Trick or Trea

Trea Turner (PHI): 2-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

What do Braxton Ashcraft, Brandon Bidois, and Paul Skenes have in common other than pitching for the Pirates? Well, they’ve made Trea Turner look pretty decent lately by surrendering his 8th, 9th, and 10th home runs of the season, respectively. Before blasting Aschraft’s hanging curveball Monday night, Turner hadn’t gone yard at all in June. He celebrated his 33rd birthday the following night with a home run off righty reliever Brandon Bidois.

Last night’s three-run home run against Paul Skenes put some much-needed wind into Turner’s sails. He finished last night’s win over the Pirates with another hit, a single, and another run scored. Still, he has a long, long way to go. His 77 wRC+ is the lowest mark he has posted since the 44 PAs he logged during his first cup of coffee back in 2015. The same goes for his .239 batting average. His PLV metrics don’t paint a much more appealing picture, either. His contact ability has dropped from 114 to 101, corroborating a near six-point jump in his K rate. His power has dropped from 96 to 89. And the quality of his swing decisions has declined (104 to  98 DV). In short, his ability as a hitter has never looked worse. Just about the only thing his managers can rely on is his speed; he has stolen 16 bases on 18 attempts.

We have seen Turner struggle before. You might remember his first season in Philly, during which he hit .238 through the first week in August, prompting then-manager Rob Thomson to hit him eighth. He eventually rebounded and finished the season hitting .266 with a .779 OPS. Three years later, the Phillies and Turner’s fantasy managers can only sit and hope that he can pull a similar trick.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Wednesday:

Sean Keys (TOR): 1-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.

Hitting eighth as the DH, rookie Sean Keys was the latest player to stick a fork in the Mets, and he did it with his first career home run: a three-run shot off Freddy Peralta that landed in the Jays’ bullpen. The oppo-taco illustrated the 23-year-old lefty’s illustrious power that had prompted his promotion this past Saturday. If his handiwork in the minors (21 home runs, 164 wRC+) is any indication, we might see this kid launch a few more baseballs into the seats.

Mickey Moniak (COL): 3-4, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

One day after victimizing Eury Pérez, Moniak took Max Meyer for a ride just to the left of straightaway central. He burned Meyer again in the fifth with a groundball that split the gap in right-center for a two-run triple. The former first overall pick has had a strong first half, totaling 14 bombs with what would be a career high .921 OPS. Moniak’s power has long been established, but his penchant for swinging at everything makes him a difficult player to roster once he leaves Coors Field, which will next come Monday, starting with a three-game set against the Dodgers.

Kody Clemens (MIN): 1-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.

The Rocket’s son put the kibosh on Tatsuya Imai’s 12th start with a three-run bomb into Houston’s bullpen, giving the Twins a 5-0 lead with one down in the second. The 30-year-old lefty has been one of the Twins’ most productive hitters, blasting 14 home runs while posting what would be a career-best .777 OPS. His PLV metrics, including a 115 Power and 114 Process, are impressive. Still, I see him as a productive platoon bat, ideal for daily leagues rather than a legit breakout.

Garrett Mitchell (MIL): 4-4, 2 2B, 3B, R, RBI.

Mitchell entered last night’s game against the Reds toting a career 76 wRC+ against left-handers, but he bucked that trend with three hard-hit baseballs against Andrew Abbott. The uber-athletic lefty-hitting outfielder is slashing .264/ .359/ .441 across a career-high 263 PAs. Mitchell’s batted ball metrics are pretty darn good, but his tendency to swing and miss and the Brewers’ preference for platoons limit his upside.

Sam Antonacci (CHW): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.

After getting Tuesday off, Antonacci briefly gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead by parking a fastball from Dean Kremer over the right-field wall. Just like that, Antonacci has matched the five home runs he hit across 519 PAs last year in the minors. The 23-year-old rookie has seized the reins as the White Sox’s de facto leadoff man against right-handers, slashing an impressive .295/ .392/ .427 with 11 stolen bases.

Heliot Ramos (SFG): 2-4, 3B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI. 

Ramos started the scoring with a long ball off Zac Gallen while leading off the fifth. He returned to action on Sunday after missing about six weeks with a strained quad. Projections pegged Ramos as a solid-looking bargain on draft day in deep formats. However, his career .742 OPS suggests he might not have the upside to curry favor in standard formats, especially considering his cavernous home ballpark. Though don’t be surprised if he has a good weekend with the Giants headed to Coors Field.

Michael Conforto (CHC): 3-4, 2 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, BB.

Yes, Swanson wrecked this game with three taters, two off Buehler. But, you know what? I’m more interested in this guy. Conforto’s first home run came in the fifth: a solo shot to straightaway center against lefty reliever Kyle Hart. He tagged Hart again in his next at-bat with a shot into the basket. 11 years after joining Gary Carter as the second Met to hit two home runs in a World Series game, Conforto has quietly posted an .847 OPS across 140 PAs as a righty-masher for the Cubs, which would be his best mark since 2020.

Jonah Heim (ATH): 2-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.

The switch-hitting catcher started the scoring with a bomb off lefty opener Charlie Barnes. Those in two catcher leagues might want to grab Heim as he has hit cleanup in four consecutive games (Langeliers hit leadoff as the DH last night). He is slashing .246/ .309/ .493 across 149 PAs with the A’s and previously the Braves. His eight home runs are ten shy of his career-high, which came three years ago in Texas.

Chase DeLauter (CLE): 3-5, 2B, R, RBI, SB.

You never would have guessed that DeLauter missed about two weeks with a rib injury; he has gone 8-for-18 since returning on Sunday. Gore pitched last night for the Rangers, so I don’t think you have to worry about the Guardians deploying DeLauter in a platoon. Regardless, the 24-year-0ld is slashing .275/ .344/ .422 with seven home runs across 288 PAs. His 101 Power via PLV suggests he probably isn’t the best bet to hit 20 home runs. However, his swing decisions have been good (112 DV), and he has been adept at making contact (116 Whiff Avoid).

Sung-Mun Song (SDP): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI.

The lone bright spot for the Padres during yesterday’s brutal loss to the Cubs came in the fifth when their ninth-hitter, Song, lifted a fastball from Rea over the ivy in right for his first home run. The 29-year-old lefty is hitting .233 in a rotational role, leaving him off the fantasy radar. Still, first home runs are fun. He hit .315 with 26 home runs and 25 stolen bases in the KBO last season.

Featured image by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on Bluesky and X) and adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on Bluesky)