Connect with us

Published

on

NEW YORK — For all the data available to analyze the players and events on the diamond, sometimes the reason a batter abruptly snaps out of a slump is elementary. At least it was for Aaron Judge, currently the hottest hitter on the planet.

“I think just not missing the ball,” Judge said with a chuckle. “When I’m getting a pitch to hit, trying to just get the barrel on it, and it’s working right now.”

Judge owned a .197 batting average and .725 OPS after an oh-fer in a loss on May 2. Though the Yankees were 20-13, powered by one of the stingiest pitching staffs in the majors and newcomer Juan Soto‘s near daily exploits, Judge’s surprisingly slow April hardly went unnoticed. Since then, though, Judge has resumed being his typical MVP self — he was named American League Player of the Week on Monday — while the Yankees have, as a result, reached another level, winning 13 of their last 16 games.

Judge is batting .436 with seven home runs, 10 doubles and 15 walks over that stretch. His on-base percentage since May 3 is .563. His slugging percentage is 1.000. Do the math, and his OPS is 1.563, raising his season total 263 points — from .725 to .988 — in less than three weeks.

Aaron Boone usually notices something — a swing, an at-bat, a batting practice session — that indicates Judge is about to bust out of a slump. Six-plus seasons around a player makes it almost second nature. But if there was a moment that helped spark this recent explosion — in which Judge has launched multiple missiles deep into the outfield grass — if not the bleacher seats — his manager didn’t see it.

“Not this time,” Boone said.

Judge has sparked an offense that had previously battled inconsistency even as the team found ways to win. The Yankees, after being shut out five times in their first 30 games, have scored at least five runs in eight of their last 15 games without being held scoreless. Judge’s production has elevated the Yankees from a team off to a surprising start without ace Gerrit Cole to a dominant ballclub with the second-best record in the big leagues. The Yankees, with Judge raking again, look like the Yankees again.

“I know people were kind of asking questions about his start of the year,” Yankees starter Nestor Cortes said. “But we know it just takes one swing of the bat for him to turn it around and that’s exactly what he’s done. So we’re happy that he’s hitting the ball and connecting with hard-hit balls.”

All through April, Judge was the most scrutinized hitter in the majors. Are his hands too high in his stance? Is he falling off with his swing too much? Why isn’t he obliterating mistakes?

There were valid questions about his health. Before spring training, Judge reiterated that his right big toe will require “constant maintenance” for the rest of his career after he tore a ligament running into the wall at Dodger Stadium last season. In March, he experienced enough abdominal pain to undergo testing, but no structural damage was discovered. He soon returned and was ready for the start of the season. He emphasized he was healthy, but conversations lingered even as he played every day.

All along, Boone said, Judge’s demeanor remained unchanged.

“You would never know if he has a series where he scuffles or a week where he scuffles or a week where he’s doing the things he is right now,” Boone said. “He’s really consistent in who he is and what he presents. I would say he’s the best I’ve ever seen at that.”

Ultimately, Judge pinned his frigid April on an inability to capitalize on mistakes. Too often he would foul off or swing through pitches he’s accustomed to hammering. He still took his walks and hit six home runs, but he wasn’t clicking. Rock bottom came April 20 when he struck out four times in four at-bats and heard boos from the home crowd.

That seems like a long time ago now. He leads the American League with 16 doubles. His 39 walks are the most in the majors. He’s tied for fourth with Shohei Ohtani with 13 home runs and is fifth in wRC+ (177).

Judge’s Baseball Savant page, a frosty blue through April, bleeds red again. He leads the majors in average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit percentage. He has smashed a baseball 473 feet, the longest in the majors this season, at 115.7 mph and cracked another one 467 feet at 113 mph this month. He isn’t just doing damage, he’s bludgeoning pitches.

Soto has been everything the Yankees wanted. Giancarlo Stanton is so far rebounding strongly from a forgettable 2023 campaign. But nobody in the majors is inflicting more damage than Judge. He’s electrified an offense now pounding pitchers on a daily basis — by, like he says, not missing the ball.

“We’re just getting there,” Judge said.

Continue Reading

Sports

Red Sox deal All-Star Devers to Giants in stunner

Published

on

By

Red Sox deal All-Star Devers to Giants in stunner

The San Francisco Giants acquired three-time All-Star Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox on Sunday in a stunning trade that sent a player Boston once considered a franchise cornerstone to a San Francisco team needing an offensive infusion.

