Du-Calling His Shot
Adam Duvall (BOS): 3-5, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Adam Duvall started off with a bang last night with a 3-run HR in the 1st inning, and broadcaster Kevin Millar called the shot!
Enjoy the full play-by-play of Kevin Millar calling this 3-run homer by Adam Duvall.
I don't think anything else is going to top that in the @NESN booth this season. pic.twitter.com/BLJHT79iXD
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) August 22, 2023
Adam Duvall (BOS): 3-5, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Duvall has had a solid season with the Red Sox, who signed him to a 1-year $7M deal. After a great start that was halted by an April wrist injury on a hit-by-pitch, Duvall has evened out by hovering around a .800 OPS. While Jarren Duran has had a surprising season and challenged the outfield of Masataka Yoshida, Alex Verdugo, and Duvall for playing time, it is expected Duvall will continue to earn near-everyday play.
The Red Sox will likely continue their solid team hitting, and with Duvall in the middle of the order, he will have plenty of opportunities to capitalize with runners on base. But, when you take a look at the schedule, the Red Sox began a tough 10-game stretch on Monday night. They will face the Astros for 7 games and the Dodgers for 3 games over that period and have one of the toughest remaining schedules of any club. They only have 10 more games against teams below .500 (KC, NYY, CHW).
Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday:
Cal Raleigh (SEA): 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 6 RBI.
We seem to have found ourselves in late-season Raleigh magic already. After his clutch home run to send the Mariners to the postseason in 2022, this year is lining up for another dramatic race to the finish for the Mariners. Raleigh has hit 24 HR on the season, which leads all catchers, and sits in 3rd for R and RBI. On top of all that, he’s had a highly effective August and looks to extend that level of production on the league’s hottest team.
Ha-Seong Kim (SD): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, SB.
Kim has been a marvel this season and has done his best to be the most consistent overall performer on the underachieving Padres. Kim has his sights set on a 20/30 season. Tallying his 17th HR of the season Monday night and his 28th SB, respectively. Hitting leadoff, Kim will continue to see opportunities to eclipse 30+ SB and put together more dominant stat lines like last night.
Spencer Torkelson (DET): 4-5, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI.
Torkleson has begun to turn heads with high levels of production in the past few weeks. Sitting 94th in HardHit% and top 20 percentile in xwOBA and xSLG, Torkleson seems to have found his rhythm in MLB. In the last two weeks, Torkleson has had exceptional production with 14 R/8 HR/10 RBI. The 2020 first-overall pick, and former top prospect, is showing all the hitting tools to be an elite performer for years to come.
Connor Joe (PIT): 3-4, 3 2B, 4 R, RBI, BB.
Joe had a great night against St. Louis with 3 XBH in a complete blowout. Including a run scored due to a wild pitch in the 1st inning, Joe had a highly productive day around the bases. A red-hot bat early in the season, Joe has significantly cooled off during the summer months. Since May 30th, Joe has only hit 3 HR and driven in 13 RBI.
Marcell Ozuna (ATL): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Seemingly every night, at least one Atlanta player, if not more, has a great night at the plate. Even if a loss yesterday, Ozuna hit two 415+ foot homers. Ozuna has had a great power season that has been overshadowed by the pure dominance of the entire batting order. Ozuna ranks in the top 10 percentile in Barrel%, xSLG, and xwOBA. While his .816 OPS isn’t going to jump off the page, all of these underlying numbers and hitting behind Matt Olson will prime him for a dominant run to end the fantasy season.
Alec Bohm (PHI): 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI.
The Phillies have had a great summer due in part to Bohm’s great run production. Bohm has a solid 77 RBI and has a chance to have a 150-hit season. While Bohm hasn’t been lighting it up with multi-hit games, he has remained consistent and available.
Joshua Palacios (PIT): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, BB.
Palacios was a menace with runners on base Monday. The Pirates were already up 5-0 when he launched a 3-run HR in the 4th inning, and then he added a 2 RBI double in the 8th. Although, yesterday was an outlier for Palacios, who’s struggled with a .220 AVG and .656 OPS over 150 at-bats. While it was a fun day at the office for the Pirates and Palacios, it isn’t worth a pickup due to his lack of starts.
Edmundo Sosa (PHI): 2-4, 3B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
A triple on the board and 7 TB for Sosa in a strong outing for the platoon player. While the Monday performance may capture some brief attention, there’s no need to jump in to look for the upside. Sosa sparingly gets starts and will continue to serve that role throughout the remainder of the season. It’s a tough spot to be in for a player, but Sosa has handled it well, considering the circumstances. Sosa hitting line now sits at .252/.291/.430 on the season and hopes to be a spark when called upon.
Rafael Ortega (NYM): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Ortega was called up on August 1st to join the Mets after they sold at the trade deadline. While yesterday’s home run will certainly be an outlier, he has scored 8 runs in the past 9 games and has a handful of multi-hit appearances. It may be worth seeing how the Mets start hitting as a team to see any value in Ortega, who will likely continue to hit at the bottom of the order.