Power Galore

Ronald Acuna

Last week, we touched upon the Ronald Acuna Bean-ball Extravaganza. Initially, Jose Urena pegged Acuna on the elbow with a 97 mph fastball. He was fortunate to avoid injury. This was ostensibly in reaction to previous leadoff home runs hit by Acuna. When the two clubs met again on Thursday, Acuna struck back with another long home run. The Marlins responded… by pegging him again. This time, journeyman veteran Javy Guerra hit Acuna on the hand. Again, he was lucky to escape a trip to the disabled list. The Braves finally took umbrage and retaliated by hitting also-ran Rookie of the Year candidate Brian Anderson.

This was all caused by a sort of friction between old school traditionalist players and the newer “celebrationists.” Baseball once had a stodgier atmosphere on the field. Players were expected to behave like business professionals. By this thinking, a subdued fist pump is appropriate for a particularly grand display of power. This is especially true for “unestablished” players. The sport is slowly adjusting to a younger culture – one that appreciates bat flips and displays of joy and sorrow. Acuna is one of many players who openly celebrates his exploits. If the Marlins’ pitchers can’t get over allowing home runs to Acuna – and they’re going to allow a LOT of them over the next six seasons – then this is going to become a bitter rivalry.

Kendrys Morales

Weekly Leaders

Kendrys Morales: 6 HR
Khris Davis: 5 HR
Christian Yelich: 4 HR
12 others: 3 HR

Morales led a busy week on the home run leaderboard. The switch-hitting 35-year-old was a fantasy afterthought entering the season. After a dismal April, he quickly dropped off everybody’s wish list. He’s since made critical adjustments to turn his season around. After June 5, Morales has hit .309/.391/.574 with 15 home runs in 235 plate appearances. He’s also taken a more selective approach at the plate. Better discipline is a common adjustment for aging hitters looking to milk a little more life out of their career. The homer barrage is just a happy windfall for his unsuspecting owners.

By comparison, we’ve mentioned Davis in this column all season. His scalding performance over the last month – 18 home runs since July 22 – helped him to surge to the home run lead. With 39 home runs in the bag, he’s now on the cusp of becoming the first player of the season to reach the 40 homer plateau. J.D. Martinez is nipping at his heels with 38 home runs. Davis’ success this year may stem from a six point increase to his fly ball rate – mostly at the expense of line drives. As a result, his .269 average on balls in play (BABIP) is a career-worst. It’s ok though, the extra home runs have buoyed his batting average.

Yelich, 26, has been one of the steadiest players in the league for years. He supplies a little bit of everything through sheer athleticism and baseball savvy. The lefty hitter is known for having one of the highest ground ball rates in the league which he couples with plenty of hard contact. A move from cavernous Marlins Stadium to power-happy Miller Park has caused his home run rate spike. He’s already set a career high with 22 home runs.

My Top 10 Projected Home Run Leaders

Kris Davis

Khris Davis, Oakland Athletics: 39 HR, 47 HR projected
J.D. Martinez, Boston Red Sox: 38 HR, 46 HR projected
Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians: 37 HR, 44 HR projected
Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers: 34 HR, 42 HR projected
Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals: 34 HR, 42 HR projected
Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees, 32 HR, 41 HR projected
Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners: 31 HR, 40 HR projected
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels: 30 HR, 39 HR projected
Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies: 31 HR, 38 HR projected
Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals: 30 HR, 38 HR projected

We’ve reached the point of the season when the projected standings almost perfectly mirror the actual leaderboard. Mookie Betts, who was part of this section for most of the season, is virtually out of the running with 27 home runs. A few players who could force their way in include Paul Goldschmidt, Francisco Lindor, Manny Machado, Eugenio Suarez, and Max Muncy. All five have 29 home runs. Looking farther afield, don’t rule out Trevor Story (26 HR, 34 HR projected). He’s gone on unreal hot streaks in the past.