Boston received left-handed starter Kyle Harrison, right-hander Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and Rookie League right-hander Jose Bello.

The Red Sox announced the deal Sunday evening.

The Giants will cover the remainder of Devers’ contract, which runs through 2033 and will pay him more than $250 million, sources told ESPN.

The trade ends the fractured relationship between Devers and the Red Sox that had degraded since spring training, when Devers balked at moving off third base — the position where he had spent his whole career — after the signing of free agent Alex Bregman. The Red Sox gave no forewarning to Devers, who expressed frustration before relenting and agreeing to be their designated hitter.

After a season-ending injury to first baseman Triston Casas in early May, the Red Sox asked Devers to move to first base. Devers declined, suggesting the front office “should do their jobs” and find another player after the organization told him during spring training he would be the DH for the remainder of the season. The day after Devers’ comments, Red Sox owner John Henry, president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City, where Boston was playing, to talk with Devers.

In the weeks since, Devers’ refusal to play first led to internal tension and helped facilitate the deal, sources said.

San Francisco pounced — and added a force to an offense that ranks 15th in runs scored in Major League Baseball. Devers, 28, is hitting .272/.401/.504 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs, tied for the third most in MLB. Over his nine-year career, Devers is hitting .279/.349/.509 with 215 home runs and 696 RBIs in 1,053 games.

Boston believed enough in Devers to give him a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension in January 2023. He rewarded the Red Sox with a Silver Slugger Award that season and made his third All-Star team in 2024.

Whether he slots in at designated hitter or first base with San Francisco — the Giants signed Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman to a six-year, $151 million deal last year — is unknown. But San Francisco sought Devers more for his bat, one that immediately makes the Giants — who are fighting for National League West supremacy with the Los Angeles Dodgers — a better team.

To do so, the Giants gave a package of young talent and took on the contract that multiple teams’ models had as underwater.

Harrison, 23, is the prize of the deal, particularly for a Red Sox team replete with young hitting talent but starving for young pitching. Once considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, Harrison has shuttled between San Francisco and Triple-A Sacramento this season.

Harrison, who was scratched from a planned start against the Dodgers on Sunday night, has a 4.48 ERA over 182⅔ innings since debuting with the Giants in 2023. He has struck out 178, walked 62 and allowed 30 home runs. The Red Sox optioned Harrison to Triple-A Worcester after the trade was announced.

Hicks, 28, who has toggled between starter and reliever since signing with the Giants for four years and $44 million before the 2024 season, is on the injured list because of right toe inflammation. One of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball, Hicks has a 6.47 ERA over 48⅔ innings this season. He could join the Red Sox’s ailing bullpen, which Breslow has sought to upgrade.

Tibbs, 22, was selected by the Giants with the 13th pick in last year’s draft out of Florida State. A 6-foot, 200-pound corner outfielder, Tibbs has spent the season at High-A, where he has hit .245/.377/.480 with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs in 56 games. Scouts laud his command of the strike zone — he has 41 walks and 45 strikeouts in 252 plate appearances — but question whether his swing will translate at higher levels.

Bello, 20, has spent the season as a reliever for the Giants’ Rookie League affiliate. In 18 innings, he has struck out 28 and walked three while posting a 2.00 ERA.

The deal is the latest in which Boston shipped a player central to the franchise.

Boston traded Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in February 2020, just more than a year after leading Boston to a franchise-record 108 wins and a World Series title and winning the American League MVP Award.

Devers was part of that World Series-winning team in 2018 and led the Red Sox in RBIs each season from 2020 to 2024, garnering AL MVP votes across each of the past four years. Devers had been with the Red Sox since 2013, when he signed as an international amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. He debuted four years later at age 20.

Boston is banking on its young talent to replace Devers’ production. The Red Sox regularly play four rookies — infielders Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, outfielder Roman Anthony and catcher Carlos Narvaez — and infielder Franklin Arias and outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia are expected to contribute in the coming years.

Continue Reading

Sports

Ohtani to return to mound vs. Padres on Monday

Published

on

By

Ohtani to return to mound vs. Padres on Monday

Shohei Ohtani will make his long-awaited return to pitching on Monday night in a matchup against the division-rival San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced.

Ohtani, 21 months removed from a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament, will be used as an opener, likely throwing one inning. Because of his two-way designation, Ohtani qualifies as an extra pitcher on the roster, giving the Dodgers the flexibility to use a piggyback starter behind him.

