No, this is Patrick.
Patrick Bailey (SFG): 4-4, 2 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
It’s truly a catcher’s paradise.
Saturday’s games were a party—a big bash for the bopping backstops (say that five times fast). Depending on where you stand on Daulton Varsho’s eligibility, almost half of the players on today’s list are catchers. Of course, that’s no coincidence. I pick the list after all. Still, it’s impossible to deny the impact these players have on their teams.
Bailey was perfect at the plate while collecting three extra-base hits. It was just Bailey’s fourth career game with four hits and his second ever with three hits for extra bases. His most impressive hit, by far, was his two-run home run in the fifth that went 407 feet straight out of the park and into the lap of a kayaker in McCovey Cove.
While his playing time remains erratic, Bailey is doing his part to earn more. So far, he’s showing big improvement in his walk rate and quality of contact metrics. In almost every way, his sophomore campaign has been a positive change. Bailey’s rookie season was hardly of note. While his career started with a bang (.329/.356/.571 in his first 20 games), Bailey’s near-30% strikeout rate eventually caught up with him. Overall, he slashed .233/.285/.359 with 18 doubles, 7 home runs, and a 100:21 K:BB ratio.
It certainly can take longer for catchers to adjust to the majors. There is so much more that goes into playing behind the plate. But Bailey is a former first-round pick who earned the nickname “Patty Barrels” for a reason. So, who is the real Bailey? Is he the player we saw in his rookie season or will we soon look back on games like Saturday and say, “No, this is Patrick.”
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday
Salvador Perez (KCR): 3-5, HR, R, 5 RBI.
If Baltimore thought that peppering Perez with sinkers was going to be effective, they may want to rethink the strategy. The veteran catcher put the Royals on the board in the sixth inning with a three-run home run off a sinker that rode in low and inside. He added two more RBI on another low sinker in the seventh. He unfortunately could not play hero one more time in the ninth inning, but not for lack of trying. He made the final out of the game on a 107.2 mph fly ball out to the warning track in leftfield.
Cal Raleigh (SEA): 4-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Raleigh had the first four-hit game of his career and saw his batting average jump by nearly 60 points in one night. On the season, he is now slashing .263/.364/.474 with 4 home runs, 8 RBI, and 9 runs. He’s made a noticeable improvement over the past week. In his first 12 games, Raleigh had an 18:3 K:BB. Those numbers have all but reversed since then with a 1:6 K:BB. Raleigh is a spitting image of the three true outcomes—he hits for power, he draws walks, and he loves to strike out. Be prepared to ride that wave.
Travis d’Arnaud (ATL): 1-1, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.
On Friday, d’Arnaud impressed with three home runs and six RBI. If you rushed out to add him off the waiver wire following that performance, then congratulations! He followed that performance with another strong line on Saturday. Thanks to a pair of walks, d’Arnaud collected just one official at-bat, but that resulted in a home run. It was his first hit this year off a slider—a pitch that absolutely flummoxed him in previous seasons. The underlying stats for d’Arnaud are up across the board and his expected stats suggest he could even get better.
Daulton Varsho (TOR): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB.
It took Varsho 14 games to get his first home run of the season. In the eight games since then, Varsho has five homers. That fifth home run sparked Toronto on Saturday. His three-run blast had just enough, going 381 feet (103.7 EV) to open the scoring in the first inning. He ended up just a triple short of the cycle. He’s surging now, but the overall numbers still leave a lot to be desired (.238/.304/.524) and the expected stats are even worse (.198 xBA, .274 xwOBA). Of course, if he’s still catcher-eligible in your league, he needs to be added immediately.
Jackson Chourio (MIL): 2-3, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB.
Chourio’s been the prototypical rookie—moments of greatness followed by maddening slumps. Saturday was one of those moments of greatness. He took an elevated 93 mph heater opposite field for a solo home run in the fourth inning. He added a single and a stolen base. Even more encouraging, he drew just his fifth and sixth walks of the season, which is great to see as his strikeout rate continues to bounce around 30%.
Starling Marte (NYM): 2-5, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, SB.
Marte is so back, baby! Not in the traditional sense, of course. His sprint speed has fallen to a tremendously low 24.8 ft/second, the worst mark of his career, and a paltry seventh percentile in the league this season. In the past, Marte’s lure was his blend of power and speed. Now, you’ll just have to settle for the power. His barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and average EV are the best marks of his career. He has seven multi-hit games in the past 14, including Saturday’s two hits.
Miguel Sanó (LAA): 3-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Sanó’s tenure in Los Angeles is off to a rough start. The longtime Twins hitter has fallen into a timeshare with his new team as his notorious issues at the plate continue to plague him. That doesn’t mean he can’t still put on a show. In one game, Sanó raised his batting average from .256 to .298 and his OPS from .655 to .807. All three of his hits—a single (106.5 mph), double (104.1 mph), and home run (107.1 mph)—went hard.
Anthony Santander (BAL): 3-5, 3 2B, R, 2 RBI.
Santander had three doubles going into Saturday’s game against Kansas City and left with twice that amount. His first was a pure piece of hitting on an 86 mph changeup low in the zone. The 105 mph blast came up just short of a home run, clipping the top of the fence in leftfield. The other two hits weren’t as convincing (86.3/68.1 EVs), but power and quality of contact have never been an issue. Santander has limited upside, but you know exactly what you’re getting—a solid bat in a strong lineup. Let’s hope this is the start of something.
Bryan De La Cruz (MIA): 1-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.
De La Cruz put Miami over the top in the first game of a doubleheader against the Cubs. His two-run homer in the top of the ninth put the Marlins ahead 3-2. The ball didn’t travel far (397 feet) but it sure got there in a hurry (104.3 mph). De La Cruz has had a phenomenal start to the season, out of nowhere in his fourth year. He’s slashing .275/.287/.484 with five home runs, 14 RBI, and 10 runs. He has four home runs in his past eight games. Enjoy it while it lasts, but a 26% strikeout rate and .345 BABIP likely hint at regression.