Summer of George

George Springer (TOR): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 7 RBI, BB.

Springer has been quietly having a great season north of the border, but this performance made some noise. Now hitting .270 with an OBP of .367—both highs since 2019—Springer is keeping Father Time at bay with a 90th-percentile xwOBA and an 89th-percentile xSLG. The keys to this resurgence? First, he’s showing a major improvement against lefties, against whom he had a .579 OPS last year (this year it’s .846, just ten points below his mark against righties). He’s also steadily improved his contact ability all season long, starting from the lowest quintile at the beginning of the season to an elite level. Just look at this chart:

So on Canada Day no less, against Yankee lefty Max Fried, Springer sat back on a 77-mph curveball before cranking it over the left-center wall. A historically good curveball hitter with a .316 average against the pitch last year (his highest of any offering), Springer barreled it out of the park.

A few innings later, with the game still close at 5-4 in the seventh and the bases loaded, Springer saw a Luke Weaver fastball and deposited it in nearly the same spot as his earlier home run, this time in grand fashion. And he wasn’t done—with the bases juiced again in the next inning, Springer blasted a line drive to left for two more RBIs.

Like most Toronto hitters, Springer has bounced around the order throughout the season, but he batted second in this one with Bo Bichette hurt and Addison Barger sitting against the southpaw. Maybe that will stick as he’s got an absurd 3.050 OPS in that spot (in 17 AB’s but still). But no matter where he’s hitting, Springer’s contact ability shows he’s still a force for Toronto. Oh Canada, indeed.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday

Roman Anthony (BOS): 1-2, 2B, R, RBI.

The Reds and BoSox had their game suspended due to rain, but that’s eight hits in his last four games for Anthony, who’s raised his average over a hundred points in the last week (he was batting .114 as of June 25th). The future superstar struggled for the first few weeks since his call-up, as is normal, but now that he’s hitting second in Boston’s rearranged lineup after the Devers trade, you might see a top-50 second half. Anthony only has one homer and one steal so far, but he’s got a 90th-percentile Average EV and is walking almost 14% of the time. Greatness is coming.

 

Colby Thomas (ATH): 1-4, 2B.

The Athletics‘ #2 prospect was called up over the weekend and made his MLB debut on Monday, entering as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. He got his first start in this one and batted seventh against Rays starter Shane Baz. Though he K’ed twice, Thomas got his first hit on a 104.2-mph liner to left. There’s a lot of swing-and-miss in his game, but Thomas had a .907 OPS in AAA this year. Management has stated he’ll be in a part-time role, but Thomas is a plus defender on both ends of the outfield so that might mean he sees more action than the expected short-side platoon. Keep an eye on him.

 

Shea Langeliers (ATH): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.

It’s like he never left. Langeliers was breaking out in a big way before an oblique strain put him on ice for the last three weeks. Already homering in his comeback game on Monday, he made it two straight games with a bomb after taking Baz deep with a leadoff homer in the sixth inning. The 40-degree moonshot got lost in the lights but easily cleared the confines of the minor-league stadium, where the A’s continue to pile up runs. Expect top-10 catcher productivity from Bangeliers going forward, and he might end up trailing only Cal Raleigh (and possibly another player later in this recap) in homers for a backstop. What impresses me the most, though: he also lowered his K-rate by almost nine percent since last year, showing big strides in his contact skills and hard-hit rate.

 

Max Muncy (ATH): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI.

The other Muncy had a game against the Rays, flashing some of the power his elder namesake is known for. Muncy is yet another in the parade of Oakland rookies, but other than his 79th-percentile sprint speed (with which he surprisingly has just one steal) the profile’s pretty shaky, including a 26.4% K-minus-BB rate. His bat speed and barrel rate show promise, though, so the 22-year-old former first-rounder should improve on his .211 Batting Average.

 

Kyle Stowers (MIA): 1-2, HR, R, RBI.

Between Stowers and Agustin Ramirez, the Marlins lineup has gotten interesting (Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards are showing up as well).  The young club managed just two runs in this game, but one of them came from a solo slam off Stowers’ bat. Ironically, the blast came after an HBP call that the Twins successfully overturned, putting the lumber back in Stowers’ hands. He’s now in the top 2% of baseball with a .516 xSLG and a 19.5% barrel rate. Like some of the other rookies in this article, his contact skills are wanting, but he does have a good eye at the plate with a nearly 10% walk rate. If he’s somehow still available in your league, grab him.

 

Adolis García (TEX): 3-4, 2B, R, 4 RBI.

It’s been a rough couple of seasons for Adolis, who’d been relegated to the bottom third of the Rangers lineup in recent weeks. But he batted cleanup in this one, just like the days of old, and delivered with a vintage performance. García’s first knock of the night wasn’t terribly impressive, but he was able to scoop a down-and-away pitch over the shortstop for a two-run single. He showed he still has the power later in the game, though, with a 110-mph double to kick off the sixth inning and a high-hopper that plated two more runs in the seventh (it bounced over the third baseman, who was playing in with a runner on third). A few lucky breaks might have padded his stats, but good things happen when you’re in the middle of the order. Like some of the other Rangers stars mired in an extended slump, Adolis is slowly righting the ship.

 

Hunter Goodman (COL): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB.

Ah, to be back in Coors. The Rockies have six games at home this week, and Goodman kicked things off in style with a pair of dingers. Neither one needed the high-altitude atmosphere to clear the yard, though—his first-inning shot to center went 431 feet and his second (off Josh Hader, who would eventually close the game out for Houston) went 443. Goodman’s another young power-hitting catcher with promising tools. The .290 average might not be sustainable given his 7th-percentile whiff rate, but if he’s mashing in Coors you won’t really mind. After all, he did manage a 1.107 OPS in June despite a 30% K-rate.

 

Gary Sánchez (BAL): 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Adley Rutschman won’t be on the shelf much longer, but Sánchez is performing admirably in his stead. Playing nearly every day since returning to Baltimore on June 14th, the well-traveled backstop has been hot, with five homers in 51 at-bats and a .354/.415/.646 slash line in June (his slash in July is even higher after last night). Though his hot-and-cold streaks are legendary, Sánchez makes a decent short-term play if you’re looking to upgrade your power in the catcher position and the other guys above are taken. Just note that Rutschman will probably be back after the All-Star Break.