Happy Independence Day! Baseball is a great way to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States.
Some young players have been playing well lately and/or showing some potential. You still need to look a little deeper to get a handle on what to expect as we prepare to go to the All-Star Break.
Konnor Griffin- SS- PIT- Rookie- Griffin went 2-for-4 with a walk yesterday. He has had multiple hits in 5 of his last 8 games. Two of them were the games immediately before going on the IL and the other 3 were in the 6 games since Griffin returned. His flexor strain doesn't appear to have any aftereffects. Griffin is currently slashing .273/.329/.407.
Daylen Lile- OF- WAS- Hot- Lile went 3-for-4 with a double and 2 homers while scoring twice and knocking in 4 runs. His slash line stands at .256/.309/.421 for the season with 10 homers. Lile has a 36.9% chase rate and 11.1% SwStr% but only a 16.7% K%. Lile tends to be streaky. He has multiple hits in 4 of his last 8 games. Before that stretch Lile went 5-for-39 in 11 games. Going back from that he had a 12-for-30 stretch in 8 games. You get the idea. Lile is good to ride on a hot streak but the streak will end.
Cam Cauley- OF- TEX- Rookie- Cam Cauley has played in 4 games since being called up from AAA Round Rock last Monday. His first MLB hit was a triple, but he only has one other hit since then. However, this is a small sample size that shouldn't be relied on. The main thing that Cauley brings is exceptional speed. The triple was evidence of that. At Round Rock Cauley swiped 29 bases in 73 games. He slashed .262/.363/.407 and showed good plate discipline with a 13.1% BB%. It looks like Cauley will still get playing time as Evan Carter is eased back from injury. It's only a matter of time before Cauley gets his first steal and likely more.
Kyle Karros- 3B- COL- Hot- Karros was 3-for-4 with a triple, walk, and 3 runs scored. His slash line is at .263/.363/.420 with 6 homers in 284 PAs. Karros has an equal number of homers at Coors Field and on the road. His 89.8 EV and 45.3% HardHit% shows potential for more power to show up. Karros has been getting more comfortable. On May 29th his slash line was at .204/.306/.287. Karros has good plate discipline, with a 12.7% BB% and 21.1% K% (which has come down from 24.0% since May 29th. Look for him to increase production as the season progresses.
Gabriel Hughes- P- COL- Rookie- Hughes had a rough stretch with AAA Albuquerque, coughing up a total of 21 runs in 14.2 IP across 4 appearances in April. A left oblique injury sidelined him for almost all of May. Since coming back Hughes didn't allow a run in 5 appearances for a total of 21.2 IP. He walked 8 and struck out 26 in that span. The Rockies called him up and Hughes earned a save in his MLB debut. It was not a typical save, as he entered with a 14-3 lead to start the 7th inning and went the rest of the way, getting the 3-inning save. Hughes allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1, but didn't allow a run. He projects as a starter but, unfortunately, it is as a starter for Colorado. Hughes will have a tough time putting up a lot of fantasy value in that role.
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