High and Fry

David Fry (CLE): 3-3, 2 R, RBI, BB.

David Fry was one of the surprises of the first half, hitting .279 with eight home runs and a .854 OPS while earning his first All-Star appearance. A previously unheralded seventh-round pick out of Northwestern State in 2018, Fry finally got the call last year at age 27 but didn’t do much, hitting .238 with a .735 OPS.

One of the fun things about baseball is that there are always at least a couple of stories like Fry’s every year: a late-bloomer who not many people have heard of all of a sudden starts making noise. Max Muncy in 2018 comes to mind. Fry’s skipper, Stephen Vogt, is another example. Different players, of course, but their paths to the bigs were similar: long and with little fanfare.

Fry started strong, slashing .311/.450/.467 through April. However, it was only 19 games and 12 starts, so his playing time seemed a little uncertain. He was great in May but faded in June, hitting .246 with a .307 OBP (22 games, 18 starts) and no home runs. And then he had just six hits in July (12 games, 9 starts). But now he’s back with a bang, going for 3-for-3 with a walk out of the break, reminding us of that guy who was terrific in April and May.

I have to admit, I still don’t really know what Fry is. Is he just a really good role player, like Ryan O’Hearn? I’m not sure, but that’s where I’m leaning. Still, the man is slashing .290/.398/.473 through 250 PA. At the very least, he’s a good bet in any OBP format, especially in Yahoo, where he’s 1B/C/OF eligible. On that note, PLV adores his eye at the plate, pegging him with a 124 in Decision Vaue (100 is average) and 121 in Strikezone Judgement.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday:

Jesse Winker (WSN): 1-1, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 SB.

For my money, this is one of the most unique lines you’ll see all year. The three walks are what we’ve come to know Winker for; he’s got a great eye. After two dreadful years with the M’s and Brewers, he’s remarkably close to his career .264/.371/.443 slash. Who’da thunk it? But then there’s the two steals. At roughly the halfway point, he’s tied with Randy Arozarena, Nico Hoerner, Gunnar Henderson, and a few others with 14 steals. Winker had not stolen more than one base in a season before this breakthrough at age 30. Like an M. Night Shyamalan movie without a twist, I did not see this coming.

Juan Yepez homered for the Nats and has been a force to be reckoned with since getting the call from Rochester on July 5th. He flashed with the Cards two years ago, hitting 12 home runs with a .743 OPS in 76 games.

Jeff McNeil (NYM): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

McNeil put the Mets on the board in the fifth, tattooing a 96.6 mph heater from Edward Cabrera for his sixth home run of the year (400 feet, 103.1 EV). He went yard again in his next at-bat, parking a hanging slider from lefty Andrew Nardi 385 feet to right (101.2 EV). It’s easy to forget, but McNeil smashed a .836 OPS while hitting .326 two years ago. He’s been the polar opposite this year, hitting .223 with a .622 OPS, both career-lows. There’s a middle ground here, but it’s probably not worth chasing despite his first multi-home run game since 2019.

Brooks Baldwin (CWS): 1-3. 

Bobby Witt Jr. stole the show for the Royals, going 3-for-3 with his 17th home run of the year. On the other side, we saw the debut of switch-hitting second baseman Brooks Baldwin, who batted eighth and led off the third with his first hit, a hard groundball through the right side of the infield off a Michael Wacha cutter. A 12th-round pick by the White Sox two years ago, Baldwin hit .324 with eight home runs, 17 steals, and a .851 OPS across 82 games in Double-A and Triple-A before getting the call.

Freddie Freeman (LAD): 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI.

The Red Sox held a 1-0 lead in the eighth, thanks to a good outing from Nick Pivetta, but it proved all for naught. Freeman saved the day for the Dodgers, blasting an eighth-inning grand slam (370 feet, 105.5 EV) off a curveball from lefty Brennan Bernardino. Freeman is hitting .291, and his .891 OPS trails only Bryce Harper among qualified 1B.

Max Schuemann (OAK): 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI.

Schuemann torched a changeup from Griffin Canning for his sixth of the year, a three-run blast to left (370 feet, 100.1 EV), giving the A’s a 6-2 lead in the fourth. Schuemann started the game at 3B but switched to SS after top prospect Jacob Wilson hurt his hamstring sometime after his first at-bat. The 27-year-old rookie is hitting .255 with six home runs, nine stolen bases, and a .718 OPS through 258 PA. He’s started 56 games at SS, five at 2B, four in the OF, and two at 3B.

Former Marlins prospect JJ Bleday hit his 12th home run and is second on the team with a .745 OPS. Shea Langeliers also went yard in a 13-3 rout over the Angels. He’s second among qualified catchers with 18 home runs.

Anthony Volpe (NYY): 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI.

Juan Soto had a big night for the Yankees, going 4-for-4. One of his two doubles resulted in him scoring thanks to subpar, to put it lightly, defense in left from Randy Arozarena. I think we know Soto is pretty good. Volpe, on the other hand, not so much. He’s 17th among qualified SS with a .672 OPS. Still, he’ll be worth monitoring in the second half as there’s at least an outside chance that he might work himself back into the leadoff spot, given the Yankees’ struggles to generate offense outside of their big two hitters, Soto and Judge.

Anthony Santander (BAL): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.

The first-time All-Star started his second half with a bang. Both homers came batting left-handed; his second of the night came against Jonathan Hernández in the seventh (383 feet, 106.9 EV) and put the O’s ahead 9-1. Santander’s 26 home runs are good for fourth in baseball, tied with Marcell Ozuna. He’s hitting .242 with what would be a career-best .826 OPS (ignoring 2020). Colton Cowser (13) and Adley Rutschman (17) also went deep for the O’s.

Oneil Cruz (PIT): 3-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Cruz’s first at-bat against Aaron Nola ended with a laser beam to center that screamed over Christian Pache and bounced off the base of the wall for a run-scoring double. Seriously, 398 feet with a 120.5 EV is the sort of line drive you could hang laundry off. His infield single, meanwhile, went all of four feet. Still, it trimmed the deficit to 7-5 in the seventh. Cruz ended his night chopping a 100-mph heater from José Alvarado into the dirt. It was ugly but good enough to bring home the tying run on a fielder’s choice in the ninth, setting up Nick Gonzales for the game-winning knock.

Zach Neto (LAA): 3-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.

Neto torched a 91 mph heater from JP Sears for his 13th of the year, a towering shot to left that tied the game in the fourth (396 feet, 106.9 EV). He’s hitting a modest .257 with a .307 OBP. Still, he’s not too far from finishing his first full season with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, and that’s not bad at all. He’s shown an intriguing blend of above-average contact ability (106 via PLV) and power (112).

 

Photo courtesy of Icon Sportswire | Created by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X) | Adapted on July 19th by Aaron Polcare (@bearydoesgfx on X)