The Lord of the Rings: The Two Stowers
Kyle Stowers (MIA): 3-4, 2 HR, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI.
When the Marlins traded away Trevor Rogers to the Orioles for Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers at the trade deadline last year it looked like a steal for Miami. After Stowers smashed two solo HRs and a triple in the Marlins’ 3-1 win over the Cubs on Wednesday, I think we can officially say that the Marlins absolutely swindled Baltimore. The HRs were Stowers’ ninth and 10th of the season, and he raised his 2025 line to .300/.375/.571.
While the 27-year-old still strikes out a bit too much for my liking (29.2 K%), he has improved his walk rate by over four percent from 2024, and it looks like some offseason adjustments at the plate have really paid off. Stowers’ career-high in HRs in the minors was 27 in 2021, and he looks primed to approach that number in the majors in 2025.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Wednesday:
Rhys Hoskins (MIL): 4-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 5 RBI, BB.
Rhys Hoskins continued his strong season in the Brewers’ 9-5 win over Cleveland yesterday by getting on base five times and hitting his fifth HR. While the power numbers are a bit down, Hoskins is showing an improved BB/K rate, and it has resulted in a robust .292/.396/.462 line. If the HRs pick up to their usual 25-30 number, we could be looking at a career year for the 32-year-old Hoskins.
William Contreras (MIL): 3-4, 2B, 4 R, BB.
A benefactor of Hoskins’ big day at the plate was William Contreras, who scored all four times he got on base. Contreras’ slow start to 2025 can be attributed to an extremely low 4.3% barrel rate, but his BB/K rate is at a career-high, and I’m confident Contreras will begin consistently barreling up the ball again soon.
Cedric Mullins (BAL): 2-4, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Cedric Mullins buoyed the Orioles’ six-run third inning with a grand slam that gave Baltimore a lead they would unfortunately later squander. The home run was Mullins’ eighth of the year, and he has enjoyed quite the power surge to start 2025. I don’t think we will see the 30/30 HR season Mullins had in 2021, but with a full season of at-bats, I think a 20/20 campaign is well within reach.
Ketel Marte (ARI): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
After missing the majority of April with an injury, Ketel Marte’s two-HR game Wednesday was his second in the last week, and he has picked up right where he left off after his career season in 2024. Unfortunately, Marte had to leave the game with body stiffness, although Arizona manager Torey Lovullo expects the 31-year-old to be available for the weekend.
Eugenio Suárez (ARI): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Eugenio Suárez continues to smash the baseball for Arizona, launching his 13th HR of the season on Wednesday. That puts him at third in the National League in HRs, one behind teammate Corbin Carroll. By the time his career is done, Suarez may go down as one of the most underrated sluggers of his time, and he is just 11 HRs shy of 300 for his career.
Masyn Winn (STL): 4-5, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB.
Masyn Winn stayed hot on Wednesday, getting on base five times in game two of the Cardinals’ doubleheader with Philadelphia, including his fifth HR of 2025. He is slashing .317/.415/.551 in the month of May and is looking more and more every day like the franchise shortstop St. Louis fans hope he is.
Alec Burleson (STL): 3-5, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Alec Burleson’s HR on Wednesday was just his third of the season after he hit 21 in 2024. The good news is he hit 16 of those 21 HRs after May last year, and most of his peripheral numbers are in line with 2024.
Alejandro Kirk (TOR): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Alejandro Kirk’s three-run sixth inning HR off Ryan Pepiot single-handedly earned Toronto a 3-1 win over Tampa Bay as the Blue Jays moved to .500. Kirk has enjoyed a strong start to the season (.293/.318/.398) despite a greatly reduced walk rate.
Riley Greene (DET): 3-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI.
After a slow start to the season, Riley Greene has now hit .320/.383/.567 with seven HRs over the last four weeks. Greene is a crucial part of Detroit’s AL Central-leading lineup, and if he keeps this up, he will be appearing in a second consecutive All-Star game.
Andy Pages (LAD): 3-4, HR, R, RBI, BB.
Not that the Dodgers needed any additional punch in their lineup, but Andy Pages has been a revelation for Los Angeles so far this season. After hitting just 13 HRs in 443 plate appearances in 2024, Pages is up to seven in just 161 plate appearances in 2025 and has added five stolen bases to boot. It is worth noting that Pages hit 31 and 26 HRs in the minors in 2021 and 2022. If he continues this proficiency at the plate throughout the season, there will officially be zero holes in the Dodgers’ lineup.
Jeremy Peña (HOU): 4-4, 2B, 2 RBI.
Jeremy Peña continues to be a sparkplug at the top of the Houston lineup and is now up to a .315/.365/.475 line after his 4-for-4 day on Wednesday. Pena is walking more, striking out less, and hitting the ball harder than ever. I think I’m officially in on the 27-year-old Astros shortstop.
