Joc ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots

Joc Pederson (ARI): 1-2, HR, R, RBI, BB.

In the third inning of last night’s game against the Phillies, Pederson got a 95 mph fastball from Zack Wheeler in on the hands and yanked it into the right field seats for his 19th of the year (392 feet, 103.1 EV). Since the All-Star Break, he’s gone yard six times while slashing .350/.490/.875. Yes, that’s an arbitrary sample size that doesn’t hold much meaning. But that’s what we do during the season; forgive me, old habits die hard.

A small blip or not, I think what might go underappreciated is how good Pederson has been in his career. Since 2019, he’s posted a .350 wOBA across 2,319 PA. That’s tied for 48th with Seiya Suzuki and one point behind the likes of Manny Machado, Carlos Correa, and George Springer. Sure, he doesn’t play against left-handers, but on a per-at-bat basis, he’s been one of the most productive hitters in baseball.

Not playing half his games in San Francisco has benefitted his production. But other than that, Pederson is doing what he’s always done: mash righties. He is a little clunky for fantasy purposes because of the whole sitting against lefties thing, but if you’re in daily league, he’s been dynamite. And if you’re D-backs general manager Mike Hazen, you have to be pleased with this one-year signing as they fight for a Wild Card spot. With a little luck, perhaps we’ll see him break out the pearl necklace again this Joctober.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday:

Willson Contreras (STL): 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB.

Contreras’ second home run of the night was a booming 423-foot shot (111.3 EV) to left in the ninth off lefty reliever Angel Zerpa. The two-run shot pushed their lead to 8-5. Contreras missed about six weeks with a fractured left arm earlier this summer. However, he’s made up for it with a .875 OPS that would be tops among all qualified C’s. His 15 home runs are tied with Will Smith for seventh among C’s in just about 100 fewer at-bats.

Adrian Del Castillo (ARI): 3-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.

The D-backs called up Del Castillo this past Tuesday, and he got his first hit during Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Guardians. Last night, the left-handed hitting backstop stepped to the plate against Jeff Hoffman with the game tied 2-2 in the ninth and became the first D-back in history to hit a walk-off home run as their first home run. Not too bad. Del Castillo hit 24 dingers while slashing .319/.403/.608 across 100 games with Triple-A Reno. He should get regular at-bats with Gabriel Moreno (groin) on the IL.

Freddie Freeman (LAD): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB.

Freeman hooked a 2-0 cutter from Mitch Keller down the right field line (368 feet, 110 EV) for his 17th of the year, putting the Dodgers on the board 1-0 in the first. It’s just good to see him back after his son’s medical emergency. We wish him and his family the best.

Jackson Merrill (SDP): 3-4, 3B, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB.

Last night’s pitcher’s duel between Edward Cabrera and Martín Pérez saw the Marlins guarding a 2-1 lead in the ninth. However, Jackson Merrill tied the score, taking righty reliever George Soriano for a 399-foot ride to center. With Fernando Tatís Jr. out and Manny Machado having a down year, Merrill has stepped up for the Padres with a .807 OPS that’s second on the team to Jurickson Profar’s .887.

Andrew Benintendi (CHW): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.

The former Razorback tagged Jameson Taillon in the fifth for a solo shot to right (355 feet, 95.0 EV) and then took lefty Drew Smyly deep two innings later for his 13th of the season (363 feet, 99.7 EV). Apparently, he’s gone yard five times in his last five games. We have to ignore this, right? Right!?! Good, moving on. 

Spencer Horwitz (TOR): 3-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI.

Horwitz tagged a 1-0 fastball from Austin Adams for his fifth of the year, a solo shot pushing the Jays to a 3-1 lead over the A’s in the eighth. The left-handed-hitting, 26-year-old rookie has been one of the very few bright spots for the Jays this year, slashing .282/.369/.424 across 206 PA. It might not look all that impressive on the surface, but PLV has tracked him with a 117 in Process (100 is league average). That’s a pretty good number that more or less tells us he’s doing a fair number of things you want to see from a hitter. For more on Process+, be sure to read Nate Schwartz’s excellent article. 

Alec Burleson (STL): 3-5, HR, 2 R, RBI.

Burleson golfed a curveball from Michael Lorenzen 377 feet down the right field line for his 20th of the year, a solo shot extending the Cardinals’ lead to 3-0 in the third. Burleson has been a waiver-wire gem this year, flashing outstanding contact ability with a really aggressive approach evinced by a low 4.4% BB rate.

Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC): 3-4, 3B, SB.

Crow-Armstrong’s ability as a hitter remains to be seen. So far, PLV isn’t a fan, pegging him with a Process+ grade that, well, leaves a bit to be desired to put it nicely. Still, he’s playing every day and stealing bases, and that can be a very good trick for fantasy purposes.

Jake Burger (MIA): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.

Mama, there goes that man! Burger’s 20th came courtesy of a cutter from Martín Pérez (427 feet, 107.5 EV). Over the last 30 days (24 games), he’s gone yard 11 times while raking to the tune of a 1.121 OPS (eighth). Sometimes, a picture is worth 1,000 words.

Oneil Cruz (PIT): 3-5, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Cruz smacked a 2-2 slider from Jack Flaherty in the sixth, putting the Pirates on the board with his 18th, a new career-high. Cruz’s approach and pitch recognition aren’t great (82 DV and 73 SZ Judgement), leading to a K rate well over 30%. But it doesn’t matter because he, you know, swings the bat so darn hard. The poor baseballs! What are they supposed to do when they get blindsided by this 100th-percentile bat speed?

 

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