Disabled

***Justin Upton, Los Angeles Angels (index finger laceration)
***Marcell Ozuna, St. Louis Cardinals (right shoulder inflammation)
*** Brandon Nimmo, New York Mets (index finger contusion)
***Mark Trumbo, Baltimore Orioles (right knee inflammation)
***Christian Villanueva, San Diego Padres
***Justin Bour, Philadelphia Phillies (left oblique strain)
***Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds (right leg contusion)
***Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox (abdominal surgery)
***Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees (left heel contusion)
Yangervis Solarte, Toronto Blue Jays (right oblique)
Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox (left hamstring strain)
Jake Lamb, Arizona Diamondbacks
Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs (left shoulder discomfort)
Jesse Winker, Cincinnati Reds
Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets
Clint Frazier, New York Yankees (post-concussion syndrome)
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (chip fracture in right wrist)
Zack Cozart, Los Angeles Angels
Lonnie Chisenhall, Cleveland Indians (calf strain)
Gary Sanchez, New York Yankees (groin strain)
Jorge Soler, Kansas City Royals (fractured foot)
Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays (calf strain)
Franchy Cordero, San Diego Padres (forearm strain)
Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers


The good news is that quite a few players returned from the disabled list including some major contributors. It’s good to see Trout, Jose Altuve, and Edwin Encarnacion back in fantasy lineups. Tommy Pham’s return was welcome too, although he ruined it by promptly dislocating a finger. He missed a couple days and should be back in the regular lineup today or tomorrow. Adrian Beltre, Scott Schebler, and Jay Bruce were also activated.

Unfortunately, the injury bug bit deeply, taking down nine players. Villanueva and Trumbo may miss the rest of the season. If you were relying on them to win your league, you were already in trouble. Of greater consequence are the losses of Upton, Votto, Nimmo, Abreu, Gregorius, and Ozuna. A shoulder injury almost ensures Ozuna won’t have a chance to redeem himself with a torrid September. Even if he returns in short order, he probably won’t be completely healthy. Bour missed out on a chance for some designated hitter reps in Toronto. If George Springer isn’t in the lineup today, I suspect he’ll also be placed on the disabled list for a minimum stay. He’s been day-to-day with a quad injury for five days.

Power Spotlight

The Kansas City Royals lost the 2018 season before it even began. Usually, hopeless rebuilding ball clubs find a few diamonds in the rough simply because they have so much playing time available. This is how the Phillies discovered Odubel Herrera, a player who might not have become a major league regular without his fortuitous Rule 5 selection. The Braves turned up Johan Camargo. Every team exiting a long rebuild has similar success stories with untouted players.

The Royals have mostly failed in this regard. Veterans who might have rebounded performed poorly. Prospects have struggled. Alcides Escobar clings to the roster like a pernicious wart. Recently, the club decided to find some time for Ryan O’Hearn. The lefty was never a particularly well-regarded prospect. Scouting complements included phrases like “loft in his swing.” These were offset with comments about middling bat speed and contact issues.

All of those problems still appear to be present, although it hasn’t stopped O’Hearn from hitting six home runs in 61 plate appearances. Baseball is filled with players like Adam Duvall, Evan Gattis, and C.J. Cron who make a low average, low OBP, high power profile work just well enough to play every day. O’Hearn could be the latest player of this profile. Since he performed well during his first couple weeks in the majors, he’s going to get a good long look over the remainder of the season. The Royals will mostly face Quad-A quality opponents. Don’t be surprised if O’Hearn posts strong home run totals. Prepare for painful rate stats.

As an alternative, the Astros may have developed a right-handed Max Muncy clone. Tyler White mixes a high contact rate and well above average plate discipline. His patience does lead to a higher than expected strikeout rate – an area in which he could stand to improve. White has played fairly regularly since the start of August. He even hit cleanup on Wednesday and Friday. Houston seems to recognize his potential which bodes well for continued opportunities.