Michael Cuddyer, OF COL The red-hot Cuddyer went 2-for-4 with two solo homers Wednesday against the Red Sox, giving him 13 homers and 45 RBI this season. Cuddyer's 20.6 percent HR/FB isn't much higher than what he put up last season, his first in Colorado, and his batted ball distribution and strikeout rate are both similar, but his .344 average has been boosted by a .382 BABIP. The right fielder has gone 27-for-82 (.329) on groundballs this season and 34-for-38 (.895) on line drives. He won't experience that good fortune all season, so look for his average to drop eventually.
Giancarlo Stanton, OF MIA Stanton is 18-for-59 (.305) with four homers since returning from the disabled list, and he has struck out in just 17.2 percent of his plate appearances in that stretch compared to 29.5 percent prior to his injury. However, something odd has happened to Stanton this season -- his groundball rate has skyrocketed, especially in June. This month, he has an 18.8 percent line-drive rate and a 52.1 percent groundball rate. For the season, his line-drive rate is just 14.4 percent, his groundball rate is 49.5 percent and his flyball rate is 36.1 percent. That's not the kind of distribution we want to see when it comes to a guy like Stanton, who possesses immense power.
Neil Walker, 2B PIT Walker, who went 2-for-4 with a homer Wednesday, has had a disappointing season, batting .255 with six homers and 25 RBI in 261 plate appearances, but a closer look shows that he has been unlucky. His line-drive rate is 26.5 percent, one of the best in the league, but his BABIP is just .296. With runners in scoring position, Walker has posted a line-drive rate of 25 percent but just a .250 BABIP.
Justin Upton, OF ATL Upton's unbelievable April has given way to a disappointing last two months for the outfielder. Since May 1, he is hitting .210 with just three homers and 17 RBI in 48 games. He struck out in 26.7 percent of his plate appearances in that span, which is identical to his season rate. Upton had a 26.6 percent K rate in 2010 with the Diamondbacks, but he hit .273 due to a .354 BABIP. However, he had a 19.3 percent line-drive rate that year. This season, his line-drive rate is a pitiful 16.8 percent, his BABIP is .291 and he's hitting .241. Upton is making contact on just 74.4 percent of pitches in the strike zone, fifth worst in baseball, and 69.1 percent of all pitches, eighth worst.
Jay Bruce, OF CIN Bruce is having a fantastic month, hitting .286 (28-for-98) with 10 homers and 20 RBI, but he's still striking out too much. The outfielder took the "Golden Sombrero" with four K Wednesday and has a 28.6 percent K rate in June and a 28.1 percent K rate on the year. And unlike April and May, when his line-drive rate was 29.3 percent and 32.5 percent, respectively, Bruce has a below average line-drive rate in June (17.4 percent). It will be difficult to maintain a BABIP close to .340 with that type of LD rate.
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