Josh Jung
Jung went 3-4 with three hard hit balls on the day. Many were hoping for a continued breakout given his strong 2023. Unfortunately, injuries derailed him this year, and we're only getting a glimpse of what he can do. Jung is running a strong 38.6% LA Sweet Spot, which is super encouraging to see he can still square up the baseball. Combine that with a 43.6% Hard-Hit rate, and there is plenty to like about Jung. He is slashing .421/.476/.737 in September. If I have him, I'm playing him.
Other Notes...
Xander Bogaerts
Bogaerts was ultra productive on Thursday, going 3-4 with a R, HR, 2 RBI. He had three hard hit balls on the day. It's been a down year for the otherwise quality hitter. His .385 xSLG is well below his .414 career average, and his .345 xwOBACON is somewhat below his .360 career average. His 32.4% Hard-Hit is a career low. All in all, Bogaerts is actually only having a somewhat down year. He has gotten a bit unlucky, posting the second lowest BABIP (.301) of his career. That being said, I don't like the trend. He has declined in EV almost every year since 2019. I'm worried about him long term, but he is still playable this year if you lack better options.
Jack Kochanowicz
Kochanowicz just posted one of the most deceptive statlines I have ever seen. He went 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. If you didn't know any better, you would think going 6 IP, 3 ER is a good thing, that's a quality start! Unfortunately, facing that many batters across six innings and striking out zero batters is a serious red flag. Moreover, Kochanowicz allowed a whopping 13 hard hit balls. He has a 47.4% Hard Hit rate against, and is striking out a putridly low 8.8% of hitters. Stay far away. Stay very, very far away.
Ryan Walker
Walker came into the game in the top of the 8th with the game tied 2-2. He then came back out and threw a scoreless ninth, finishing the game with a 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R 1 BB, 3 K line. The Giants walked the game off in the bottom of the ninth and Walker picked up the win. The Giants have been using Walker as the closer and high leverage guy after removing Camilo Doval from the role. If Walker is available, you need to add him. He has the ability to both get groundballs (72%) while striking out guys at monstrous rates (33.8%). He is actually an excellent strike thrower as well for a closer (5.5%). He has five saves on the year and all of them came in August, so his role is clearly expanding. If you're like me and ran out of starts, this is the guy I want.
Blake Snell
It has been an up-and-down year for Snell, and today certainly didn't do anything to change that. Snell completed just one innings against the Diamondbacks, allowing 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. He needed 42 pitches. It is unclear whether Snell was pulled early due to injury or due a laborious first innings. This start is really frustrating since it seemed like Snell was finally starting to find his groove. He threw 38.1 IP with 53 Ks in August, which included his no hitter. Under the surface, Snell has been excellent. He's striking out guys at 32.9% and has been unhittable with a .187 xBA. If you are tight on starts remaining for the year, today was a waste, but I trust Snell for his next start given he isn't injured.
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