Major League Baseball

Covered by Will Thompson

Junior Caminero, 3B TB (MLB)

2-for-4, HR, R, RBI

Caminero is on an absolute heater right now. Over his last eight games, the 21-year-old has gone 13-for-30 with 4 HR and finally some poor batted ball luck from early on is turning. Caminero is still developing, but he has all the makings of a future superstar. 

Grant Taylor, RHP CHW (MLB)

1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, SV

Having a fastball that averages 99 with 7.3 feet of extension and 18.4 inches of IVB should be illegal. The White Sox have found their long-term closer. 

💣💣🍔🍟Byron Buxton, CF MIN (MLB)

3-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K, SB

The hottest hitter in baseball over the last week has to be Cal Raleight right? It’s actually been Buxton who completely dominated this game against the Brewers and now has six home runs over his last seven contests. Fingers crossed for a mostly healthy rest of the season because he’s so fun to watch. 

‼️Andrew Abbott, LHP CIN (MLB)

7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Every time I think “okay it’s time for Andrew Abbott to have a few rough starts and come back down to earth,” That’s now three straight starts allowing one earned run or less for the lefty, who lowered his ERA to 1.79 in his brilliant season. 

Cal Raleigh, DH SEA (MLB)

2-for-3, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Cal Raleigh and the rest of the Mariners probably wish they could always play at Wrigley Field with the weekend they had. Raleigh seems to homer every day at this point and while I laughed at the idea a few weeks ago, how far off is he from Aaron Judge in the AL MVP race? Sportsbooks still have Judge as an overwhelming favorite, which is probably correct. He would easily be the MVP if he were in the NL. 

💣💣Donovan Solano, 1B SEA (MLB)

3-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI

Well if anyone bet Donovan Solano to hit double dongs, congrats you are probably very rich. Solano has had a rough season overall and has hit RHP way better than LHP oddly enough. He is probably another Mariner that does not want to leave Wrigley Field. 

💣💣Dominic Canzone, RF SEA (MLB)

3-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI

Since being called up from Triple-A Tacoma, Canzone has been a massive lift for this Mariners offense. He’s 10-for-32 since coming back to the big leagues with five of those going for extra bases. This is probably just lightning in a bottle for the 27-year-old, but he’s really helped spark what was a struggling Seattle lineup. 

💣💣Seiya Suzuki, RF CHC (MLB)

2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI

I wonder when was the last time a big league game had three double dongs in it? That speaks to what Wrigley can turn into when the wind is blowing out I guess. Suzuki has had a terrific season for the Cubs and is lifting the ball a lot more. For the year, Seiya has a 50.5% hard-hit rate and nearly an 18% barrel rate. 

‼️Slade Cecconi, RHP CLE (MLB)

7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Chalk up another W for the Cleveland Guardians pitching lab, it looks like they fixed Cecconi. The righty has a 3.38 ERA through his first seven starts with the Guardians and his pitch usage tweaks have done wonders. He’s throwing only 40% fastballs now, down from 54% last season with Arizona while adding a sinker. The Josh Naylor for Cecconi swap by the Diamondbacks and Guardians in the offseason is working out for both sides. 

Ceddanne Rafaela, CF BOS (MLB)

2-for-4, HR, 2B, RBI, K

Watching Ceddanne Rafaela pull and lift a homer right down the LF line yesterday brought a tear to my eye. Rafaela’s now up to a 95 wRC+ and the Red Sox will absolutely take that given how elite he is defensively. He’s starting to pull the ball more lately and if he does watch out because the quality of contact has been excellent this year, just hit in the wrong spots. 

Casey Schmitt, 3B SF (MLB)

4-for-4, HR, 2B, 3 R, RBI

It’s been one heck of a two week run for Casey Schmitt, who is hitting .415 over his last 12 games. This stretch has come in an important part of the Giants schedule, starting with leading comeback wins over the lowly Rockies and series against the Dodgers and Red Sox as well. He’s hitting the ball hard too, with a 48.5% hard-hit rate and 10.6% barrel rate which are easily the highest of Schmitt’s career. It’ll be interesting to see how the Giants get Schmitt in the lineup when Matt Chapman comes back if he keeps hitting this well. 

💣💣Mauricio Dubon, SS HOU (MLB)

2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 K

Alright chalk up another super unlikely double dong day in the big leagues yesterday. Dubon was just in to give Jeremy Pena a day off on defense, but ended up sparking a rally in both the 5th and 6th inning leading to the Astros comeback win over the Angels. As always, the Astros are inevitable. 

‼️Michael Soroka, RHP WAS (MLB)

5.1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 10 K

Did Soroka find something over these last two starts? The pure stuff is really good and he’s now struck out 19 batters over his last two starts. He generated 15 whiffs in the outing, including five from his slurve which has been an excellent addition to his repertoire this season. Batters are hitting just .123 against it this year with a 36% whiff rate. 

Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH LAD (MLB)

Pitching: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Hitting: 2-for-4, HR, 3B, 3 R, 5 RBI, BB, 2 K

Ohtani is back to doing the whole two-way thing again and this inning was much cleaner than his first time out. His command was much sharper and he threw an absolutely filthy sweeper to strike out Luis Garcia. It’ll be interesting to see how much the Dodgers try to stretch him next outing after two one-inning appearances. Oh yeah and Ohtani had a monster day at the plate as well to help lead the Dodgers to the win. 

