Shut up and Yordance with me
Yordan Alvarez (HOU): 4-5, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Yordan Alvarez is 8-18 against Chris Bassitt with five home runs. In all baseball documentaries with a pitcher speaking on their career, they can always speak to one name who terrorized them. I have a feeling that Alvarez is Bassitt’s terror muse, the one that keeps him up at night.
The Astros beat the Blue Jays 8-0 and Alvarez was in the middle of the romp in Houston. Oh, his double was also only inches from another home run, so it could’ve been even worse.
It’s crazy that Alvarez is only 26; I always forget how young he still is. One thing I will never forget though is that the Dodgers traded Yordan Alvarez to the Astros in 2016 for Josh Fields. The Dodgers of course are an embarrassment of riches, but I’m sure that one still stings cause, man, can you imagine the Dodgers with Yordan Alvarez? And still under team contract until 2029? I think we would have to cancel baseball. Just hang it up and spend our summers doing other things. Just kidding, the Dodgers would find a way to blow it, let’s get real. They’d pull Alvarez for Chris Taylor against a lefty in the NLCS or something. It writes itself.
There are a few guys I put in the “what else is there to say” category and Alvarez belongs there because truly, what else is there to say? He’s the best bat on arguably the best team in baseball and has a ring at 26. Now let’s all join hands, join hands everyone, and let’s start a prayer circle wishing for a full healthy season for Alvarez.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Wednesday
Seiya Suzuki (CHC): 3-5, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Hot to the touch, Seiya Suzuki may finally be comfortable in his Cubs uniform. Since coming over from Japan, it has been reported that the transition hasn’t been seamless, which isn’t shocking; packing up your life and moving across the Pacific Ocean to the Windy City would be difficult for anyone. I’m sure that first November Chicago breeze hit like a brick.
That being said, Suzuki has looked fantastic out of the gate, and absolutely crushed spring. His home run clocked in at 105 mph off the bat, so a screamer. I didn’t get any shares of Suzuki in fantasy and I’m kicking myself early for it. With outfield being thin, Suzuki is already looking like a steal.
Ryan Jeffers (MIN): 2-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB.
Ryan Jeffers is an overlooked player both in fantasy and real life. Last year in limited time (335 PAs) he put up a very respectable .276/.369/.490 slash and hit 14 home runs. But I bet he wasn’t on your radar, wasn’t he? That’s okay, he wasn’t on mine either, even in two catcher leagues.
The Twins entered the season as AL Central favorites, which I understand but still view their offense as lacking a certain thump. I don’t think it’s out of the question that their 6’4″ catcher Jeffers can provide that much-needed thump.
Taylor Ward (LAA): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Remember Taylor Ward? Remember April of last year when everyone was clamouring over him? Baseball is fun, isn’t it? One day you’re Aristides Aquino and the next you’re Aristides Aquino.
Ward for 2024 was on a few lists for me since outfield is so thin this year and so far, he has shown a few signs of promise, especially with tonight’s performance. His performance in 2022 is something I don’t think we see again, but he’s not a complete bust of a player. With regular playing time and health, I don’t think it’s insane to see 20 home runs and a respectable slash line out of him. He could end up being a godsend in five-outfielder leagues.
Aaron Judge (NYY): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.
Aaron Judge got the new toe I sent him, excellent. I got a guy who can get toes, his name is Walter. The fear over Judge’s toe being a lingering injury was squashed Wednesday with a mammoth home run to the hot tub in Chase Field.
Judge is a tough player to write about because, well, he’s Aaron Judge. There isn’t much new to say, he’s very good. Instead, I’ll regale you with a story about when I waited on some Yankees fans in New Orleans.
It was a college-age girl and her father, both from the Bronx, she was a student at Tulane celebrating graduation. They were so close and you could tell that they loved the Yankees, a love that they shared in a way only a father-daughter can. I asked about Judge because he was coming up through the pipeline, so this is May of 2017, and both of their faces lit up. “He’s the nicest guy I’ve ever met, and he just has,” is what they both keep saying.
I wasn’t a believer completely until I heard it firsthand; you listen when someone from the Bronx is talking about Yankees baseball. Boy were they right. Prayer circle for Aaron Judge’s toe as well. I don’t make the rules.
Alex Kirilloff (MIN): 4-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, BB.
File this under things you love to see. Alex Kirilloff has always had all the potential in the world but has not been able to stay healthy. It feels like the Twins these days are flush with guys like that. Kirilloff has had a few wrist injuries so I feel like the power in his career may be a bit lackluster. However, he still has a fantastic eye at the plate and is capable of producing stat lines like he did Wednesday.
As mentioned with Jeffers, the Twins aren’t winning that division unless their lineup is able to produce. Kirilloff is another cog in the clock toward success in the Twin Cities.
Jeremy Peña (HOU): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
He doesn’t just work at Cane’s, he also plays baseball; hard to believe I know.
Peña has had a fantastic start to the 2024 season and what a welcome sight for the Astros lineup. 2023 was not kind to Peña. He wasn’t a complete liability, but after the playoff series he had in 2022, we were all expecting big things from him and he did not deliver. Sophomore year is hard. Maybe you get braces, maybe your eyesight gets worse so you have to wear thicker glasses, or maybe your OPS is only .705, what I’m saying is we all had it tough.
It’s great to see Peña get off to a hot start in 2024. I think he’s a buy.
Joey Gallo (WSH): 3-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI.
Oh baby, who else is excited for the Joey Gallo reunion tour of 2024? If it happens I’ll bring the lawn chairs cause it’ll definitely be a bring a lawn chair-type venue.
Gallo is still exciting, his home runs stay hit, as they say, but I’m not sure he’s the power bat that he was in Texas. In fact, I know he’s not. Deep, deep leagues and NL-only leagues, there is some appeal, but there isn’t much to be said here.
Luis García Jr. (WSH): 3-4, 3 2B, 2 R, RBI.
I’ve always liked Luis Garcia for some reason. The Nationals developing Juan Soto made me a believer in any other young guy they called up before they looked ready. It worked with Soto and I was like, it will happen with Garcia too.
Well, it hasn’t, which is unfortunate, but he’s still very young (23) and has the bat-to-ball skills to become decent. The Nationals need some youth to break out in literally any way. Garcia doesn’t profile to be an all-star or anything like that, but I still think there’s a solid player in there. Or, at least I hope.
Monitor him throughout the year because he may be a viable MI option in certain weeks if you are hurting there.
Jack Suwinski (PIT): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Well well well, Mr. Suwinski finally woke up in 2024. Suwinski has swing-and-miss issues, but other than that, he is a five-tool player. Maybe a four-and-a-half-tool player? Something like that.
The Pirates are playing good ball so far in 2024 and the whole team will be elevated if Suwinski can take that next step. Suwinski is young (25) and the sky is the limit in my opinion. There are other power/speed players guys with swing-and-miss issues that turned it around, Trevor Story comes to mind. If he can get the strikeouts in check, I see a bright future. But for now, monitor his platoons because early on, the Pirates aren’t playing him against lefties.
José Ramírez (CLE): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Hey, did you know, dear reader, that José Ramírez is good? I did, I think we all did.
The Guardians are once again a somewhat goofy team this year. I mean goofy in the sense that they are starting David Fry, Gabriel Arias, and Brayan Rocchio somewhat regularly and they all look at least okay on offense and defense. Ramírez controls the wheels on this goofy covered wagon; as he goes, they go.
I think the Guardians have a real chance at the AL Central crown over the favorite Twins. However, they won’t go much of anywhere without Ramírez. I can’t think of a player more important for their team’s success.
Maikel Garcia (KC): 2-5, HR, R, RBI, SB.
It feels like it’s happening. I was a big Garcia fan last year, but with how he has looked early this year, my fandom is getting close to starting a Wiki page.
Garcia had a ding dong and a bag on Wednesday but the Royals were unable to close out the win over the Orioles. My pick for the AL Central is the Kansas City Royals, do not tell my Cleveland-born girlfriend. Yes, the race for the AL Central crown is wide open, but it feels like the Royals have enough to take the next step and it starts with Garcia.
Early returns are extremely encouraging. If you haven’t added him yet, what are you waiting for?
Shohei Ohtani (LAD): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.
A small blurb on the best baseball player right now. Ohtani hit his first home run of 2024 and, for the most part, looked like himself at the plate besides one bad strikeout against Kyle Harrison.
Firmly in the what else is there to say category, what else is there to say? He had a slow first series but I’m sure he has a lot on his mind, so this home run was a welcome sight.