What’s a Polar Bear Doing?
In August, Pete Alonso has been arguably baseball’s best hitter. He’s slashing .373/.440/.672, as he is firmly in attack mode. It’s a thirteen-game hitting streak, and one that feels like it’s truly never going to end. This hot stretch has brought the Orioles back into the postseason fold, and it’s exactly what Orioles fans and management envisioned when Alonso surprisingly joined the team.
In yesterday’s game, Alonso put up a stat line of 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI. After a really questionable missed swing call against Jackson Holliday led to a sacrifice fly to tie the game three apiece, Alonso made his way to the plate. Every Rays fan sat watching (well, maybe not, with the Apple TV restrictions), chewing their nails as they knew what was going to happen. Alonso delivered, hitting an 111 mph missile that went 443 feet deep off the bat. While impressive, this was just another day at the office. He also drove in the first run, singling to plate a Holliday double that set the tone for the rest of the game.
Alonso hits the ball hard. He’s one of the best home run hitters in MLB history based on raw talent. Yesterday’s game locked in his sixth 30+ home run season in a row, and that number would likely be eight had MLB not been shut down for half of the season due to COVID-19 in 2020. Alonso is making excellent contact this season, which is leading to the outstanding results we are seeing right now. This may seem like a hot take, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this goes down as Alonso’s best season by wRC+ and WAR. He’s looking very well-rounded at the plate.
Pete Alonso (BAL): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday…
Kenny Piper (TBR): 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI.
It’s been a long road for Kenny Piper. Originally drafted in 2021, he made his MLB debut for the Rays earlier this month and collected his first hit before getting unceremoniously sent back down to the Minors. He was brought up to AAA following his initial cup of coffee and has torn it up, which led to him being called back up for the Rays’ current road trip. He hit his first career Major League home run yesterday, driving in himself and Jorge Mateo on a 410-foot shot into center field. Unfortunately for Piper, his team wasn’t able to get the win on this momentous career occasion, but it was still awesome to see his long journey get rewarded.
William Contreras (MIL): 4-4, RBI.
While all eyes were on the ace matchup of Jacob Misiorowski and Chris Sale yesterday, there was some hitting to be found in the game. Mainly from William Contreras, who reached base all four times he was up, including solid contact on 2 107+ mph singles. Despite the Brewers’ dominance this year, Contreras has kind of gone by the wayside. He has only a 100 wRC+ this season, which is solid for a catcher but not necessarily for Contreras, whose pedigree has in the past earned him the title of best catcher for his hitting prowess.
Jordan Walker (STL): 3-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
If Jordan Walker didn’t solidify himself as a Philadelphia villain in that Home Run Derby, is it safe to say he is one now after this performance? This has to be one of my favorite breakouts in all my time watching baseball. Many will remember when Walker was one of the top 5 prospects in the sport alongside names like Gunnar Henderson, Corbin Carroll, and Gabriel Moreno. Some were bold enough to say there was a chance that Walker could outperform them. Of course, that never happened, and he was one of the worst hitters in the Major Leagues for his first two seasons. Now, he’s finally tapping into having the power of the Gods (100th percentile bat speed) and has become the clear face of the Cardinals. This team is super exciting, and it’ll be fun to watch them next year as their players mature and continue to find their way.
Joshua Báez (STL): 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Speaking of incredible bat speed from power-hitting Cardinals sluggers, how about Joshua Báez? There are a lot of similarities you can point to between Baez and Walker. Mainly, the sheer thunder in their bat. They are also both aggressive on the basepaths, as while Walker has the raw running talent, Baez already impressively has two stolen bases. Yesterday’s home run you could argue is a bit more of a flukey one, as it was hit a distance that is only out in nine ballparks. It counts, though, and he certainly is capable of hitting them out of any ballpark if he gets his pitch.
Alec Bohm (PHI): 3-5, 3B, R, 3 RBI.
Bohm was the hero in the Cardinals/Phillies game, capping off the festivities with a triple that drove in two runs in the tenth inning to seal the win against the Cardinals. Bohm is absolutely scorching red hot right now, with a slash line in August of .354/.403/.492 for a wRC+ of 143. Bohm is a pretty difficult player to project, as he has always been streaky and has at times underperformed peripheral stats and at other times has overperformed them. He’s probably rostered by a team in your leagues right now and will also likely be dropped soon once he shows signs of mortality again. Then, he’ll get hot, and someone will of course, pick him up. Rinse and repeat.
Wilyer Abreu (BOS): 3-4, 3B, R, RBI, BB.
I’ve written about Abreu a couple of times this season in these recap articles, as well as Is This Legit? I’ve kept saying that he’s one of the more consistent players in the Major Leagues, routinely putting up similar numbers every season. This season is clearly looking to be his best, though, as following last night’s game, he has his highest wRC+ since his 28-game 2023. And it seems legitimate too, with higher walk rates, better expected stats, and more home runs than in previous years. He hit his fourth triple of the season, which smashes his previous career high in a season. He’s a player doing it all, and we don’t even cover fielding in these articles.
Drew Gilbert (SFG): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Gilbert is turning into a fairly promising player, one of the future faces of the “solid, but not spectacular” movement. The game he had against the Red Sox yesterday was one of his best, as it included a home run that would be estimated to go out in any ballpark. Gilbert has been leading off for the Giants lately, and has looked pretty solid in these games, even if he went hitless in the three contests preceding yesterday’s. He’s probably not much of a fantasy-relevant player, as he doesn’t really have one super strong tool. He puts the ball in play a fair bit, but he also often finds himself sitting against lefties.
Rafael Devers (SFG): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.
Talk about revenge. Many of us were awaiting Rafael Devers’ return to Boston, as who doesn’t like a good homecoming? There were a smattering of boos, which he seemed to enjoy, even if he struck out his first time up. He made up for this with a walk later in the game, and then a home run to remind Red Sox fans of what they used to see every week for years. I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with how Devers has turned his season around. His March/April wRC+ number was 47. That’s horrible. It’s been an above-average mark every month since, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in the low 120s range.
Miguel Vargas (CHW): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
The White Sox actually had back-to-back-to-back home runs yesterday against the Mets, with Vargas, Randal Grichuk, and Colson Montgomery all hitting ones out of the park. It’ll go forgotten, too, that Munetaka Murakami walked to set up this barrage, and Brenton Doyle absolutely smoked one after the three shots, but it was caught. I chose Vargas, though, because he simply had the best game of the batch. He also walked and hit a 111 mph double, which encapsulates the kind of player he is. Vargas gives you excellent exit velocities and some of the best plate discipline in the game, and this is always a combination you want from a hitter.
Kyle Isbel (KCR): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
This game made me curious to check Isbel’s Yahoo rostership percentage. 1%. Yeah, that sounds about right. Going into this game, Isbel had a wRC+ of 68 on the season, which would be the worst mark of his career by far. Isbel is a player who provides very little of what you want from a fantasy player, as he’s rarely on base and doesn’t have much power. He occasionally can hit one out, though, and we saw that yesterday. He also tacked on a double for good measure. For those in extremely deep leagues who had Isbel starting, you must’ve been happy. All three of you.
Travis Bazzana (CLE): 4-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB.
It’s been a solid debut season for former first overall pick Travis Bazzana, who put together a four-for-five game yesterday in which he stuffed fantasy statsheets. His plate discipline has been great, walking 12% of the time and rarely chasing. That has allowed him to consistently get on base, where he routinely steals. It’s impressive that he’s going to have at least 20 steals this season, as he is aggressive and it’s helping his team succeed. One aspect where Bazzana may struggle more than expected is with his batting average. He’s been billed as a contact-heavy prospect, and that still may be true. He hits a lot of fly balls, though, and that can keep the ratios down even if they often lead to more overall damage.
Alex Bregman (CHC): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Right when the Cubs needed him down the stretch, Alex Bregman has finally gotten it going. Unfortunately for them, they lost this game, but Bregman has been an absolute monster for the team from the North Side of Chicago. Since the All-Star break, he is slashing .296/.371/.536, which is good for a wRC+ of 151. In such a productive lineup like the Cubs, he’s routinely driving in runs and crossing the plate often himself. Bregman may have seemed like a fantasy bust early in the season, but he’s proving the Cubs and those who drafted him right.
Jordan Lawlar (ARI): 3-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
A lot of us have been waiting to see Jordan Lawlar break out, and the time for it may be here. Well, let’s pump the brakes for a second, but this was an awesome game. Lawlar just came back from the injured list, and this comes at a great time with the lineup needing some help following the situation with Ketel Marte. Lawlar homered his first time up and then later collected two singles later in the game. He’s a toolsy player who was a highly regarded prospect for a reason. It’ll be exciting to see if he can stay on track.
