263/.368/.411 with nine homers and 16 stolen bases across 130 games for Milwaukee in his first taste of the majors. He finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. The 28-year-old represents an intriguing low-risk addition for the Royals as a classic floor-raising position player capable of filling in across multiple spots.

Collins finished in fourth place in NL Rookie of the Year balloting this past season after slashing a healthy .263/.368/.411 with nine homers, 54 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 441 plate appearances. The door should be open for him to see everyday action with the Royals, which should boost his overall appeal for fantasy purposes. It seems like a lopsided deal on the surface, especially since Mears is coming off the best season of his career, posting a 3.49 ERA — 3.86 FIP — across 56 2/3 innings. It’s abundantly clear that Milwaukee sees something in Zerpa’s profile that made him a clear target. The 26-year-old southpaw boasts a serviceable 3.97 ERA — 4.13 FIP — and 19.7 percent strikeout rate over 177 innings in the big leagues since 2021.

Baldwin received 21 out of the 30 first-place votes, with nine going to Cade Horton, who finished in second place. Caleb Durbin finished third and Isaac Collins finished fourth in the NL ROY balloting. The 24-year-old backstop broke out as Atlanta’s primary catcher, slashing .270/.340/.470 with 19 homers and an .810 OPS across 124 games. He’s the first catcher to take home the hardware since Buster Posey back in 2010.

Chourio gets the nod in the leadoff spot over veteran Christian Yelich as Milwaukee’s top-of-the-order table-setter to face Dodgers lefty ace Blake Snell to kick off the extended best-of-seven series at American Family Field. The 21-year-old franchise cornerstone told reporters his right hamstring is feeling close to full strength again after aggravating the issue during last week’s NLDS opener against the Cubs. Here’s the full lineup: Chourio (RF), Christian Yelich (DH), William Contreras (C), Brice Turang (2B), Andrew Vaughn (1B), Sal Frelick (CF), Caleb Durbin (3B), Isaac Collins (LF) and Joey Ortiz (SS).

Collins made Aaron Nola pay for a changeup that caught a bit too much of the plate that he yanked just beyond the right field fence. That put an exclamation point on a five-run first inning for the Brewers and they’d never look back in this one. Collins cooled off considerably towards the end of August and this was his first home run in nearly a month. Yet, it brought him back up to an .804 OPS as he tries to put the finishing touches on his Rookie of the Year case.

Collins put the finishing touches on the Brewers’ five-run sixth inning by smacking a two-run double. The 28-year-old outfielder also had a a single, a walk and a stolen base in the contest. Collins is hitting .274 with an .800 OPS and 48 RBI this year.

The Brewers had an 8-3 lead after the sixth inning but they squandered it as the Diamondbacks tied things up in the eighth. Not to worry though as they loaded the bases with a single and a pair of walks to open the ninth inning. Sal Felick then flew out to shallow center field for the first out in the frame, bringing Collins to the dish. He got an 0-1 sinker from Kyle Backhus and hit it deep enough to right field to plate pinch-runner Brandon Lockridge with the winning run, sending the Brewers’ home faithful into a frenzy. The 28-year-old outfielder finished the night 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored and is now hitting .270/.368/.421 with eight homers, 44 RBI and 15 stolen bases in what has been an impressive rookie campaign.

Collins missed the series against the Reds this weekend, but he should be back in the lineup for at least one of the two games against the Cubs today.

Collins will be away from the team for three days while taking care of something more important than baseball. The 28-year-old’s roster spot was taken by Steward Berroa.