Randy Arozarena- OF- TB- Stats- Last year, Arozarena started the season with an abnormal number of ground balls. After the first couple of weeks he had a GB% of 66.7% and a negative launch angle. However, his EV and HardHit% were excellent and his numbers improved over the course of the season. This year, Arozarena is slashing .371/.463/.629 in the early going. He is helped by a .393 BABIP, but his GB% of 36.0%, EV of 93.2, LA of 10.8, HardHit% of 57.7%, and BB% of 9.8% are all helping him get a far better beginning than last year and pointing to better overall numbers in 2023 than 2022.
Christian Walker- 1B- ARI- Cold- After going 1-for-4 with a walk yesterday Walker is still slashing .189/.244/.297 for the young season. His Statcast numbers have plunged in the first few games, with his EV just 81.9 and HardHit% only 17.9%. Those are way off from his career numbers, so it's probably just a small sample size artifact.
Tyler Stephenson- C- CIN- Hot- Stephenson went 1-for-4 with a walk yesterday and is now slashing .367/.424/.433. He is the beneficiary of a .478 BABIP. His EV is 91.8 and HardHit% is 42.9%, so he is hitting the ball well. Stephenson has a career BABIP of .364 and it was an abnormally high (for a C) of .333 in 2021, when he got a career-high 402 PAs. Stephenson had a .409 BABIP when he hit .319 last year, but in only 183 PAs. Stephenson has outperformed his entire career, with an AVG above his xAVG every year. This will be a season that can establish whether that is truly a trend.
Nelson Cruz- DH- SD- Hot- The 42-year-old is thriving early as essentially a platoon DH. He knocked in 6 runs yesterday, going 3-for-4 with a HBP and falling a triple short of a cycle. Cruz is slashing .350/.381/.750. He has an 89.9 EV. The Padres seem to be using him to maximize his chance of production.
Bubba Thompson- OF- TEX- Hot- Thompson went 2-for-4 and is now 3-for-7 for the season. He hasn't stole any bases yet but he did score 2 runs yesterday and his speed had an impact on how the Cubs played Travis Jankowski (the hitter ahead of him) on one sequence where Jankowski was on base and got a steal. It also helped him getting 2 RBI. The Rangers' outfield is a bit of a work in progress, with Leody Taveras injured and Robbie Grossman making some defensive errors. Thompson will probably get some starts at least against southpaws and if he gets on base, steals will come.
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