Look Into His Angel Flies

 

First of all, shoutout to all ABBA fans who hopefully enjoyed this reference.

Second of all, wow, what a game for Angel Martínez. His team scored eight runs. He plated six of them. And he did it in just two swings. What I will say is that it really helps that the bases were loaded both times he got his hits. The first one was a sharply hit line drive into left field to bring in José Ramírez and Steven Kwan. He grounded out his next time up, but with the bases loaded, he punished the first pitch he saw. Yeah, it definitely could’ve been better executed by David Sandlin, but hey, not everyone punishes the mistake pitches they see. Martinez finished the night with a stat line of 2-5, HR, R, 6 RBI.

Martinez hasn’t been great this season, but he’s started to heat up a bit. He now has hits in his last five contests, which is a definite improvement over the cold stretch he was on after being activated from the injured list following a foot injury caused by a foul ball. He isn’t a player who you’d want to roster in your fantasy leagues unless they’re really deep, but this was an awesome outing and it deserves to be celebrated.

Angel Martínez (CLE): 2-5, HR, R, 6 RBI.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday…

 

Josh Bell (MIN): 4-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

I guess you could say that in their epic slugfest against the Brewers, the Twins were… Saved by the Bell. Jokes aside, Josh Bell had an outstanding game yesterday, going four-for-five and plating three runs. His most pivotal moment of the game was his home run in the third inning, which began the comeback as the Brewers were actually down 4-0 early in this game. All things considered, this is a pretty standard Josh Bell season, which isn’t anything to scoff at. While his expected numbers are down a bit, he is pulling the ball in the air more, which can lead to home runs. He’s a lower-end first baseman, but that still doesn’t mean that he doesn’t rake at times, especially considering offensive output is expected at the position.

Daylen Lile (WSN): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

The ratios are down this season compared to last for Daylen Lile, who some had circled as a breakout candidate over the full season. He’s still been a serviceable player, though, occasionally putting up games like yesterday’s. Lile’s biggest strength is that he’s a speedster, as he has 94th percentile sprint speed and thus is able to hit quite a few doubles and triples. I will say it’s somewhat surprising that he’s hit 15 home runs this season, as he was expected to be more of a ratio-focused player instead of a slugger. He pulls the ball a decent amount, though, and has actually had several triples that would’ve been home runs in other ballparks this season.

Jake Rogers (BOS): 2-3, 2 2B, 3 R, RBI, BB.

It may be known as the “Adley Rutschman trade”, but so far Jake Rogers has been a great get for the Red Sox. At least, in the two-game sample size, as he had an RBI in his first plate appearance with the team and followed it up with a two-double night last night. The Athletics were pulverized by the Red Sox, who are currently in the midst of an impressive nine-game win streak. How they keep doing it, I do not know.

Steven Kwan (CLE): 3-5, HR, 2 R, RBI.

What a turnaround it’s been for Steven Kwan, who had one of the worst stretches of his career at the start of the season. Since the All-Star break, he has batted .422/.500/.484, one of the best slash lines among hitters. While he doesn’t usually hit home runs, he did yesterday against the White Sox, his second of the season. He now has a higher wRC+ this season than last, which you never would’ve thought we’d see when he was hitting at the back of the Guardians’ lineup. He’s now rightfully in his leadoff spot and will have a key role in the Guardians’ push to try to take the division from the White Sox.

A.J. Ewing (NYM): 3-4, 2B, 2 R, SB.

What a great player Ewing has been for the Mets, though we should expect an Ewing in New York wearing blue and orange to be awesome. This game shows the kind of player that the Mets are getting with the rookie. For one, he’s fast. Like, really fast. He already has 15 stolen bases, and with a sprint speed of nearly 30 feet per second, it’s easy to see why. He also has great contact skills, which he showcased last night and in the broader season with a solid .269 batting average as a rookie. There isn’t too much to root for in Queens right now, but Ewing is providing a spark and is showing that the future may not be as bleak as some fans may feel.

Josh Smith (TOR): 3-4, HR, 3 R, RBI, SB.

Speaking of players making great first impressions with new teams, how about Josh Smith with the Blue Jays? Smith had a really rough start to the season. Ghastly splits, injuries galore, but he’s looking to leave that all behind with his new club, where he should be a mainstay when they complete their single-season retool and become competitive again. While his season has been pretty bad so far, his numbers really should be better. He walks a fair bit and doesn’t strike out a lot; he’s just had some pretty horrendous BABIP luck, albeit somewhat due to not having great exit velocities. He has the makings of a great Blue Jays player with his ability to put the ball in play; let’s see if they can harness that and turn him into another reclamation success story a la Ernie Clement or Nathan Lukes.

Kyle Stowers (MIA): 4-4, 2 RBI, BB.

It was a great night for Kyle Stowers, who I feel has been lost in all the shuffle of this season. Last year, he was one of the best hitters in the Major Leagues, albeit in a bit of a platoon role. This season, his numbers have taken a hit, particularly in the ratio department, with his batting average and on-base percentages going down. A game like this certainly helps buck that trend, as he got on base five times in the contest. He’s still showing home run power, with good exit velocities and an ability to pull the ball in the air, so we will see if he can finish the season strong. He’s definitely a player I feel should be outperforming his current numbers.

Cam Smith (HOU): 3-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI.

I feel like Cam Smith is really close to being a regular in this article. He does have good games in bunches, and unfortunately will have more bad games that will sink the overall ratios. He’s too good to have a wRC+ in the 80s. He has an above-average xWOBA and xSlug, and he really can become one of the game’s solid power hitters. He hit two home runs last night, and with 94th percentile bat speed, it’s easy to see that becoming a semi-regular occurrence. His first home run was estimated to only go out in 14 parks, so he made sure to make up for that by smoking a no-doubter into left field off a fastball well above the zone.

Mike Trout (LAA): 1-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.

We all love to see Mike Trout succeed. He got the injury woes out of the way a bit ago, and now he’s back to doing Mike Trout things. He hit a four-hundred-foot bomb in his first time up, which I mean, how many times in his career has he done that? What’s great to see from Trout is that his strikeout and walk rates are improved from last season. He’s kind of a three-true-outcomes guy, but his K rate is now sitting around 25%, and he has one of the best walk rates in the Major Leagues. His batting average probably should be better, but his BABIP is decently low, and that’s hurting his ratios. Still, he’s a 130+ wRC+ hitter, and that’s great to see.

Kaelen Culpepper (MIN): 1-4, HR, R, RBI.

First big-league hit, first big-league home run. Not bad for Kaelen Culpepper. After chasing a curveball down and in and miraculously fouling it off, Culpepper got the pitch he wanted, a pretty well-executed Shane Drohan heater right at the top of the zone. He smoked it into left-center field and brought his Twins within one run of making the comeback. Culpepper is a pretty well-rounded shortstop prospect with solid pop, good contact skills, a disciplined approach and aggressiveness on the basepaths. This will be the first of many, as he looks to become an impact player for a long time in the Major Leagues.

Ryan Waldschmidt (ARI): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.

What a night for Ryan Waldschmidt. Sure, only one hit isn’t the best look for his batting average, but who cares? He got THE hit of the game. And it was a home run. His second home run, to be exact. It was also against the Evil Empire Dodgers with their big-money closer Edwin Díaz on the mound, and his Diamondbacks were down in the game. Something fun about Waldschmidt is that per Pitcherlist’s Process+ metric, Waldschmidt is the top ranked player for gap power this season. While it’s been a bit of an up-and-down run for him, I think that his process is too good for him not to be a difference-maker moving forward.