Weekend at Ernie’s
Ernie Clement (TOR): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.
Cristopher Sánchez entered last night’s game in Toronto having not allowed a longball since April 23rd (Ian Happ). But that all came crashing to an end when he fired a belt-high sinker to noted slugger Ernie Clement. I guess, in a way, it makes sense; if you are going to pick a guy to take a pitcher with a near 30% K rate deep, it would probably be someone who never swings and misses. Enter Clement and his 9.2% K rate, which is tied with Liam Hicks for third-lowest among qualified hitters.
I joked about Clement’s lack of power, and yet, here we are, and the man has sent seven balls over the face. That’s two more than Springer and four more than Vlad. Clement’s .801 OPS is fifth among second basemen, trouncing King Ketel’s .743. He is five shy of tying his career-high. Volume and low strikeouts have made him a stalwart in points leagues.
But now? Yeah, you better believe he looks like a pretty decent option in standard leagues, too. Not surprisingly, his power is still well below average at 89 according to PLV. Still, that’s not all that bad when you consider the position he fills and the value he adds with his batting average. Oh, did I forget to mention he is hitting a career-best .309? That’s tied for ninth, two points behind Alvarez. Fine, yes, he has gotten lucky; his 68 DV indicates he has swung at plenty of pitches he ought to have let go. And he has a 4th percentile hard-hit rate. Still, maybe we shouldn’t be too nitpicky. Have you seen the other second baseman these days? Clement should continue seeing plenty of counting stat opportunities in the middle of Toronto’s lineup, and that’s really all you can ask for.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday:
Trent Grisham (NYY): 2-4, 2 R, BB.
Grisham has gotten far better results lately; his .840 OPS ranks tenth among outfielders over the last 30 days. His 121 Process is excellent. And his 16.3% K rate and 14.7% BB rate are both career-bests. The only downside is the batting average; it’ll probably stick somewhere in the .230’s. Still, Grisham carries enough counting stat upside, hitting leadoff against RHP, to be relevant in standard leagues. He also has five steals; that’s two more than last year. I wonder if he might run a little bit more often with Judge on the shelf.
Tyler Soderstrom (ATH): 3-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, 2 BB.
Kyle Harrison entered last night’s game in Sacramento looking pretty much untouchable. However, with the score tied 4-4 in the third, Soderstrom handed Harrison his first stinker of the season with a huge three-run bomb to right-center (434 feet, 103.8 EV). Those who hoped that Soderstrom would build on last year’s breakout have been a little disappointed. He has at least cut his K-rate by about four ticks to 18.8%. His 99 power, according to PLV, is nowhere near last year’s mark of 119. And shortly after I wrote that, he hit his second of the night: a 418-foot shot to center off lefty reliever Drew Rom. Yep, both were against left-handers.
Taylor Ward (BAL): 2-3, BB.
We’re fast approaching the halfway mark, and Ward is stuck on three home runs. You know, the same guy who swatted 36 dingers last year. Sure enough, his power, according to PLV, has dropped from 117 to 99. Those in OBP leagues can stomach the power outage because his 18.8% BB rate is third-best among qualified hitters. Speaking of getting on base, he had a pretty cool hair flip last night when he lost his helmet before getting beaned by Matt Brash. Anyway, Ward mentioned that he had played through a bone bruise, which he believes stifled his power. I wouldn’t rule out a power surge at some point. But in the meantime, he is the hitter version of HAISTBMBWT!?
Andrew Vaughn (MIL): 4-6, 2 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Vaughn came up big in the ninth, drilling a game-tying, two-run double against lefty reliever Hogan Harris. Six innings earlier, he took Springs deep. The former White Sox has been superb since returning from the IL, hitting .368 with a .984 OPS. Last year’s metrics, including 117 Power and 126 Process, underpinned a big breakout that took off once he left Chicago. I have a hunch we will see his 27% roster percentage on Yahoo rise.
Zack Gelof (ATH): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Two batters after Soderstrom’s go-ahead, three-run dinger, Gelof worsened Harrison’s night with a solo blast to left. He has been rolling along on a 13-game hitting streak. Although it seems kind of quiet because he remains stuck near the bottom of the order. Nonetheless, he has maintained a reasonable 24.3% K rate while hitting .270 with seven home runs and six steals. Will it last? Who knows. But, right now, he certainly looks like a viable second baseman in pretty much any format.
Bryce Eldridge (SFG): 2-5, 2B, R, RBI.
The rookie’s double came in the eighth on an 0-2 fastball from Clayton Beeter that momentarily gave the Giants a 2-1 lead. That’s a .287 batting average and an .812 OPS. He hit four baseballs hard last night, according to Savant, but most importantly, he has kept the strikeouts in check (23.4%). The only thing curbing my enthusiasm is Oracle Park; it’s where lefty power evaporates.
Noelvi Marte (CIN): 1-4, R, SB.
The 24-year-old righty has started three games since the Reds recalled him last Wednesday. He hit sixth last night against Buehler. He hit 14 home runs with ten stolen bases last year while slashing .263/ .300/ .448 across 360 PAs. A former top prospect, Marte carries post-hype appeal. In the meantime, let’s monitor his K/BB; a swing-happy approach is what ultimately punched his ticket to Triple-A Louisville this past April.
Paul Goldschmidt (NYY): 1-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
The Yankee fan in me was decidedly indifferent when Goldschmidt returned this offseason. And now? He’s the glue holding this Judge-less lineup together. His 142 wRC+ ranks third on the team, behind Rice and Judge. His numbers against right-handers have not been subpar, though. However, last night’s bomb against Gavin Williams (388 feet, 104.9 EV) has me hopeful that his splits will soon even out a bit. His PLV metrics, including a 123 Power and 128 Process, check the boxes too.
William Contreras (MIL): 3-6, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB.
Did I mention this game was nuts? The A’s and Brewers combined for 19 runs on 34 hits. With the Brewers ahead 11-10 in the tenth, Contreras unloaded on a belt-high, 3-0 fastball from righty Scott Barlow for his seventh longball of the year. And, at 463 feet (106.7 EV), it was quite the shot. His .759 OPS and 98 Power are just about equal to what we saw from him last season.
Yandy Díaz (TBR): 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
Yandy started the scoring at the Trop by blasting Early’s first pitch to deep left (389 feet, 100.4 EV) for his 12th home run of the season. Considering that, and his 110 Power, it would appear he has a pretty decent shot at repeating last year’s career-best 25. He’s been a machine lately, with his 1.034 OPS over the past month ranking fifth-best in the majors.
Featured image by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on Bluesky and X) and adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on Bluesky)
