What’s Chappening?
Matt Chapman (SFG): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 8 RBI.
It’s been a bit of a season to forget for Matt Chapman, who entered yesterday’s matinee game against the Cubs with a .235/.314/.338 statline and only two home runs. Sometimes you just need that game that can turn your year around, though, and this certainly looked like it could’ve been that game.
We aren’t often talking about the Giants’ offense putting up runs this season. They’ve been one of the worst units in the game, especially due to their lack of discipline. They can occasionally have explosions of offense, though, and that is what we saw yesterday. After Chapman struck out his first time up, he was determined to turn it around quickly, and when tasked with bringing home some runners with the bases loaded, he brought them all in, plus one. His next time up, he brought in a run as well on a sacrifice fly. His final time up (as he was pulled) was his encore, hitting a three-run homer in what must’ve been the longest feeling inning for Cubs fans ever.
Chapman, offensively, this season is a notably worse version all-around than in past years. He still has his two main skills intact: bat speed and discipline. Unfortunately, he’s not making good contact often, and it’s leading to poor ratios and a lack of counting stats. The raw potential is still there for him to be a serviceable fantasy third baseman, but games like this are definitely not something you can or should count on.
Chapman finished the night with a line of 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 8 RBI.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday…
Willy Adames (SFG): 2-2, 2 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB.
It was nearly impossible to choose which Giant would be the headliner of the hitter recap today. It’s good to see that Willy Adames has turned things around again for the Giants, as he was another victim of their horrible start to the year. It’s also great to see him have two walks, considering that this year’s Giants are a historically bad walking team. Of course, the main part of the stat line you should read and get excited about is the two home runs, which is great because that is where a lot of his value comes from. He’s not a high-average guy, and he’s not stealing many bases, so we need him to keep the home runs coming! It’s also cool that he broke the Giants’ long 30-home-run season drought last year. That alone made him worth signing.
Casey Schmitt (SFG): 4-6, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
Okay, one more Giant belongs in this recap. What a hitting day for them, as Casey Schmitt was the third player in the lineup to have a two-homer day. Schmitt has seen a bit more sustained success than the other two this year, as he appears to be in the midst of a surprising breakout. While the other two Giants got to rest on the bench after it became apparent what direction this game was taking, Schmitt still stayed in, standing at short in place of Adames. This allowed him to hit his 15th home run on the season off of catcher Carson Kelly. IT COUNTS! This is now Schmitt’s career high in home runs, surpassing the 12 he hit last year… And it’s only the first week of June.
Luis García Jr. (WSN): 2-6, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI.
Luis García Jr. tried and tried to overcome Chapman’s RBI total for the day, matching his grand slam in the sixth to turn the game from a lopsided match to a blowout. It’s still an impressive game for a player whom you might have forgotten about in the midst of the Nationals’ lineup dominance. Every year, we get a little more disappointed as the Nats refuse to improve in any statistical category. While the pitching still kind of sucks, we are FINALLY seeing an offense take shape. Garcia is a pretty average hitter overall, which can be good enough at the second base position in fantasy. He’ll always hit above .250, put up double-digit home runs, and get double-digit steals. As long as your league isn’t an on-base league, you can do worse than Garcia.
Junior Caminero (TBR): 3-3, 2 2B, 3 R, 2 BB.
No homers for Junior Caminero against Miami last night, but this game did showcase something we love to see from the new and improved Caminero. He’s getting on base A LOT more than he used to. Last season, there was a bit of worry that Caminero would routinely have an OBP below .300 in his career, given his lack of walks and tendency to ground out a bit too much. Now, he has a walk rate of just under 15%, a number that is fast approaching his dropping K rate. Caminero having a higher walk rate than strikeout rate over a full season does seem like a bit of a pipe dream, but this new approach is awesome. For anybody worried about the decrease in home runs, he’s hitting them at the same pace he did last season. As the season progresses, I’m sure that we will see him heat up with the warmer weather in road ballparks.
Adley Rutschman (BAL): 4-4, 2 2B, HR, 4 R, 5 RBI, BB.
Last year, I foolishly reached several rounds to get the catcher whom I thought would dominate: Adley Rutschman. Instead of dominating, he sank even further, making fans uncertain about his future with the Orioles organization. Well, nobody is concerned about him this season. Rutschman has been incredible since returning from injury, and this is a stat line for the ages. This game showcased his value perfectly. He has solid contact skills that can lead to a lot of hits, a lot of walks, and a healthy number of home runs. I know that some think that Samuel Basallo will take over as the Orioles’ catcher and that a trade could eventually come to fruition, but I don’t know. Basallo is raw behind the plate and I think that the Orioles should do what they can to fit both into their lineup daily.
Randal Grichuk (CHW): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Randal Grichuk being a revelation for the White Sox is honestly one of the more surprising plotlines of this season. The journeyman began his season with the Yankees and really stunk it up. They DFA’d him and he joined the Sox. Since then, he has a 147 wRC+ and has four home runs, and you bet the Yankees probably wish they still had him. Or maybe not, as sometimes the team fit isn’t right. Still, this was a great performance for him, as he hit two out of the park, which unfortunately was not enough to overcome the Phillies. Oh well. If you have him, I guess you’re starting him until the wheels show signs of falling off.
Travis Bazzana (CLE): 3-4, 3B, HR, R, RBI, SB.
Another combo meal for Travis Bazzana! It feels like every game he hits one out, he makes sure to steal a bag just because dinners are tastier with a side of fries and a big cup of melon soda. I’m really impressed by Bazzana’s discipline. It might be his best skill, and you don’t go first overall as a second baseman without being pretty toolsy. He refuses to chase and makes sure he takes advantage of the best pitches to hit, which has allowed him to put up good ratios on the season. Also, this was his first career triple! This actually put him on cycle watch, as he got the two hardest ones to get out of the way. If only he had gotten up one more time and been able to smoke a double. It would’ve been a career night early in what will be a star career.
Isaac Paredes (HOU): 1-2, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB.
We’ve reached the part of the year where the annual Isaac Paredes home run spray chart is posted. We’re also at the point of the season where he goes on a crazy home run streak (three in a row!) The home run he hit yesterday was hilariously probably one of the less pulled flyballs of his career… And it was still solidly in left field territory. Ah, Paredes, never change. He’s upped his wRC+ on the season, and he might be a good player to pick up now if he’s available, especially because he no longer feels like the odd man out in that lineup with Carlos Correa sidelined for the year.
Willson Contreras (BOS): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
It’s always fun to see who rises to the challenge of these rivalry games. For match one between the Yankees and Red Sox, it was Willson Contreras. Go figure that the guy who loves testy baseball would enjoy this matchup. Contreras has been an excellent addition to the Red Sox this season. Contreras’ home run proved to be the difference, as his Sox took the game 5-3 over the Yankees. His wRC+ is now 155 for the year, which honestly probably exceeds even Red Sox fans’ and optimistic fantasy managers’ wildest projections.
Spencer Jones (NYY): 3-3, 2B, RBI.
With the news of Aaron Judge being sidelined with a rib injury for an extended period of time, let’s look at who will be replacing him! Spencer Jones is a hot commodity, as he is one of the Yankees’ top prospects. Jones didn’t hit well in his first cup of coffee, getting sent back down after ten games. He made a good impression in his return to the big league team, getting three hits, including a double, as well as driving in a run. Jones hasn’t flexed his supreme, all-world power yet, but when he does, look out! He hit 35 home runs in 116 minor league games last season and is a lefty slugger, which makes him a perfect fit for the short porch in Yankee Stadium.
