O’Hearn We Go Again
Ryan O’Hearn (PIT): 4-5, 3 HR, 3 R, 10 RBI.
O’Hearn had himself the game of his life yesterday against the Braves, launching THREE home runs and tallying 10 runs batted in over five at-bats. Two longballs came against Hurtson Waldrep to start the game — a 99.6 EV / 384 FT shot in the first and later, a 105.1 EV / 415 FT bomb in the third. Atlanta relief pitcher Connor Thomas didn’t have much luck either — he allowed a 101.3 EV / 373 FT tater in the sixth. Just for good measure, O’Hearn added on a 95.9 EV single off position player Jorge Mateo in the ninth inning to cap off this historic night.
O’Hearn has been a slam-dunk free agent signing for Pittsburgh this season, slashing .293/.351/.500 with a 130 wRC+. He’s well on pace to break a number of career-high marks like HRs and RBIs, and it goes without saying that last night is a big reason why.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday…
A.J. Ewing (NYM): 4-4, HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, BB, SB.
Ewing has been a solid contributor to this Mets lineup since his promotion, slashing .276/.359/.431 with a 123 wRC+, providing an intriguing power/speed combo like he demonstrated last night. The youngster was perfect at the dish, going deep in the second off ex-Met Seth Lugo (105.2 EV / 402 FT), legging out three singles, drawing a walk, and even stealing a base in what was a thrilling 28-run competition against the Royals.
Tyler Tolbert (KCR): 5-6, HR, 4 R, 2 RBI, SB.
In a 28-run game (previously mentioned above), lots of players will walk away with video game stat lines. Tolbert is no exception, having now tallied five hits in back-to-back games. Pretty wild. The 28-year-old owns a .396/.434/.542 slash line with a 171 wRC+ through 32 games this season.
Ben Rice (NYY): 3-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Rice added to his All-Star campaign yesterday, launching a 103.2 EV / 382 FT home run — fitting considering he informed the league he will participate in this year’s Home Run Derby. Rice was also able to smack 93.8 and 100.1 EV singles, fueling an impressive .273/.364/.577 slash line. His 158 wRC+ ranks third in all of Major League Baseball, too.
Cooper Pratt (MIL): 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Pratt, who signed an extension with the Brewers prior to making his MLB Debut this season, put on a show yesterday against their division rivals. Oddly enough, Statcast didn’t track his two extra-base hits, so we don’t have an EV for either knock right now. Pratt fell into a small sample size slump towards the end of June, but he has hit safely in four of his past five games now.
Jonatan Clase (TOR): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Clase, a former top prospect, launched a 99.9 EV / 362 FT home run against Trevor McDonald and the Giants yesterday. He also smacked a 93.2 EV single off McDonald in his next PA. The 24-year-old has played just two games in the majors this season, but he already has a 288 wRC+ over that span. If he can limit his K%, paired with the +3 EV boost we’ve seen this season, the Jays have found a high-level contributor for years to come.
Justin Foscue (TEX): 2-2, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Foscue was torching the ball off the bench yesterday, posting EVs of 93.2 and 111, respectively. His seventh-inning home run traveled 387 FT (HR in 29/30 ballparks). The 27-year-old has been very productive through 41 games this season, slashing .284/.355/.537 with a 148 wRC+, providing career-high marks in nearly every notable category. This has been a really fun breakout to watch.
James Wood (WSN): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.
Wood just keeps massacring baseballs. His first inning home run off Tatsuya Imai registered a 111.4 EV and traveled 419 FT. He also added a 100.8 EV single off Alimber Santa later in the game. The 23-year-old is slashing .270/.400/.549 with a 156 wRC+ this season, and is on pace to break his single-season bests in categories like HR, SB, and BB.
Andruw Monasterio (BOS): 2-4, HR, R, RBI, BB, SB.
Monasterio hasn’t quite broken out per se, but he has been effective in playing his role with his new org. The lefty specialist took southpaw Noah Schultz deep in the second inning (106.2 EV / 375 FT) and later tallied a single — even against a right-hander — at 102.8 EV, fueling another Red Sox win.
Featured image by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on Bluesky and X) and adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)
