Haysed and Confused
Austin Hays (BAL): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Let’s take a short dive into Austin Hays, who came into Monday night’s action homerless in his first 80 or so at-bats of the season but broke through in a big way by hitting two bombs off of Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman. Hays finished the night with a line of 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, with all of his production coming on the two long balls.
Hays spent most of last season as a modest yet consistent producer in the Orioles lineup, slashing .275/.305/.444 with 16 home runs in his first All-Star season. On a surface level, things may look much worse this year when you look at his .205/.256/.325 slash line, but his Statcast shows that things should be closer to his career averages for the past three seasons. Expected stats aren’t everything, of course, but it does give us the idea that Hays can (and should) perform better than his current production for the rest of the season.
Of course, there’s another wrench to throw into this discussion, and that wrench is Hays’ playing time question. Thanks largely to a left calf injury, Hays has yet to reach 100 at-bats this season, but the O’s outfield is also more crowded than ever with the emergence of Colton Cowser. The Orioles have a bevy of talented players able to roam the outfield grass, meaning Hays likely won’t be an everyday player for Baltimore as the season goes on. Unless he is traded to a team where he can carve out a more everyday role, Hays should remain on waivers in all but deep or AL-only leagues for now.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday
Nolan Gorman (STL): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Gorman is one of the hottest players in all of baseball right now, with his two blasts last night making it five in his past six games. This is the kind of power upside we’ve been waiting for from the Cardinals’ second baseman, and he did so hitting from the cleanup spot last night. Should he maintain a hold on this spot of the lineup, his opportunities for counting stats will increase. He’s somehow still available in more than 80% of ESPN leagues, so go grab him while this hot streak is alive.
Jake Rogers (DET): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Jake Rogers did all of the damage for the Tigers last night by hitting two solo shots, but it turned out to be all they needed as they earned a 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers. The two long balls brought Rogers’ season total to four. He’s a solid enough backstop and has an excellent mustache, but with how many solid options there are at the catcher position this year, there’s probably a better option for you somewhere on your waiver wire.
Jeimer Candelario (CIN): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
This marks three straight games with multiple hits for Jeimer Candelario, who took full advantage of his first game in Coors Field this week. Jeimer is heating up as of late, with three home runs in his past eleven games, and has two more games in Denver this week before returning home for a four-game set against the Cubs in Great American Small Park. If he’s available, he’s a solid stream for the rest of the week in these plus-hitting parks.
Mark Vientos (NYM): 2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB.
I feel like we should be talking about Mark Vientos more, as he’s been clobbering the ball since getting called up in May. Vientos has done most of his damage against lefties, with a 1.460 OPS against southpaws thus far, so consider that when setting your daily lineups. It’s unfortunately a short week for Vientos as the Mets travel across the pond for the London series, but he’s worth a stash if you can stomach a couple of off days.
Brendan Rodgers (COL): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Brendan Rodgers hit his third home run of the season last night, with all three bombs coming in the past week and all occurring at home in Coors Field. You all know the recipe for Rockies hitters by now: stream ’em at home, but don’t expect too much on the road. Rodgers follows this mold perfectly, with an .802 OPS at home versus a .582 mark in away games.
David Dahl (PHI): 2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI.
With David Dahl’s performance on Monday night, he now has a 2.334 OPS on the season. Yes, I know last night was his first game and he hit a home run, but that sentence was just too fun to type out. Dahl was called up following Brandon Marsh’s move to the IL and hit his first home run in over a year. He’s a great story and should see some more consistent playing time while Marsh is on the shelf, but we know too little about Dahl to recommend adding him – he only has 12 plate appearances since 2021.
Pavin Smith (ARI): 1-1, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Pavin Smith was the hero for the Diamondbacks on Monday, hitting a walk-off two-run shot to give Arizona the win over the San Francisco Giants. It was the first plate appearance in four games for Smith, who doesn’t have enough playing time to warrant a roster spot for now.
Kyle Tucker (HOU): 1-1, SB.
Kyle Tucker is here because he left Monday night’s game after sharply fouling a ball off of his shin. Aghhh. Tucker appeared to be in pretty significant pain and was eventually replaced by Mauricio Dubón. The good news is that X-rays came back negative and Tuck is considered day-to-day with a shin contusion. Even with his day cut short, Tucker found a way to be productive by getting a single and his tenth stolen base of the year. That’s what first-round picks do.
Connor Norby (BAL): 0-3.
Hey, look, the Orioles have another talented prospect they called up! Norby made his debut following Jorge Mateo’s trip to the 7-day concussion IL, so his time in Baltimore might not last too long. In his debut, Norby struck out twice and was subbed out for pinch-hitter Ramón Urías later in the game. Norby has posted solid numbers in his time in Triple-A Norfolk with a career .866 OPS at that level, so he’s clearly a talented player. It’s only a matter of whether or not he’ll get enough chances to showcase that talent while he’s up.