Tuckered Out Of The Park
Kyle Tucker celebrated the birthday of Orbit on Sunday by wearing cleats with the Astros’ mascot’s face on them. He proceeded to change his cleats halfway through the game after striking out three consecutive times, and the result was back-to-back HRs for the 27-year-old superstar. He finished the game 2-for-5 with 4 RBI and is now tied for the Major League lead in HRs. Tucker is well on his way to eclipsing his career-high of 30 HRs and he is doing so while walking at a higher rate (18.0%) than he is striking out (17.1%). His barrel rate (15.0%) and fly ball rate (54.5%) are also way up from 2023 and I don’t think this power surge is going anywhere. Tucker has to be considered an early candidate for AL MVP and if the season ended today, he would have my vote.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday
Jack Suwinski (PIT): 1-3, HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB.
There is no doubting the power in Jack Suwinski’s bat, but his inability to make consistent contact and his struggles against lefties have held him back all season. The 25-year-old was able to put it together on Sunday, hitting his 4th HR of the season off Jameson Taillon in the 2nd inning and adding two walks and a stolen base later in the game. Suwinski’s strikeout rate is actually down a bit from previous years, but it has come at the expense of his batting average which is at a lowly .172. He is getting unlucky with his .204 BABIP and we know the ball travels when he puts the barrel on it. But until we can get some consistency out of Suwinski, he is best left on the waiver wire.
Brandon Nimmo (NYM): 1-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB.
After a heartbreaking loss for the Mets on Saturday, Brandon Nimmo helped seal the win with a two-run 9th inning HR to extend the lead over the Marlins. Nimmo has battled some nagging injuries and illness to start the season and his .241 BABIP hasn’t helped matters either. However he is showing the same peripherals as he did last year when he hit .274/.363/.466 with 24 HRs so I expect Nimmo to turn it around sooner rather than later.
Tyler O’Neill (BOS): 2-3, HR, 3 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB.
There are few players in the MLB stronger than Tyler O’Neill and he showcased his mammoth strength against his former team when he smashed a 1st inning HR 439 feet off Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore. With an exit velocity of 110.2 MPH, the HR was the 11th of the season for O’Neill and if it weren’t for a stretch on the injured list earlier in the season, O’Neill could easily be the league leader in HRs.
Rafael Devers (BOS): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB.
Rafael Devers continues to cement himself in Boston Red Sox lore, hitting a HR for the 5th consecutive game on Sunday, a franchise record. Devers just continues to produce like one of the top third basemen in baseball and is as consistent as they come in the batter’s box.
Gunnar Henderson (BAL): 2-4, HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB.
Speaking of the league leader in HRs, Gunnar Henderson added to his total with a leadoff blast off Mariners ace George Kirby to give Baltimore a lead it would never relinquish. The HR was the 15th of the season for Henderson and he added his seventh stolen base of the campaign as well. The 22-year-old budding superstar showed out in his first full MLB season in 2023 with 28 HRs and 10 stolen bases and he should easily exceed those numbers in 2024.
Alec Bohm (PHI): 1-3, HR, 1 R, 5 RBI.
Speaking of exceeding previous career highs, Alec Bohm has started off 2024 on an absolutely torrid pace. He’s been so good this year that he managed to get 5 RBI on Sunday with just one hit, courtesy of a three-run 8th inning HR and two sac flys. The Phillies are now a whopping 20 games over .500 already and in large part thanks to the efforts of Bohm and his .330/.389/.528 line.
Andres Gimenez (CLE): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB.
Although he flies under the radar a little bit out in Cleveland, Andres Gimenez has proved to be one of the most productive second basemen in the game and he demonstrated that with a two-run 1st inning HR off Minnesota starter Chris Paddack. Hitting in front of the likes of Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor should provide Gimenez with plenty of pitches to hit and so far this season he has done a solid job of taking advantage of them.
Maikel Garcia (KC): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB.
Maikel Garcia was a hot sleeper name for fantasy managers coming into the season and unfortunately he got off to a very slow start. He has picked it up in May however and now has hits in 19 of his last 21 games. The Royals have been a bit of a surprise team to start the year and hitting at the top of the lineup should provide Garcia with opportunities to put up big numbers like he did on Sunday.
Jon Berti (NYY): 2-3, HR, 1 R, 3 RBI.
Known more for his speed than anything, Jon Berti showed a little pop on Sunday with a three-run HR for the Yankees on Sunday. While this was certainly an outlier for Berti, if he gets consistent playing time for New York he could provide some value on the basepaths. Lets not forget that he stole 41 bases in just 102 games for Miami in 2022.
Ha-Seong Kim (SD): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB.
The Padres routed the Braves 9-1 on Sunday Night Baseball and Ha-Seong Kim played a large role with his 6th HR and 9th stolen base. Kim has struggled a bit in 2024 and has been dropped all the way to the bottom of a deep Padres lineup. I am not too concerned about his slow start and I think Kim will likely come close to his .260/.351/.398 line, 17 HRs and 38 stolen bases that he put up in 2023.
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)