Alec Bohm (PHI): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI.
It’s Alec Bohm’s world and we’re just living in it. At least, that’s how it felt on Sunday when we saw the Philadelphia third baseman go three for five with a pair of home runs and six RBI on the day. The three hits all received the little flame icon next to them after leaving the bat over 98 mph which has been par for the course with Bohm all season, even if it’s only translated to a total of 10 long balls. Despite the fun puns his name would provide, Bohm had always projected to be a contact over power hitter and he’s been living up to the expectations through his third major league season. Bohm can still hit the ball hard (and far) enough to knock out a few, but what’s great to see is the consistency sustainability in which his approach at the plate provides to the overall production.
Through the 2022 season we’ve seen Bohm drive the ball through the air at a much higher clip than his previous seasons, but it hasn’t come at the expense of his line drives. He’s simply lifting the ball off the ground and in the air, providing himself more opportunity to allow his natural power to dictate where he can place the ball and giving himself a better chance each plate appearance to be productive. The problem is that Bohm may be too good of a hitter to ever see him reach back and take a walk again. He’s been making so much more contact in and out of the zone compared to just last season that it’s resulted in a much more aggressive approach, perhaps simply due to a greater sense of confidence in his own ability to make contact. Either way, it’s working and until adjustments are made necessary we should be expecting to see Bohm continue to move into this sort of production level at least through the remainder of the 2022 season.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday
Mark Canha (NYM): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.
Mark Canha joined the double homer club on Sunday, knocking in three to tie the game in the seventh and then following it up with a lead-changing two run shot the following inning. Canha’s playing time this summer has been irregular, with the left fielder playing regularly against left-handed starters and sporadic against righties, but the production he’s been able to put forth when given the chance has been nothing less than stellar. Between July and Auguist, Canha has put up a .286/.403/.471 slash with a 17% strikeout rate through 144 plate appearances. The playing time concerns simply make him cheap daily play or fill in and less so a consideration in weekly formats.
Jake Fraley (CIN): 2-2, HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, 3 BB, SB.
In case you haven’t noticed, Jake Fraley is pretty good at this baseball thing. At least, he has been since the Reds have given him the ability to play every day. When Fraley returned from his most recent IL stint late last month, he was thrown right back into the line up against right handers but still found rest days against southpaws. With the recent, though short lived injury to lead off hitter Jonathan India, Fraley was asked to take over and passed his test with flying colors not finding himself at or near the top of the Cincinnati line up in each of the last eight games, despite who’s been on the mound. In that time he’s knocked four balls over the fence, stolen a base, and crossed home plate four times and has earned your consideration in most formats.
Evan Longoria (SF): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB.
Evan Longoria is back! At least, he was on Sunday. Whether he’ll be back on Monday or Tuesday is questionable as he finds himself in a time share at third base with recently acquired JD Davis. In his limited play since returning from the IL earlier this month, Longoria has slashed a respectable .333/.382/.633, though it’s only been through 34 plate appearances, making him untrustworthy down the stretch in most formats.
Keston Hiura (MIL): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Hello there Keston Hiura, we see you. And we may be seeing much more of you this coming week with the Brewers set to match up against four left-handed starters throughout the week ahead. Despite his splits against southpaws this season, Hiura has seen consistent starts at first base and DH when the opposing starter happens to be left-handed, so perhaps Hiura will be getting a bit more opportunity in the coming days to replicate his Sunday performance.
Andrew Benintendi (NYY): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Sunday was easily Andrew Benintendi’s most productive day at the plate since joining the Yankees at the trade deadline earlier this month. For just the fourth time the everyday left fielder was able to muster up more than one hit, knocking out his first home run while wearing a Yankees uniform. Despite the inconsistent production, Benintendi still finds himself at least in a timeshare of the New York lead off spot and should find himself in more productive situations than not, assuming the rest of the Yankees’ line up remembers how to win games again.
Riley Greene (DET): 2-2, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB.
Did Riley Greene just walk? Twice? In one game? That doesn’t seem right, but it is. Locked in the lead off spot for the Tigers, Greene has not shown prototypical results you’d expect out of an every day lead off hitter, regardless of the rest of the line up. The pair of walks was just Greene’s 19th and 20th of the season and while it’s nice to see, what may be an even more welcome sight was the simple lack of strikeouts in the past three days. Sunday marked the third straight game without a K for Greene, who finally cut his season-long rate below the 30% mark for the first time this year.
Seiya Suzuki (CHC): 3-3, 2B, HR, R, RBI, BB.
Seiya Suzuki experienced his first perfect game at the plate this season, reaching base four times on Sunday and coming within a triple away from the cycle. This was a welcome sight for Suzuki, who has not quite reached the lofty expectations many had for the free agent signee out of Japan this off season. Regardless, he has locked in the heart of the Cubs’ line up, with added protection in the form of Franmil Reyes hitting just after him. In his last 50 plate appearances, Suzuki has knocked out two homers and stolen a base while slashing .273/.360/.477 and maintaining an 18% strikeout rate – all very much playable in most formats.
Max Muncy (LAD): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
Max Muncy seemingly has done just enough each week to provide most fantasy managers pause before pulling the trigger on hitting the drop button, but recently he’s done quite a bit more to provide a bit more confidence that he may finally be past is offseason injury concerns and back to his old, productive self. Including Sunday, through his last 100 plate appearances, Muncy has knocked out seven long balls while slashing .276/.360/.598. While Muncy may still sit against the occasional lefty every now and again, his positional flexibility and power production still plays in a loaded Dodgers’ line up.
Lewin Díaz (MIA): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Lewin Díaz knocked out his first homer of the season on Sunday, so that’s nice. Glad to see him get that monkey off his shoulders, and though there’s little doubt he could repeat the performance when given the opportunity, those opportunities may be far and few between this week with Miami set to face off against four left-handed starters between the upcoming match ups against Oakland and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since returning from AAA, Díaz has been on the strong side of a pretty strict platoon at first base, with the often injured Garrett Cooper and Jesús Aguilar filling in at the position against southpaws.
Starling Marte (NYM): 3-5, 2B, R, RBI, BB, SB.
Sunday marked Marte’s fourth three-hit performance in the past six games, undoubtedly helping to win plenty of head-to-head battles this past week, especially when he’s tacked on a pair of homers and stolen bases to the 11 total hits. Marte is well on his way to a 20-20 season, which may fall a bit short than many were hoping, especially in the total stolen base category, but every other aspect of his game as been in line with expectations.