Vaughn But Not Forgotten
Andrew Vaughn (MIL): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
You’ve got to hand it to the Brewers. They know how to get bang for their buck. Last season, they plucked Andrew Vaughn off the scrap heap, and, lo and behold, he went bonkers, hitting nine home runs while slashing .308/ .375/ .493 across 254 PAs.
He has been quite productive this year, too; he entered play last night toting a 137 wRC+ across 176 PAs, despite sporadic playing time. However, an injury to Sal Frelick has opened the door for Vaughn to get more playing time; he hit sixth last night and played first, while Jake Bauers manned right field and hit seventh. And, whaddya know, Vaughn went yard against Freddy Peralta. Pfft, who hasn’t this year? Silence, you’re ruining the narrative. Anyway, Vaughn also added a double, finishing the night 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI.
Vaughn was at one point the third overall pick for a reason, and that the Brewers saw enough in him to bring him into the fold means something. As much as I would like to see him become a fantasy monster, his career 95 wRC+ against RHP is hard to overlook. He also doesn’t have big-time power like your prototypical slugging first baseman; his Power via PLV is 102, two ticks above average. However, he is making very good swing decisions (114 DV) and has excelled at avoiding strikeouts (124 Contact, 4.2% contact above expectations). Put it all together (120 Process), and he could, with regular playing time, of course, end up being a pretty decent source of RBIs while hitting for a solid average. Don’t forget what he did last year. He might pull the trick again.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday:
Yordan Alvarez (HOU): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The AL MVP frontrunner went back-to-back with Jeremy Peña in the second, depositing a slider from Janson Junk into the second deck in right (428 feet, 113.8 EV). He banged his second of the night three innings later against Lake Bachar. That’s 33 for Alvarez, tying him with Schwarber for the major league lead. However, unlike Schwarber, he is hitting .324, 11 points behind Otto Lopez for the best average in baseball. His 75 RBIs trail only Walker’s 76. Years from now, we’ll all remember the time that Alvarez fell into the third round.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.
Braxton Ashcraft didn’t have his best stuff last night, and Chisholm made him pay in his first at-bat by smacking a curveball over the W.B. Mason sign in right. He tagged Ashcraft again in the third, hooking a knee-high, 3-2 slider just inside the right field foul pole. Three home runs in three consecutive at-bats (he homered against the Dodgers during the nightcap of Sunday’s doubleheader) isn’t something you see that often. In any event, Chisholm’s .224 batting average might not increase much, considering his sky-high 53.4% pull rate. Still, it’s hard to argue with 15 home runs and 26 stolen bases from the weakest position in baseball.
Petey Halpin (CLE): 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
After last night, Joe Ryan might be terrified to pitch in Cleveland again. Hitting ninth, Halpin’s career night began in the second, when he catapulted a splitter from Ryan into the right field seats (411 feet, 102.9 EV); the two-run shot pushed the Guardians ahead 5-2. The 24-year-old left torched Ryan again in the fourth, banging a fastball far above the strike zone for a solo home run. Halpin, of course, isn’t fantasy relevant, and might lose his spot on Cleveland’s roster once Angel Martínez (foot) returns, but it’s always fun to see a first career home run. Or in this case, two.
Hoskins (10,11), Rocchio (9), Bazzana (9), and Bailey (4) also went yard in last night’s bloodletting at Progressive Field.
Dillon Dingler (DET): 4-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
Dingler’s first of the night was a solo shot on a 3-2 sinker from Taillon. His second longball came in the eighth against righty reliever Tyler Ferguson; it was another solo shot that increased the Tigers’ lead to 5-3. But he wasn’t done. With the score 5-5, he hit a seeing-eye groundball deep into the shortstop hole, which allowed Hao-Yu Lee to score what ended up being the game-winning run. Did I mention Dingler also tossed out Seiya Suzuki on a stolen base attempt? Dingler’s 21 home runs trail only Goodman (30) and Langeliers (22) among catchers.
Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT): 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
It’s starting to feel like Groundhog Day, isn’t it? The 22-year-old rookie’s 13th home run was an opposite-field shot against Ryan Weathers (436 feet, 106.6 EV). He’s slashing .306/ .377/ .750 across 122 PAs. The Magician’s 37.3% K rate is, you know, a little concerning. But his 24.4% chase rate leaves me cautiously optimistic that he won’t totally bottom out like ala Aristides Aquino.
Mookie Betts (LAD): 4-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
Both home runs came after Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez had left the game; the first came against Jonathan Bowlan and the second came off Chase Shugart with two down in the ninth. Betts seemed like a decent bounce-back candidate after last year’s career-low 104 wRC+. However, he entered play last night with an 87 wRC+. Last night’s outburst was atypical for the 2018 AL MVP, considering he hasn’t cleared 20 home runs since 2023. Nonetheless, his 95th percentile K rate and 98th percentile chase rate illustrate that, at the very least, his plate skills remain as strong as ever.
Ty France (SDP): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.
France hit cleanup against the righty Bryce Elder, so that spot could be his for the foreseeable future. He hit his 15th home run against righty reliever Victor Mederos and is slashing .279/ .337/ .550 across 247 PAs. His 121 Process corroborates his thus-far successful tenure in San Diego.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (ATH): 2-3, HR, R, RBI.
Hitting fifth, Kuroda-Grauer blasted the first home run of his career while leading off the second against lefty Mitch Bratt. The 23-year-old has started extraordinarily well, hitting .418 since his promotion on June 30th. His minor league track record suggests that he can steal a bag or two, and his minuscule K rate could make him a decent stopgap in points league. Just don’t expect too many home runs.
Trea Turner (PHI): 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.
Turner’s first longball made things miserable for Emmett Sheehan, and his second longball came against lefty reliever Alex Vesia in the sixth. With 14 home runs, Turner is tracking toward what would be his fifth 20-home run season, one that has come with a dismal .246/ .296/ .396. And his 96 Process doesn’t exactly suggest a massive turnaround. Well, at least he’s 17-for-19 on stolen base attempts.
Cal Raleigh (SEA): 1-5, HR, R, 5 RBI.
Imagine loading the bases with an intentional walk to face a guy who clobbered 60 home runs last year. Well, that’s what Reds reliever Caleb Ferguson did in the seventh inning of last night’s 8-0 blowout. In fairness, Raleigh’s immense struggles this year made the move tenable. Still, it’s good to see Raleigh toss the monkey off his back. And he did it on Johnson’s first pitch too. Last year’s AL MVP runner-up now has 10 home runs while slashing .163/ .266/ .307. Let’s hope for better days ahead.
Featured image by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on Bluesky and X) and adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on Bluesky)
