Juan Soto: A Star Wars Story
A brash, young (remember he’s only 25) superstar, Juan Soto is currently engaged in a furious battle with fellow Yankee superstar Aaron Judge to determine who is the true hero of the Bronx faithful. Judge had hit 4 HRs in the previous three games, but it was Soto who stole the show on Sunday. After giving New York the initial lead with a solo shot in the 1st inning, Soto brought the house down with a go-ahead two-run blast off Giants closer Camilo Doval in the 9th inning to give the Yankees a 6-5 lead. Soto finished the day 3-for-5 with the 2 HRs, 3 runs and 3 RBI and has been nothing short of tremendous during his debut in pinstripes, giving Yankee fans a new hope that a 28th World Series isn’t lost in a galaxy far, far away.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday
Jose Miranda (MIN): 2-4, HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 2B.
Once upon a time, Jose Miranda was a budding prospect and fantasy sleeper with proven Minor League power and an elite strikeout rate. Now the 25-year-old is fighting to earn Major League playing time and he took a step forward in that fight on Sunday. With the Twins trailing by a run in the 6th, Miranda connected for a solo shot off Houston starter Hunter Brown. He followed it up with a go-ahead RBI double in the 8th inning to lead Minnesota to the win. Unfortunately for Miranda, it looks like Royce Lewis will be returning from the IL on Tuesday so at-bats may be hard to come by going forward.
Gunnar Henderson (BAL): 3-3, HR, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB.
Despite Gunnar Henderson’s best efforts, the Orioles suffered a 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday. The 22-year-old is making his best case for AL MVP with his .268/.368/.591 line, and 19 HRs and 8 SBs. The future is bright in Baltimore and nobody in the game of baseball is shining brighter than Henderson right now.
Ketel Marte (ARI): 3-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB.
Tough to one-up the 3-for-3 game Henderson had, but Marte pulled it off with two HRs from the right side of the plate, including the game winning two-run blast in the top of the 9th to give Arizona the 5-4 win over the Mets.
Adolis García (TEX): 2-5, HR, 1 R, 2 RBI.
At 29-30, the Texas Rangers have had a hard time repeating their success from last season. Adolis García has not experienced the same struggles and tied Corey Seager for team lead in HRs with his 13th off Marlins starter Trevor Rogers. With the Rangers starting to get healthy, García will hopefully continue to be a stable power source for the rest of the season.
Jackson Chourio (MIL): 2-4, HR, 1 R, 3 RBI.
It has been a tough go of it in 20-year-old top prospect Jackson Chourio’s much anticipated rookie season, but Sunday’s three-run HR might be the sign things are picking up. The jump to the Majors was sure to be a tough challenge for Chourio considering he only accumulated 24 plate appearances above AA and his 27.2 K% this season is reflective of that. But batting at the bottom of the lineup on a first-place Milwaukee team will allow Chourio the time to figure things out and when he does he has 25/40 potential.
TJ Friedl (CIN): 1-5, HR, 1 R, 3 RBI.
TJ Friedl’s three-run HR in the 2nd inning turned out to be all the Reds needed to take down the Cubs 5-2 in Chicago yesterday. It has been an injury-plagued start to the season for Cincinnati’s leadoff hitter as right wrist and left thumb fractures have limited him to just 43 plate appearances. If he can stay healthy at the top of that Reds lineup, Friedl is someone to keep an eye on though after he put up a .279/.352/.467 line with 18 HRs and 27 stolen bases in 2023.
Freddie Freeman (LAD): 1-1, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 1 SB.
After allowing a 1st inning HR to Freddie Freeman, Austin Gomber and the Rockies bullpen wanted no part of 34-year-old veteran the rest of the way, walking him in three out of his next four at-bats. Freeman just keeps humming along as one of the best first basemen in baseball and a member of the Dodgers Big 3.
Luke Raley (SEA): 1-2, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HBP.
If you are desperate for some OF help in fantasy baseball, you might want to give the Mariners Luke Raley a look. In his last 30 games Raley is hitting .311/.374/.544 with 6 HRs and 5 stolen bases, with 5 of those 6 homers coming against right-handers.
Heliot Ramos (SF): 2-5, HR, 1 R, 3 RBI.
Heliot Ramos continues to be a much-needed sparkplug for the Giants after his third HR of the season gave San Francisco a 2-1 lead over the Yankees in the 3rd inning. Although the Giants would blow the game in the 9th inning, Ramos’ value to this team cannot be overstated right now. With all of the injuries San Francisco has endured over the first couple months, Ramos will be counted on to provide some pop for the team this summer.
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)