NationDel Castillographic

The fairytale start to Adrian Del Castillo’s career continued last night, as he had what was perhaps his best game thus far, all in front of his family at his hometown stadium.

Del Castillo put up an excellent statline in this game, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a run, a walk, his first career stolen base, and a whopping 6 RBI. Not only was it a particularly electric moment seeing a rookie hit one out of the park with two outs in the city he calls home, but it was also extra special as it was his first career grand slam, blowing the game open. Add the fact that he hit a game-tying home run the afternoon before and it all feels straight out of a storybook.

It’s very apparent that Del Castillo’s bat has been an important part of this team’s recent surge, and it appears that the Diamondbacks will ride his hot bat until the return of starting catcher Gabriel Moreno. Del Castillo may strike out quite a bit, but his sheer raw power at the plate and his above-average walk rate show that he could have a future as one of those three true outcome-type catchers a la 2021 Mike Zunino.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday

 

Corey Seager (TEX): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB.

Corey Seager was the ultimate one-man show for the Rangers last night, as his two home runs plated all the runners the Rangers needed to come out on top against the Pirates. With the generational seasons that shortstops like Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson are having, it’s easy to forget about the reigning World Series MVP. Seager had a very subpar April, but since then he has been that top-notch fantasy option, putting up the numbers you would expect from a player of his caliber. His underlying numbers are still insane, as his barrel rate is still nearly 16% and his xWOBA is still above .400. Just don’t expect any stolen bases.

Ramón Urías (BAL): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.

You probably don’t think of Ramón Urías as much of a slugger, and you’d be right in this assessment. His percentiles in Hard-Hit rate and average exit velocity are below average, and his barrel numbers aren’t particularly eye-popping either. However, if last night’s game was your first introduction to Urias, perhaps you’d think he was a feared power hitter. Both his double and home run were classified as barrels hit over 105mph, and his one out on the night was a smoking 99mph line drive that just so happened to be right into the glove of Starling Marte. This was a night of great contact for Urias, and he was rewarded with two extra-base hits and two runs in a close game where every hit mattered.

Luis Robert Jr. (CHW): 3-5, R, RBI, SB.

It’s pretty clear that Luis Robert Jr. is counting down the days until this horrific August for him is over. This post-trade deadline stretch has been one of the worst of his career, as his White Sox have gone on a historically awful run that could end in them being crowned the worst team of all time. But in terms of the positives, last night went well for Robert. He hit three singles, knocked a run home, and tallied a stolen base. It wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary last year or in 2021, but it is a great step in the right direction for a player who many thought would be the next great center fielder.

Paul DeJong (KCR): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Last year it looked like Paul DeJong was seeing the end of his tenure in Major League Baseball, as he had one of the worst stretches of any player in years following his trade to the Toronto Blue Jays. However, this year he has made it work somewhat, becoming a feasible option in fantasy. His time with the Royals has been pretty much the opposite of his time in Toronto last year, as he is hitting for both average and power in the small sample size. This won’t necessarily continue considering his track record and underlying numbers show otherwise, but the Royals look to be riding with DeJong and you know what, maybe you should be too (if your league is deep enough where that would even be a consideration).

TJ Friedl (CIN): 3-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.

In 2023, TJ Friedl put up an all-around stellar breakout season, showcasing solid on-base skills to go alongside a solid stolen base total and an ability to take advantage of his ballpark to hit double-digit home runs. This year, he’s taken a predictable step back, posting numbers that are closer to below average than to potential future star. Last night’s matchup against the Blue Jays however was his night to shine, as he tallied three hits including a no-doubt home run. The thing with Friedl is that despite the lack of raw power and overall middling peripheral stats, his solid plate discipline and lack of strikeouts mean that his floor isn’t very low. He’s not someone you should ever really be chasing, but barring major injury, he isn’t necessarily going to be an extreme headache to roster despite seasons like these not being particularly great.

Victor Caratini (HOU): 3-3, RBI, BB.

This was a day of fun catcher performances, and Victor Caratini just had to get in on the action. Everyone seems to love Caritini, as he has basically become the face of the backup catcher role. The underlying numbers this year are pretty incredible, especially in terms of power. He has always had a bit of pop, but his increased exit velocities in the small sample size he has played have brought up his expected stats to the point where they are very much in line with his actual production. Again, Caritini is viewed as the backup catcher, but his great performance is leading to a lot more playing time for a team with a lineup that is already pretty stacked.

Yainer Diaz (HOU): 2-5, HR, 2 R, RBI.

Speaking of Astros catchers, Yainer Diaz had a pretty incredible day filling in at first base. His first hit was an absolute screamer of a 110mph single, which allowed him to be the first of two runs scored on a ridiculous sequence of mistakes by the Red Sox. The highlight of Diaz’s night however was without a doubt his walk-off home run in the ninth, a massive no-doubt bomb into deep left-center that will be replayed on end in a lot of households in the Houston area. Everything that Diaz is doing this season is proving the armchair managers of last year right. The Astros probably should’ve moved on from Martín Maldonado and given the reins fully to Diaz a lot sooner than they did.

JJ Bleday (OAK): 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.

We’ve talked about JJ Bleday a decent amount in these recaps lately, but he is figuring it out. Unfortunately, he’s coming into his own as the farewell part of the Oakland farewell tour is starting to commence. Bleday has been scorching hot in August, as he is hitting for a 145 wRC+ during the month. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why he has become such a great option for fantasy owners, but it looks to be coming largely from two areas: his launch angle management and overall solid discipline. Bleday does not chase a lot, which leads to a solid walk rate and a sub-20% strikeout rate. Bleday also hits a lot of balls off the sweet spot of the bat, as he is in the 92nd percentile in this category. It was a pretty boring game between the Rays and Athletics, but Bleday’s home run off of Taj Bradley early in the first was a thing of beauty.

Gavin Lux (LAD): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.

This statline when listed in a standard format is very aesthetically pleasing, with the ones straight across the board. Lux did just enough to be a key piece in a game that did not have much going on from an offensive perspective. Lux hit his bomb in the bottom of the seventh inning, which ended up being the only frame to see runs plated. Max Muncy eventually hit a two-run shot to essentially put the game out of reach for a struggling Mariners lineup. It’s always nice to see Lux have some good games, as nights like these were expected to be the norm when he first came up. Unfortunately, baseball is cruel and Lux hasn’t had the career that justifies his former #1 prospect status. He had a great night though and we look forward to seeing if he can continue being a difference maker on the team with perhaps the most expectations down the stretch.

Ernie Clement (TOR): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.

With the Blue Jays shuffling everything around with the trade deadline and Bo Bichette’s calf injury, the Blue Jays have had to experiment a bit, and it’s led to them relying on Ernie Clement to fill in the shortstop role. Clement has been a pretty exciting player to watch all season long, as his approach largely surrounds not striking out. He doesn’t walk much or hit a lot of home runs, but he rarely ever swings and misses and has the lowest strikeout rate in the American League. The lack of home runs and walks is why it was really exciting to see him hit a 404-foot home run and secure a walk all in the same matchup against the Reds.

Nick Fortes (MIA): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI.

The theme of this roundup has been catchers putting together great nights at the plate, and honestly, some other catchers could have been chosen for this spot. However, there is something poetic about closing with the catcher who went head-to-head with our featured hitter. Nick Fortes is not having a very good season at all and it is hard to imagine him being on anybody’s fantasy roster, but he put together a great night in what ended up being one of the best matchups of Monday. The Marlins opened the season with a historically bad situation at catcher, and Fortes was part of that. However, you almost forget about the struggles when your catcher has a night like this. In addition to his homer, Fortes had a 107mph single to go alongside a sacrifice fly that brought Otto Lopez home.