Patrick Wisdom (CHC): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
A Wealth of Wisdom
Offense was in no short supply in Oakland on Monday. The Cubs and A’s combined for 28 hits, with the Cubs plating 10 runs while the A’s just one. It was a team effort with seven Chicago hitters experiencing a multi-hit game, but Patrick Wisdom stood above his teammates by knocking in a plurality of their runs and socking a pair of homers. All three of Wisdom’s hits were crushed at exit velocities greater than 101 mph. Oakland’s pitching is nothing to call home about, but anytime a lineup as a whole shows they can put together 20 hits against an MLB pitching staff, it is an impressive feat.
Three games above .500 a couple of weeks into 2023 is a great start for the Cubs. With Marcus Stroman returning to ace form, and many other Cubs players taking a step forward so far, the team appears poised for a run at a wild card spot or possibly even the NL Central. St. Louis has struggled so far and currently sits in last place in the division and three games below .500. As for the first-place Brewers, some of their key players are already succumbing to the injury bug, so if the Cubs continue playing well, them overtaking the division may become a real possibility.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday:
Kevin Newman (CIN): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Facing Tampa Bay’s Jalen Beeks in the bottom of the second inning, Kevin Newman took a pitch 352 feet deep down the left field line of Great American Ballpark. Two innings later, Newman took an offspeed pitch from Kevin Kelly down the same line, this time for a double, and eventually touched the plate thanks to a double by TJ Friedl. The former first-rounder then sealed his night with an RBI single in the seventh inning, coming within a triple of the cycle.
Wilmer Flores (SF): 3-4, R.
Wilmer Flores did what Wilmer Flores does on Monday night. The infielder hit three singles, only one of them having been hard hit. The Giants have improved their roster to the point that Flores was pushed into a platoon role. So far this season, that seems to be working pretty well for both parties. Entering Monday, Flores was slashing .270/.325/.486 with a pair of home runs and six RBI. Owned in just 17% of Yahoo leagues, Flores could be a decent pickup in deeper batting average leagues.
Pavin Smith (ARI): 1-3, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB.
It was clear entering this season that the Diamondbacks had more talent in their roster than they have had in a while, but few could have predicted they would be atop the NL West almost three weeks into the season. The team has its core performers, but on any successful team, there must be contributors that do not necessarily play every day. Pavin Smith has been one of those players. Smith began the season in triple-A but was called up to replace the injured Kyle Lewis. Through 20 plate appearances, the lefty has six hits, four of which went for extra bases. On Monday night, he hit the game’s decisive grand slam in his team’s victory over the Cardinals. His grand slam has an exit velocity of 105.1 mph and traveled 414 feet out to right-center.
Freddie Freeman (LAD): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
The Dodgers lost, but Freddie Freeman did all he could to prevent that from happening. No big deal, but he just had his sixth multi-hit game of the season. Home run number one came in the first inning off David Peterson and left Freeman’s bat at 108.4 mph. The second, also off Pederson, came in the fifth inning, went to the opposite field, and left the first baseman’s bat at 103.9 mph.
Kris Bryant (COL): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB.
Perhaps the most important factor in the Rockies making progress toward building a contender, is the success of Kris Bryant. Success not just at the plate, but also in staying on the field. He succeeded with the latter so far this season but has nevertheless struggled at the plate. That being the case, Bryant’s game on Monday was a huge step in the right direction for him. All three of Bryant’s hits had exit velocities north of 98 mph, and his flyout was not far off that mark. His home run was also his first one in Coors Field in a Rockies uniform.
Corey Julks (HOU): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
The bottom of Houston’s lineup did most of the heavy lifting against the Blue Jays last night, combining for six hits and six RBI. Corey Julks was responsible for two of those hits and half of those RBI. The outfielder’s double was the hardest hit ball of the game at 109.6 mph and his home run was the farthest hit. The rookie and former eighth-rounder has shown some solid hitting ability so far with his 11 hits in 42 at-bats. He is, however, yet to draw a walk which is cause for some doubt in his plate approach.
Josh Jung (TEX): 1-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Josh Jung has had a great start to 2023 and is a large reason his team sits atop the AL West. On Monday he was the main reason Texas was able to win despite Jordan Lyles‘ eight-frame outing. In Lyles’ first inning, Jung took an 80 mph hanging sweeper 441 feet into the left field seats. He that sweeper at an exit velocity of 108.9 mph. Jung’s still owned in just over 50% of Yahoo leagues. I would suggest grabbing him before he’s gone.
Cody Bellinger (CHC): 5-5, 2B, R.
Success by Cody Bellinger tends to be met with speculation as to whether he is one step closer to becoming an elite hitter again. Let’s focus on him becoming an above-average hitter first which he was not last year according to his 79 OPS+. The former Dodger showed some encouraging signs against the A’s on Monday by refusing to make an out. Two of his five hits were hard hit and four of them had expected batting averages north of .600. Bellinger has had a solid start to the year and has shown more-than-solid improvements from last year’s struggles.
Hunter Renfroe (LAA): 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI.
If only the Angels’ pitching staff could figure it out, the team would be in a great place. The addition of Hunter Renfroe this past offseason seems to have given the lineup the additional boost it needed. Renfroe blasted a three-run shot over the Green Monster off of Brayan Bello on Monday. It was the righty’s fourth home run and his eighth extra-base hit of 2023.
Photo by John Smolek/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)