Wham! Slam! Thank you, Cam!
Junior Caminero (TBR): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
We’re entering the stretch drive. Truthfully, it’s my least favorite time of the year with evenings frosted by an autumnal chill. Dear lord, say it ain’t snow. And don’t get me started with horrors of that other sport that we shall not name. Still, now it’s all about what rookies can do to help push your fantasy squad over the hump. We’ve seen James Wood do well. The Nats are calling up Dylan Crews too, so that’s fun. I suspect we’ll be seeing Jasson Domínguez sometime in the not-too-distant future with Yankee fans just about on the verge of brandishing their pitchforks and torches on Alex Verdugo.
Last night, we saw another hot-shot prospect do his thing: Junior Caminero. And by his thing, I mean hit home runs with lightning-quick bat speed. Caminero, whom the Rays recalled on August 13th, blasted his first home run of the year in the first inning of last night’s 7-3 loss to the Dodgers. Sure, it came against the beleaguered Bobby Miller, but it was still a 100 mph heater at the top of the zone, and I don’t think you’ll find too many hitters with the requisite bat speed to stroke opposite-field lasers like that. How about 417 feet with a 109.2 EV? Not bad.
Caminero is a huge prospect, so chances are you’ve heard a lot about him. His big calling card is bat speed. He’s right up there with the best of the best, producing some jaw-dropping EVs as a just-turned-21-year-old. Still, he’s a rookie and you know they can and will struggle. Caminero’s one weakness might be his swing path; he posted a near 2:1 GB to FB rate along with a .361 wOBA and 110 wRC+ across 53 games with Triple-A Durham. So while he has a ton of raw power, it might not translate right away, a little bit like Wood. Still, like Wood, Caminero’s upside is simply too big to ignore.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday:
Eugenio Suárez (ARI): 3-5, HR, 3 R, 5 RBI.
Suárez played a big part in the D-backs’ blowout win over the Sox at Fenway. With one out and runners on the corner in the sixth, he lined a sinker from Brayan Bello to left, pushing their lead to 3-1. He called game in his next at-bat, sending a cutter from Josh Winckowski over the monster for a grand slam (349 feet, 96.8 EV). Suárez’s 74 RBIs are tied with Jake Cronenworth for 24th in baseball. And here’s a fun stat: his fourth five-RBI game this year ties him with one other for the most in D-backs history in a single season. Can you guess who the other is? Paul Goldschmidt? Nope. Luis Gonzalez? Wrong again. The answer is Yasmany Tomás. Now, that’s a name we haven’t heard in a long time. Suárez has whiffed a little less this year with his 27.7% K rate being his lowest since 2018 (23.4%).
Adrian Del Castillo hit sixth and went 1-for-5. He remains an interesting option at catcher with Gabriel Moreno (thigh) on the IL.
Anthony Santander (BAL): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
Speaking of grand slams, this was a big one. The Astros had a 5-2 lead when they sent Bryan Abreu to the mound in the eighth. Consecutive singles from Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman followed by a botched fielder’s choice by Abreu on a grounder hit by Gunnar Henderson set the stage for Santander, who crushed a 98 mph high heater up near the letters to the seats in right (403 feet, 103.1 EV). Only two players have matched Santander’s 38 dingers this year: Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. Not bad, and he’s a UFA next year.
Brendan Donovan (STL): 1-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, SB.
Donovan went yard for the first time since July 20th, blasting a 97 mph heater from Jorge Alcala to the seats in right in the sixth (413 feet, 102.9 EV). Donovan is a good contact hitter (122 via PLV) but hasn’t really stood out for fantasy purposes other than covering multiple positions. He seems like an odd fit for a cleanup hitter (94 power via PLV), which is where he’s been the past four games. But alas, maybe the Cards don’t have a better alternative, especially with Paul Goldschmidt’s struggles.
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC): 2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.
PCA led off the third by lashing a fastball from Max Meyer over the head of Jesús Sánchez in right. A favorable carom off the wall provided just enough daylight for PCA to race home with an inside-the-park home run. It was an exhilarating romp around the bases, complete with a head-first slide home. PCA hasn’t established himself as a hitter yet, so he is mostly a streamer for stolen bases. Still, he brings plenty of real-life importance with his glovework and speed. The man can fly.
Addison Barger (TOR): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.
Sure, we’re blessed with the wisdom of hindsight. Nevertheless, I’m not sure why the Angels were tempted to try and close last night’s game with Roansy Contreras. Spoiler alert: It didn’t work. Left-handed hitting Joey Loperfido, who the Jays acquired from the Astros near the deadline, tied the game at 4-4 by blasting Contreras’ fourth pitch over the wall in left-center. The next batter, Addison Barger, worked the count full, and on the sixth pitch of the at-bat, hit a long flyball to the corner in right that almost won the game but turned foul. However, Barger sent everyone home on the next pitch, blasting Contreras’ changeup 439 feet to right-center. Game-winner aside, Barger hasn’t done much. Still, he should get playing time the rest of the way with the Jays playing out the string. Barger slashed .260/.391/.466 with a 127 wRC+ across 57 games with Triple-A Buffalo before the Jays recalled him in late July.
Shohei Ohtani (LAD): 2-5, HR, R, 4 RBI, SB.
Can you believe this guy? He just keeps doing stuff! Colin Poche tried to wriggle out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth with the score tied 3-3. However, Ohtani called game, lifting a flyball to right center that had just enough to get over the wall (388 feet, 105.1 EV). He’s the sixth player in MLB history to join the 40-40 club and the fastest to get there, doing it in just 126 games; Alfonso Soriano was the quickest at 148 games back in 2006 with the Nats. Sho off!
Luis Arraez (SDP): 3-5, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Arraez led off the bottom of the first by taking Mets’ trade deadline acquisition Paul Blackburn for a ride to right (401 feet, 98.2 EV). Arraez added two more hits to his fourth homer of the year in an easy 7-0 win. He’s hitting .306, good for sixth in baseball behind Steven Kwan (.306), Marcell Ozuna (.308), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.316), Aaron Judge (.333), and Bobby Witt Jr. (.348).
Rhys Hoskins (MIL): 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Hoskins drilled a sweeper from JP Sears for his 21st of the year in a blowout win over the A’s in Oakland. He later added a sac fly. The former Philly has a career-low .314 wOBA and 101 wRC+. I still think he’s better than that, but his batted ball metrics haven’t been great either (95 power via PLV). I wonder a little bit if he’s still not quite right after missing all of last year with a torn ACL.
Michael Harris (ATL): 1-5, HR, R, RBI.
Harris led off the bottom of the first with his only hit of the game, a solo shot off lefty MacKenzie Gore (410 feet, 105.1 EV). However, his groundball in the tenth won the game thanks to an errant throw from CJ Abrams. Jorge Soler returned to the Braves lineup last night and yet Harris remained in the leadoff spot despite the Nats starting the lefty Gore, so the 2022 NL ROY could be poised for a strong finish if that sticks.
Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)