Not The Way Andrew It Up

Andrew Vaughn (CWS): 3-6, 2 2B, 3 R, 1 BB

One of the more frustrating stories in baseball so far has got to be the way Andrew Vaughn has been used in Chicago. Sure, it’s great Vaughn broke camp and was willing to learn a brand new position, but the sheer lack of playing time is simply confusing to most, especially with Vaughn’s pedigree and supposed standing within the organization.

Vaughn hasn’t done himself many favors in the first month of play, perhaps due to the inability to get into a groove with spotty playing time or just perhaps due to being overmatched. Through his time in the minors, Vaughn lowered his strikeout rate at each level, from 18.8% in a 3-game sample of Rookie ball to 13.5% in 29 games at High A. So far he’s sporting a 28.8% rate in Chicago but is still able to put up a .273 average thanks to a .414 BABIP.

Vaughn finished the day going 3-for-6 with two doubles, three runs scored, and a walk. All three of Vaughn’s hits came in the second game of their doubleheader, as the entire White Sox line up – minus Yasmani Grandal – collected at least one hit off what turned out to be a bullpen game for the Tigers after Matthew Boyd left with an injury.

All three of Vaughn’s hits came off the bat at over 92 mph, including both his doubles racking up triple digits on the gun. These hits line up with what Vaughn has been able to do consistently throughout his inconsistent playing time this season and that’s hit the ball hard. The White Sox top prospect sits with a 93.9 mph average exit velocity on the season, maxing out at 110.7 thus far, putting him in the top 5% of the league.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Thursday

Jason Heyward (CHC): 2-5, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB.

Jason Heyward collected three hard-hit balls on the night, including a 103.7 mph double in the fifth inning. Though Hayward continues to play just about every day in right field for the Cubs, this was just his second multi-hit performance of the season, bringing his slash line up to an unusable .203/.259/.357 on the season. The stolen base was his second on the year though, which is nice.

David Peralta (ARI): 3-5, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 1 SB.

Seems David Peralta really likes to over-perform when I’m doing these recaps. Peralta left no ball unscathed, including his two ground outs, as he collected five hard hits balls on the night. Peralta only swung and missed at one of the 19 pitches he saw on the evening and has brought his strikeout rate down to 13% to go with his 9% walk rate on the season. Peralta has collected a hit in 10 of his last 11 games and will continue to play every day in the heart of the Arizona lineup.

Jose Trevino (TEX): 2-3, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI.

After going o-for-20 in his previous five games, Trevino has collected three hits in his past two games, including this multi-hit performance on Thursday. The Rangers’ backstop collected two hard-hit balls in the game, including his two-out, go-ahead 411-foot homer off Boston reliever Hirokazu Sawamura in the sixth inning. Trevino will look to build off these past two games against the Red Sox, as he continues to see the bulk of playing time behind the plate for the Rangers, regardless of recent struggles.

Leury Garcia (CWS): 3-6, 2 R, 5 RBI, 1 SB.

Seeing time at both second base and right field during the doubleheader, Leury Garcia collected three hard-hit balls across the 14 innings he played Thursday. Even with his versatility – spending time at both middle infield spots and in all three outfield positions this season – Garcia isn’t a guarantee to play on any given night. He’s going to need a few more days like today to bring him back to usability in most leagues.

Yoán Moncada (CWS): 3-6, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB.

Sure Moncada, like most of his teammates, gets the added benefit of playing two games in one day but his final line is still impressive enough. Moncada has now collected a hit in eight of his last ten games, including three multi-hit games along the way. His season-long 25% strikeout rate is the lowest of his career (he only had one across his two games Thursday) and continues to get on base by way of his double-digit walk rate.

Nick Madrigal (CWS): 3-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB.

Madrigal collected the same amount of hits as his other teammates on this list but did so in just one game of the doubleheader rather than across two. Still, his three hits kept those who track those things on Twitter busy nonetheless. Look, he doesn’t hit the ball hard as seen from his 12% percentile average exit velocity, and his .417 SLG isn’t going to do your power categories any favors, but Madrigal’s 3.8% strikeout rate continues to lead all of baseball and his continues to rack up hit after hit, now collecting five multi-hit performances on the year and raising his batting average to .317.

Matt Chapman (OAK): 2-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI.

Chapman records his second straight two-hit game after collecting just one hit in his previous eight starts for Oakland. Both hits came off the bat at least 103.9 mph, including his two-out solo home run off Shane McClanahan who was making his regular season MLB debut on the mound for the Rays. The four hits in the past two games brought Chapman’s slash line up to just .184/.298/.391 on the year. His defense at the hot corner will keep him on the field, hopefully giving him time to break through completely from a forgettable April.

Trey Mancini (BAL): 3-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI.

Mancini continues his comeback tour through the first month of the 2021 season in style, racking up two more hard-hit balls, though he did have a third that just missed the cut at 94.9 mph. Mancini’s 394-foot home run was the longest and second hardest-hit ball of the game at 110.5 mph. That’ll happen when Giancarlo Stanton is in the game, as his 117.9 mph single in the third inning took top honors in this one. Through his last 11 games, Mancini has put up a slash of .375/.432/.600 to go along with his 11.4% strikeout rate in that time.

Austin Riley (ATL): 2-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB.

Austin Riley continues his hot streak, getting the job done with a pair of singles out of the seven spot in the Atlanta lineup. In the past ten games, Riley is crushing it to the tune of .483/.605/.862, while walking just as much as he’s striking out.

Featured Imaged by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter)