Hit Be-Yandy Yard
Yandy Díaz (TBR): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
If you were to pull out a thesaurus and look up “Professional Hitter”, Yandy Díaz would probably be one of the synonyms.
For years, Diaz has been one of the most consistent and effective hitters for the Rays. He hits for a high average, gets on base often, and tallies a bunch of runs by virtue of doing those things and leading off. The big question for Diaz has been: Can he lift the ball? Some people see his arms and ask, “How is a guy who is that strong mostly a slap hitter?” And to those people, you should show Diaz’s ridiculous exit velocities, which are often near the top of baseball.
In the game against the Angels, Diaz went two-for-five, getting two runs and three runs batted in. He opened the game with a home run, sending the second pitch of the game into the right field stands. Later, in an explosive seven-run seventh inning, he hit another home run, which scored two. More importantly, this was his 500th career run! Funnily enough, he probably is out on three pitches if the Angels actually used their challenges, as the fastball that was called a ball before this caught a bit of plate. That would’ve robbed us of a Yandy bomb, though, so let them play on!
Yandy now has a 155 wRC+ on the season, and I honestly see that as somewhat sustainable, given his all-around hitting prowess. Some of the back of the Rays lineup guys will slump, but Yandy is too well-rounded to take a steep fall. I do wonder if he can surpass his career high in home runs this year, which was 25. This gives him 10, and we aren’t even in June yet.
Let’s see how the other hitters did on Friday:
Charles McAdoo (TOR): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
HOLY MCADOO! This was a special night for the Blue Jays and will be a game that Charles McAdoo will never forget. McAdoo joined the Jays as part of the Isiah Kiner-Falefa trade a couple of seasons ago, and finally got his first cup of coffee last night. He REALLY made the most of the opportunity, hitting one just barely out of the ballpark to contribute to his team’s huge comeback. It wasn’t the furthest hit home run, but hey, when all is said and done, they don’t ask “how”, they ask “how many?”. McAdoo came up as a replacement for Lenyn Sosa and has some sneaky pop in the bat and can also steal some bases. I’d love to see him go on a streak and become a part of this Jays team.
Nelson Velázquez (STL): 2-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Huh, this was his first Major League game since 2024. That’s gotta be awesome. I remembered the name from when he was looking really good in the 2023 season, split between the Cubs and Royals, but I hadn’t realized that he’d been out of the big leagues or that he was selected to be back in them. Not only is it awesome that he was able to get a home run, but it scored three, and was an absolute no-doubter. He was also able to get on base a couple more times, once by getting hit by a pitch and the other time by hitting a soft single. Let’s see if he can become a major contributor to this fun Cardinals team that continues to stay above .500.
Miguel Vargas (CHW): 2-5, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably heard of the Vargas Rule. It’s when a pitcher goes on a ridiculous run to start a season, despite not having a long track record. Eventually, they cool off, but you ride them in fantasy until that happens. Well, with hitters, this year we have two literal Vargas Rules! Well actually, Miguel Vargas at the very least doesn’t appear to be cooling down. His stats this year are absurd, and he’s played a huge role in making the White Sox a sneaky dark horse to make the postseason. The White Sox have been on a pretty good offensive run as of late, though they may have lost Munetaka Murakami, which would be an unfortunate blow. If Vargas can keep doing this, perhaps they will stay afloat.
Curtis Mead (WSN): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
I am loving this version of Curtis Mead that we are seeing in 2026. He’s starting to believe, and you should too. This game raises his wRC+ to 143, which is a seriously impressive number, given that two organizations gave up on him last year. To be fair to them, he wasn’t showing too much improvement. Who would’ve thought that going to DC would allow him to finally figure it out? One thing that really impresses me about Mead is how much he is taking walks. This is something he did in the Minor Leagues a bit, but once he got to the majors, his strikeout-to-walk ratio was pretty poor. Now he’s showing patience, and that’s allowing him to hunt for the right pitches to hit out of the park. Also, for those counting, he already has more home runs this year than in any of his previous seasons combined.
Jackson Holliday (BAL): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.
There’s been a bit of talk lately about what’s up with Jackson Holliday. He was the #1 ranked prospect in a class that already has a Cy Young winner, a 45 home run hitter, and just a talented group of players. Holliday debuted a bit later this season due to injury, but so far, he’s looked promising. Last season, his production was basically that of an average hitter. This season, in a limited sample size, things are trending upwards. This was his second home run of the season, and it will be interesting to see what his total for the year ends up being. If he can consistently perform, the Orioles get a whole lot scarier.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (SDP): 3-5, R, RBI.
Ugh. This was a great game, but where’s the home run, Nando? I texted my friend this morning that I was calling my shot, that today would be the day he hits the dinger. Wouldn’t that have been an excellent way to cap off (or potentially open) this article? But no, the dry spell continues. It’s unfortunate, too, because the skills are clearly there. He’s making contact a lot, has a double-digit walk percentage, and hits the ball harder than most. It’s going to come. This was a productive outing, though, as he has shown he can still be a key fantasy contributor even when he isn’t doing what he’s known for.
Ezequiel Tovar (COL): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB, SB.
Way to stuff the statsheet, Tovar! He also got yesterday’s only combo meal. OH, and he got a walk-off game winner, that’s always special when it’s your second of the night. I think we should’ve known it was going to be his night when he walked his first time up. I was shocked to see that the free swinger has an over 6% walk rate exiting tonight. Not bad for a guy who has shown some of the roughest discipline in baseball over the years. Unfortunately, it’s been a bit of a rough year for him, as he currently has his lowest wRC+ outside of his rookie season. Maybe the swing aggression does pay off. It’s nice when Coors does its job and allows hitters to hit the ball far. It makes for some really fun games.
J.P. Crawford (SEA): 2-4, 2 HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, BB.
Writing about this game kept me up an extra hour, but that’s okay! We love baseball! J.P. Crawford has been a guy I’ve always been a fan of, as when he’s on, he’s an awesome shortstop and a great contributor to a high-powered, but somewhat inconsistent over the years, Mariners lineup. The awesome thing about Crawford this season is his home run-hitting prowess. He hit his ninth on the season last night, which matches his 2024 total already. It also puts him three away from last year’s mark (which was done in 157 games) and puts him right around the halfway mark of securing a career high. It’s kind of hard to pinpoint what he is doing better, as the exit velocities are still pretty similar to what they’ve been, his bat speed has only increased incrementally and it’s not like his approach has changed drastically. I hope he can ride this and hit a few more and make it easier to reach that career high by the end of the season.
Ben Rice (NYY): 4-5, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Yeah, he’s hitting like a superstar. The Yankees look unbeatable right now, as they are absolutely cruising. Ben Rice has a 188 wRC+ after this game, where he had two doubles, a single, and a home run. Obviously, it’s a hitter’s park in West Sacramento, but that home run would’ve been out of there at any Major League park. Rice really is a master of making good contact with the ball. He hits lots of fly balls and line drives, and pulls it in the air at an above-average rate. The result is a player who puts up stat lines like these fairly often.