💣💣 Max Muncy, 3B LAD (MLB)

2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 7 RBI, K

Remember when people were worried about Max Muncy? He has totally turned his season around after a rough start and hit a clutch grand slam with his team down 3-0 in the sixth inning today. Muncy decided to put the exclamation point on the comeback win, hitting no-doubt three run homer to put the game away in the eighth. Over his last 24 games, Muncy is hitting .329/.467/.714 with 8 HR and more walks with more walks than strikeouts. 

‼️Seth Lugo, RHP KC (MLB)

6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K

It’s never too early to start thinking about this, but the Royals are currently two games out of the final AL Wild Card spot. Do they go for it to try and get in or do they sell and get a good return back for Lugo, who will decline his player option and become a FA this winter. I doubt KC is willing to pay him enough to re-sign him and if he is made available ultimately, Lugo will have a lot of teams calling trying to make a deal. 

Triple-A

Covered by Adam Kiel

Bubba Chandler, RHP PIT (Triple-A) 

2.2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, K, HRA

His ERA in the month of June has ballooned to 10.61 with a 2.36 WHIP. Just a terrible month no matter how you slice it. I wouldn’t react any way beyond possibly a buy-low opportunity? 

💣💣Jhonkensy Noel, RF CLE (Triple-A) 

2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, K 

If I am required to guess who would have a double-dong day at the Triple-A level, Big Christmas is probably a top 3 guess. I’m not entirely confident he will ever be much more than a better version of Luken Baker, but the 23-year-old deserves a couple more opportunities at the next level to prove it. Clearly just too good for the level.

‼️Doug Nikhazy, LHP CLE (Triple-A) 

5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HRA

Not sure I will ever be able to quit him. He probably is never too much more than a back end guy, but he has spurts where he flashes real swing and miss stuff. The Guardians have a reputation for a reason, they scout and develop arms well, so the benefit of the doubt is earned. I just hesitate to say he takes the next step forward to become truly fantasy relevant. But I refuse to say it won’t. I refuse to get off the fence on this one, I apologize to absolutely no one for it. 

🍔🍟Joey Loperfido, CF TOR (Triple-A) 

2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB

This Buffalo outfield is just interesting. I wouldn’t exactly call that a compliment, but it certainly isn’t an insult. Loperfido’s power has dropped, predictably, since leaving the friendly confines of the PCL but just about everything else has been relatively the same. He remains a viable prospect who likely is best considered a deep league outfield replacement. 

💣💣Jhostynxon Garcia, CF BOS (Triple-A)

2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, BB, K 

I will not make the easy and obvious joke regarding Boston star players and trades. In exchange for that, I get to brag about typing his name from pure memory. The Password unlocked his power and offered a BOGO special for home runs last night and I will swap that for a Daily Sheet blurb. Just the art of the deal.

 🔜 Jordan Hicks, RHP BOS (Triple-A) 

0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 1 HRA

It brings me no joy to type that out . 

Jacob Marsee, RF MIA (Triple-A) 

3-for-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB

One half of Marsee is on a tear. (That joke will be moderately funny in approximately 24-36 hours). 

‼️Tekoah Roby, RHP STL (Triple-A) 

6 IP, 3 H, BB, 5 K

I need someone to save me from myself. I’m beginning to get excited about Roby even though deep down I know it’s probably a reliever. But one of Tink, Tekoah and Hjerpe has to work out as a starter right? (Please?) In all seriousness, the slider and curve look sharper and he’s done a good job missing barrels. I remain cautiously, and probably irrationally, optimistic. 

Nathan Church, CF STL (Triple-A) 

3-for-5, 2 3B, 2 R. 

Hey, I found the next potential out-of-nowhere borderline all-star for the Cardinals. I say that both tongue-in-cheek but also as a way to point out he’s not getting enough love. 

‼️Kenta Maeda, RHP CHC (Triple-A) 

7 IP, H, 3 BB, 3 K

If you knew nothing about his season to this point, you could be fooled into thinking pitching reinforcements are on the way for the cubbies. 

‼️Marco Raya, RHP MIN (Triple-A) 

5 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K

I swear to all that is good, if he figures it out after I rostered him for 4 long mediocre years, I may jump off a very short ledge. My knees aren’t very resilient so not all that high but like, a solid 4 feet. Now that I’m done being dramatic, I’ll be serious again. This is the third start in the last 6 that he has thrown 4 or more shutout innings. 4 of the last 6, including this one, have 7 or more strikeouts. Those are the only positive things I can say about his pitching this year. You can see the potential, and at 22 there's still time, but at some point he just has to be better and consistent. 

🍔🍟James Outman, CF LAD (Triple-A) 

4-for-5, HR, R, 3 RBI, SB 

💣💣🍔🍟Esteury Ruiz, RF LAD (Triple-A) 

3-for-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, SB

Oh my lord I thought it was 2023 again. I mean what else can I say about this combo other than LOL. 

🔜Tyler Glasnow, RHP LAD (Triple-A) 

2 IP, 3 BB, K

Nick Frasso, RHP LAD (Triple-A) 

1 IP, K

Landon Knack, RHP LAD (Triple-A) 

4.2 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HRA

They just have so much pitching. And to still struggle this much with injuries? It’s all but funny. Whether the two non-Tyler pitchers make an impact this year is hard to predict with all the arms LA keeps bringing in and dumping, but neither are performing particularly well enough to hope on. 

Double-A

Covered by Nate Rasmussen

Joshua Baez, CF STL (Double-A)