Jose it Ten Times Fast

After celebrating Independence Day with an unforgettable 5-for-5, Jose Miranda has done it again. OK, not five hits, but 4-for-4 is pretty good, too. His final hit of the night, a single to right off Bryan Abreu in the seventh, shattered the Twins record of hits in nine straight at-bats previously held by Tony Oliva (1967), Mickey Hatcher (1985), and Todd Walker (1998). 

This time last week, I serenaded Miranda with jubilant praise, acclaiming him a decent stopgap for deep leagues without much upside. He has since become the right-handed reincarnation of Ted Williams. Never in all my years have I nailed something so perfectly.

I could sit here and flap my gums about regression, good but not bright-red batted ball data, and all that stuff. But Miranda is hitting .324 with a .893 OPS and you know he’s probably not gonna keep that pace. Regardless, he’s the hottest hitter going right now. I suppose the Dreamcast scenario would be Miranda mimicking Alec Bohm, i.e. lots of contact (13.6% K rate), as a good RBI guy in the middle of the order with average-ish pop (104 via PLV; 100 is average). The more important piece here, and something I didn’t fully notice was that he dealt with some injuries last season, most notably a recurring right shoulder impingement that certainly affected his bottom line last year. But he’s rolling now and the Twins certainly need him with Royce Lewis down for the count.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday:

Colt Keith (DET): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Colt Keith came into the season as a second base sleeper with prospect pedigree but has struggled to get much going. However, he began his first multi-home run game last night by dropping the hammer on a changeup from Carson Spiers in the third for a solo home run to right (413 feet, 104.2 EV). His second dinger was a moonshot to right (415 feet, 108.8 EV) off Spiers again in the fifth, a two-run job putting the Tigers ahead 4-0. Keith has shown above-average contact ability (112 via PLV) but not much power (91) while hitting .240 with a .685 OPS.

Parker Meadows, whom the Tigers recalled from Triple-A Toledo before the game, also went yard.

Bryan Reynolds (PIT): 4-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 6 RBI.

Reynolds broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth with a two-run dinger to right off Luis Severino (399 feet, 105.8 EV). And then in the seventh, he parked a 95.5 mph heater from lefty Jake Diekman 421 feet to right-center for a grand slam. Just a once-in-a-lifetime night from a terrific hitter who probably doesn’t get as much attention as he deserves. He’s now hitting .280 with a .831 OPS, just about matching his career marks of .277 and .829.

Rowdy Tellez also had a whale of a game with two home runs, the second an eighth-inning grand salami off righty reliever Ty Adcock in a 14-2 laugher over the Mets.

Alek Thomas (ARI): 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI.

Alek Thomas returned from the IL on July 2nd after a hamstring strain. The lefty-hitting outfielder stepped to the plate in the ninth with the Padres trying to ice a 7-2 win. However, Thomas said not so fast, drilling a belt-high, 98 mph heater from Padres closer Robert Suarez for a 413-foot grand slam (107.9 EV). Thomas also has the athleticism to steal bases and might be an interesting post-hype prospect to monitor.

Rhys Hoskins (MIL): 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI.

Hoskins came into the game hitting .217 with a .703 OPS, well below his career averages of .240 and .834. However, he turned on a 98 mph heater from Tyler Glasnow for his 12th of the year, a grand slam just over the Morton Salt sign in left-center (391 feet, 99.3 EV) that temporarily gave the Brewers a 5-2 lead. Hoskins hasn’t gotten great results after missing last year with a torn ACL but his PLV profile remains optimistic, pegging him with 117 power (100 is average) and overall good swing decisions (106 DV).

Will Smith (LAD): 3-3, 3 HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB.

Woah! What a night. Smith became the fourth Dodger catcher to go yard three times in a single game, joining Yasmani Grandal, Mike Piazza, and Roy Campanella. His third of the night couldn’t have come at a better time, tying the game in the seventh off Brewers stud reliever Bryan Hudson (394 feet, 104.2 EV). You don’t need me to tell you Smith is pretty good but in case you forgot, he’s tops among qualified C’s with a .852 OPS.

Miguel Vargas also went yard for the Dodgers and could see a bump in playing time with the recent injury to Jason Heyward.

Joc Pederson (ARI): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Pederson blasted a first-inning dinger to straightaway center off righty Randy Vásquez (410 feet, 105 EV). The former Dodger continues to have a brilliant season, hitting a career-best .289 with a .917 OPS. The only thing keeping him from being on more rosters is his sitting against left-handers. Still, he should probably be on more rosters than he is right now (33% on Yahoo). He’s shown above-average contact ability (106) and power (109) according to PLV.

Luis García Jr. (WSN): 4-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, SB.

García tattooed a pair of dingers this past Wednesday and had another big game last night. His tenth of the season came in the third, a solo shot to center on a changeup from Sonny Gray (391 feet, 99.3 EV). García has lost some at-bats to left-handers but has been a solid MI in deeper leagues, hitting .271 with 12 steals. He’s eighth among qualified 2B with a .733 OPS.

Michael Toglia (COL): 1-4, HR, R, RBI.

Toglia’s tenth tater of the season came off Cole Ragans in the third. However, it comes with an asterisk as it needed an assist by way of a propitious bounce off the glove of the left fielder Dairon Blanco. Regardless, Toglia is now tied with Brenton Doyle for third on the Rockies with 10 dingers but in only about half the at-bats (143). Yes, that kinda tells you all you need to know about the 2024 Rockies. Still, Toglia has shown some legit power (123 via PLV). Ben Pernick recently wrote about him in this week’s Buy and Sell.

Trea Turner (PHI): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI

My condolences if you’re battling your league’s Turner team in a weekly league. Turner’s seventh homer of the season was a two-run shot off Max Fried in the fourth. He tormented Fried again in the sixth with a certified bomb, a 459-foot blast to left (108.4 EV). Oddly enough, Turner shows up with below-average power via PLV (95), a little down relative to last year (104). Either way, he’s now second on the Phillies to Bryce Harper with an .896 OPS.

Ceddanne Rafaela (BOS): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Rafaela clobbered the game-winner, a two-run shot just to the right of straightaway center in the tenth off righty reliever Tommy Kahnle. Rafaela’s batted ball data doesn’t jump off the page (99 power via PLV) and he’s a very aggressive hitter whose swing decisions leave a lot to be desired (72 Decision Value) meaning his batting average could end up a major drag. Still, 11 steals and 10 home runs with SS/OF eligibility near the halfway point certainly play in many formats.