Headline readers are already saying, “What about Kris Bryant!?!” and I’m responding that he already got his own post for the grand slam last night.
I didn’t want the other three gents who went deep last night not to get a little extra attention.
I actually want to spotlight Chris Denorfia first, since he doesn’t get a lot of love, despite being a really important bench piece for the Cubs when he’s been healthy. He crushed his homer last night 417 feet, and needed every bit of it to get out of just about the toughest spot to send a homer at Progressive Field.
On the year, through 51 plate appearances, Denorfia is hitting .396/.420/.521. Yes, his .500 BABIP is hilariously inflated, but it all still counts. When he’s played, he’s been the equivalent of a 7-win player over a full season worth of PAs. Just sayin’.
Anthony Rizzo (282 PAs) has also been very close to a 7-win pace this year, which, yes, is as crazy as it sounds. Here’s his blast last night, which literally took him down to a knee:
And who can forget Addison Russell’s hammer? When he wasn’t doing it in the field last night, he was doing this at the plate:
Russell’s .259/.314/.425 line puts him at a 102 wRC+ for the year, or just slightly above the average hitter. I’ll take it.