The Great Batsby

Tyler Fitzgerald (SF): 3-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB.

One of my favorite parts of the season is when a player comes out of nowhere and sends fantasy managers rushing to the waiver wire. The too-hot Fitzgerald is the latest phenomenon. A fourth-round pick by the Giants out of Louisville five years ago, the 26-year-old right-handed hitting SS/OF got called up by the Giants late last year after posting 20 home runs and 29 stolen bases across 102 games with Triple-A Sacramento. It was his second 20/20 season.

Tyler Fitzgerald, the son of former big leaguer Mike Fitzgerald, who played 13 games with the Cardinals in 1988, was hitting .310 with a 1.120 OPS in Triple-A this year before getting called up on June 28th. He played sparingly at first but has basically done nothing but hit dingers since coming out of the break. Last night, he tormented Kyle Freeland in the fourth with a two-run shot to left (400 feet, 105.6 EV) for his seventh of the year. His second of the night came in the sixth off righty reliever Tyler Kinley (396 feet, 101.5 EV).

That’s eight home runs in 42 games—not bad. He’s also played 18 games at SS, six at 2B, and 11 in the OF. Not that it really matters a whole lot, given how ridiculously well he’s played out of the break, but Thairo Estrada is on the IL with a wrist injury, so the path is wide open. In case you weren’t convinced, here’s a fun stat.

Tyler Fitzgerald’s 8-game extra-base hit streak is the 2nd-longest by a Giants rookie since 1900, behind only:

1924 Hack Wilson: 9

Wilson’s 9 is tied for longest by any rookie in span, with: 2019 Bo Bichette, 1939 Ted Williams, 1934 Hal Trosky

h/t @EliasSports https://t.co/i7YsrE2dhW

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 27, 2024

I had forgotten Hack Wilson played for the Giants. According to Sarah Langs, Mr. Fitzgerald is also the first Giant to go yard seven times across eight games since some fellow named Barry Bonds in 2004. Pretty good!

Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday:

Anthony Volpe (NYY): 2-5, HR, 2 R, RBI, SB.

Volpe’s eighth came on a 2-2 slider from Brayan Bello, a solo shot to center (409 feet, 103.2 EV) that tied the score at 1-1 in the second. Unfortunately for the Yankees, he couldn’t come through in the ninth against Kenley Jansen and bounced into a game-ending groundout with the tying runs on base. Part of Volpe’s allure as a prospect was his power, and that’s been missing this year (91 power via PLV; 100 is average). He’s hit a couple of home runs out of the break, so maybe there’s something there, but I think this might be something that he’ll need to attack in the offseason ahead of year three.

Aaron Judge hit his 37th, and it was quite the shot: 470-foot home run to center (114.4 EV) off reliever Zack Kelly.

Jurickson Profar (SDP): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.

Profar was the hero the Padres needed. With the score tied 4-4 in the ninth, he banged a 94 mph fastball on the outer edge of the plate from Craig Kimbrel 430 feet to center (106 EV) for a two-run dinger that turned out to be the game-winner. His first shot of the night against the O’s came in the sixth against Grayson Rodriguez (395 feet, 103.3 EV). I’ll admit, earlier this year, I wanted to ignore Profar. And here we are, 426 PA into the season, and the man who was one of baseball’s best prospects a little over a decade ago is slashing a career-best .301/.387/.493. He’s two away from matching his career-high of 20 home runs (2018 and 2019).

Profar’s batted ball data is much better this year (104 power via PLV; 82 last year) The question becomes, is Profar suddenly doing something different at 31? That’s a lot harder to figure out. This reminds me a little of what DJ LeMahieu did with the Yankees back in 2019. At the time, it was a good, solid veteran signing that went under the radar, and then bam, a career year.

Mitch Garver (SEA): 3-3, 2B, R, RBI, 2 BB.

This is probably Garver’s best line of the year, but it’s best to take this game with a grain of salt. The Mariners shellacked rookie Drew Thorpe, who got two outs before heading for the showers. Garver has walked at a 12.7% clip this year, but that’s just about it. Victor Robles, who hit leadoff, Josh Rojas, Jorge Polanco, and Dylan Moore went yard for the Mariners. Polanco, who hit third, could be a potential rebound candidate to monitor, but his 31.2% K rate is hard to brush aside.

Paul Goldschmidt (STL): 2-5, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI.

It’s been a brutal year for the 2022 NL MVP, hitting .229 with a .670 OPS, both career lows. But he at least bagged a milestone last night. Facing Nats closer Kyle Finnegan with two outs in the tenth, Goldschmidt thwacked a 98 mph heater 375 feet down the left field for a two-run shot. His 15th of the year made him the fifth active player with 2,000 hits.

Masyn Winn (6) and Nolan Arenado (11) also went yard for the Cards in a 10-8 loss to the Nats.

Byron Buxton (MIN): 2-5, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Buxton got the Twins on the board in the first inning, lifting a Keider Montero slider 384 feet to left-center for his 12th of the year. The 30-year-old Georgia native got off to a dreadful start but has been nothing short of brilliant since June, slashing .314/.367/.620. Only four stolen bases. But who cares? Just stay healthy. If he can do that, he’ll have his second season with over 20 home runs.

Trevor Larnach followed Buxton’s blast with his 11th in an easy 9-3 win over the Tigers. Speaking of Larnach, he’s cut his K rate considerably, from 34% to 20.2%.

Matt Wallner (5) and Christian Vázquez (5) also homered for the Twins.

Mark Vientos (NYM): 2-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.

Vientos socked a hanging curveball from Charlie Morton for his 14th of the year, pushing the Mets to a 6-2 lead over the Braves in the third (377 feet, 100.5 EV). Vientos swings and misses a bit (90 contact ability), but he’s bringing monumental power (128; 141 BBE) and has been a big reason behind the Mets’ terrific mid-season run.

Francisco Alvarez (5) and J.D. Martinez (11) also went yard for the Mets in their 8-4 win over the Braves.

Xavier Edwards (MIA): 1-4, BB, SB.

It’s not a big line, but if you’re hurting for steals, Xavier Edwards, whom the Marlins acquired in November 2022 from the Rays in exchange for reliever JT Chargois, can help. Although, I think there’s a pretty decent chance Edwards will be a negative in the power department; he hit just eight home runs over his past 119 games in Triple-A.

Luis García Jr. (WSN): 2-4, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 SB.

García continues to have a sneaky good season, hitting sixth or seventh most nights for the Nats. He’s hitting .278 with 11 home runs and 15 stolen bases. PLV is a fan, too, giving him above-average marks in contact ability (113) and power (109; 260 BBE). CJ Abrams also swiped three bags for the Nats in their 10-8 win over the Cards.

Taylor Ward (LAA): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Ward scored the first run of the game, taking Chase Blackburn for a ride to center in his first at-bat (415 feet, 100.6 EV). The results haven’t been great for Ward as of late, and that’s putting it kindly; he’s hitting just .171 since June 1st. Yikes. Still, he’s shown good power (113; 261 BBE) and has made excellent swing decisions (124 DV). There’s at least a decent chance he gets moved at the deadline, so better days might be ahead. If not, he could at least benefit from the Angels getting Mike Trout back in the lineup soon (we can only hope).

Adam Duvall (ATL): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Duvall spoiled the return of Kodai Senga and put the Braves ahead 2-0 in the fourth with a two-run shot to left (392 feet, 113 EV). His second home run came in the ninth against lefty reliever Jake Diekman. Duvall has been a regular in the Braves lineup, so there’s that at least, but his feast-or-famine tendencies leave him off the radar in almost all formats. And you have to figure the Braves are shopping earnestly for reinforcements.

 

Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)