Don’t Forget About Trea

Trea Turner (WSH): 3-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB.

At the risk of sounding cliche, I will make the observation that Trea Turner is not just a baseball player, he is an athlete. This is not to say that not all baseball players are athletes, rather pointing out the fact that Turner’s natural athletic ability enables him to do things most other professional baseball players are incapable of.  At this point in the season, Turner is one of just seven players in the league to have double-digit home runs and double-digit stolen bases. He is on pace to hit 20 home runs for the first time in his career and is batting well over .300. Turner has become a model of consistency at the plate and on the basepaths, and he has done that by bringing an old-school approach that is often forgotten about in the modern game.

Turner is a ground ball hitter, and that plus his speed is what makes him so dangerous. Most hitters that are not at the top end of exit velocity would not want to be hitting ground balls nearly 50% of the time. For Turner, however, his game-breaking speed makes it so that every time a ball is put in play, he can reach first base.

Turner ranks below the 40th percentile in both average exit velocity and barrel rate. Despite this, he ranks eighth in the league in batting average and 35th in on-base percentage. The shortstop increased his average to .315 with a three-hit outing last night, his tenth three-hit performance of the season. Turner finished yesterday’s game with a stat line of 3-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Wednesday

Adolis Garcia (TEX): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

The 28-year-old rookie has been the Rangers’ best hitter since being called up from the minors in April. He swatted two solo home runs last night, which ended up making the difference in the Rangers’ 5-3 win over the Athletics. In his last five games, Garcia is 6-16, with three home runs and five RBI. To make the jump to the next level, Garcia needs to improve his vision and discipline at the plate. He has a K rate of about 30% and a BB rate of just over 4%, Garcia also struggles with the offspeed and should expect to see more breaking pitches as the season moves on.

Starlin Castro (WSH): 3-4, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.

Starlin Castro is finding his game in his return from the restricted list. He has doubled in four consecutive performances and has collected seven hits over his last four games. Castro is not the player he once was, and this hot streak is an aberration, not the new norm. While Castro will cool down at the plate soon, it is nice to see him having success with the Nationals.

Travis Jankowski (PHI): 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB, SB.

Last night was the first time all season Jankowski had more than two at-bats in a game, and he certainly made the most of them. He reached base four times, falling just a triple short of the cycle. Jankowski picked up three hits and a walk and added a stolen base while driving in three. He is unlikely to overtake Andrew McCutchen as the starting left fielder for the Phillies, but should find his name on the lineup card more if he keeps hitting like he did last night.

Jonathan Schoop (DET): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI, SB.

Schoop did a little bit of everything in Detroit’s 6-2 win over St. Louis. The infielder had two extra-base hits in the effort, including a home run. Schoop added a stolen base for good measure, his first of the season. Schoop has been red hot in the month of June, batting .372 with 10 home runs and 22 RBI through 20 games in the month.

Steven Duggar (SF): 3-6, 2B, R, 3 RBI, SB.

The Giants outfielder continued to tear the cover off the ball with his performance last night. Duggar had his second three-hit game of the season, two of which drove in runs in extra innings. He also added a stolen base to his record, his fifth of the year. Although Duggar has a strong stat line, his lack of power (no home runs this season) limits his upside in fantasy settings.

Brandon Lowe (TB): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.

Lowe seems to have been stuck in a rut since the slump he fell into during the 2020 playoffs. He is hovering just over .200 on the season and has a K rate over 30%. Last night was a step in the right direction, however. Lowe doubled in the second inning and followed that up with a three-run home run in the seventh that stretched Tampa’s lead to seven and put the game out of reach for Boston.

Austin Meadows (TB): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.

Like Lowe, Meadows is one of Tampa’s core players that has been underwhelming through the first half of the season. Also like Lowe, Meadows showed what he is capable of with a quality outing last night. Meadows hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the first to give Tampa a 2-1 lead over Boston, and the Rays never looked back. Meadows also picked up two walks on the night, reaching base in four of his five plate appearances.

Francisco Lindor (NYM): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.

It has been anything but sunshine and rainbows for Lindor since his move to the Big Apple. Some fans have even gone as far as to call him “the 30 million dollar locker room guy.” Despite his shaky play, Lindor has shown flashes of what we saw in Cleveland for all those years. Last night was an example of that, Lindor drove in three runs and went yard in a win for the Mets.

Kyle Tucker (HOU): 2-3, 2B, R, RBI, 2 BB.

After missing eight games due to being placed on the Covid-19 list, Tucker returned like he never left. He reached base four times in last night’s multi-hit performance and extended his hitting streak to nine games. During this nine-game stretch, Tucker is 15-29 with two home runs and 9 RBI. Believe it or not, Tucker is playing even better than his numbers show. He ranks in the top two percent of most expected stats categories; XBA, XSLG, XWOBA, and XWOBACON.