That is essentially what will take place in his first handful of starts — a byproduct of the progress Ohtani has made in the late stages of his pitching rehab.

Ohtani, 30, initially seemed to be progressing toward a return some time around August. But he made a major step during his third simulated game from San Diego’s Petco Park on Tuesday, throwing 44 pitches over the course of three simulated innings and compiling six strikeouts against a couple of low-level minor leaguers.

Afterward, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it was a “north of zero” chance Ohtani could return before the All-Star break. When he met with reporters prior to Sunday’s game against the San Francisco Giants — an eventual 5-4 victory — Roberts said it was a “possibility” Ohtani could pitch after just one more simulated game.

After the game, Roberts indicated the timeline might have been pushed even further, telling reporters it was a “high possibility” Ohtani would pitch in a big league game this week as an opener, likely during the upcoming four-game series against the Padres.

“He’s ready to pitch in a big league game,” Roberts told reporters. “He let us know.”

Continue Reading

Sports

What blockbuster trade means for Rafael Devers’ fantasy baseball potential

Published

on

By

What blockbuster trade means for Rafael Devers' fantasy baseball potential

If you’re just getting back home from your Father’s Day activities, you had better sit down, because Sunday evening’s Boston Red SoxSan Francisco Giants trade is a doozy.

Rafael Devers, second among third basemen and seventh among hitters in fantasy points this season, is headed to the Giants, traded minutes before their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Boston’s return includes pitchers Kyle Harrison, who was the Giants’ scheduled starting pitcher Sunday night (subsequently scratched), pitcher Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and pitching prospect Jose Bello.

Expect Devers to continue to serve in a designated hitter-only capacity with his new team, considering his season-long stance, which is primarily an issue for his position eligibility for 2026. He might factor as the Giants’ future first baseman if given a full offseason to prepare for the shift to a new position — or it could happen sooner if he has a change of heart in his new environment.

As for the impact on Devers’ numbers, the move from Fenway Park to Oracle Park represents one of the steepest downgrades in terms of park factors, specifically run production and extra-base hits. With its close-proximity Green Monster in left field, Fenway Park is a much better environment for doubles and runs scored, Statcast reflecting that it’s 22% and 10% better than league average in those categories, respectively, compared with 8% worse and only 2% above par for Oracle Park.

Devers is a prime-age 28, with a contract averaging a relatively reasonable $31.8 million over the next eight seasons, and he’s leaving a Red Sox team where his defensive positioning — he has played all but six of his career defensive innings at third base — was a manner of much debate, to go to a team that has one of baseball’s best defensive third basemen in Matt Chapman (once he’s healthy following a hand injury). Devers’ unwillingness to play first base probably played a big part in his ultimately being traded, and it’s worth pointing out that one of the positions where the Giants are weakest is, well, also first base.

play

2:02

Perez: Devers gives Giants a ‘really good offense’

Eduardo Perez, David Cone and Karl Ravech react to the Giants acquiring star 3B Rafael Devers from the Red Sox.

Devers’ raw power is immense, as he has greater than 95th percentile barrel and hard-hit rates this season. He has been in that tier or better in the latter in each of the past three seasons as well. He’s at a 33-homer (and 34 per 162 games) pace since the beginning of 2021, so the slugger should continue to homer at a similar rate regardless of his surroundings. He should easily snap the Giants’ drought of 30-homer hitters, which dates back to Barry Bonds in 2004. Devers’ fantasy value might slip slightly, mostly due to the park’s impact on his runs scored and RBIs, but he’ll remain a top-four fantasy third baseman.

If you play in an NL-only league, Devers is an open-the-wallet free agent target. He’s worth a maximum bid, considering he brings a similar ability to stars you might invest in come the July trade deadline, except in this case you’ll get an extra month and a half’s production.

Harrison is an intriguing pickup for the Red Sox, though in a disappointing development, he was immediately optioned to Triple-A Worcester. A top-25 overall prospect as recently as two years ago, Harrison’s spike in average fastball velocity this season (95.1 mph, up from 92.5) could be a signal of better things ahead. Once recalled to Fenway Park, his fantasy prospects would take a hit, as that’s a venue that isn’t forgiving to fly ball-oriented lefties, but he’d be a matchups option nevertheless.

Expect Hicks to serve in setup relief for his new team, though he’d at best be fourth in the Red Sox’s pecking order for saves.

Continue Reading

Trending