Advertisement

Craziest stats of the week: Is Mike Trout real, or are we just dreaming?

Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Mike Trout is pretty good. (Getty Images)

Have you ever been watching a baseball game, and suddenly someone in the broadcast booth will make mention of a random statistic or milestone that leaves you saying, “What?!” or “Is that real?” In a sport which relies so much on quantifiable, tangible numbers and (in recent years) advanced analytics, crazy stats appear more often than not.

Keeping track of these stats is not only helpful for your overall knowledge and acumen, but they can also assist in fantasy, especially when it comes to playing matchups and making (or not making) potential waiver wire pickups.

[Join or create a 2019 Yahoo Fantasy Football league for free today]

With that said, let’s run down some of the wildest stats of the week.

Note: All stats derived before Sunday night’s Angels-Cardinals game

Bronx Bombers: Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres

There have been so many home runs hit by the Yankees the past couple of seasons, this stat might seem hard to believe. Yet, Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres are the first Yankee teammates EVER to homer in three straight games (H/T: @MLBStats).

In fact, Torres and Sanchez have been enjoying a torrid stretch at the plate lately. Check out what they did in their last seven games before today’s matchup with Justin Verlander and the Astros:

Sanchez: .360, 3 HR, 12 RBIs

Torres: .318, 4 HR, 12 RBIs

Sanchez has pretty much been the top fantasy catcher to have so far this year, and Torres has proven himself an elite option at 2B. With the lineup getting healthier and the weather getting warmer, one can expect these two to continue mashing.

Mike Trout: Can’t believe this guy exists

Do we take Mike Trout for granted? Do we forget how good he is? Is it easy for him to get lost in the hubbub surrounding Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger this season? Does he still deserve to be the No. 1 fantasy baseball draft pick next season?

I’m not the authority to answer those questions. All I know is, we are lucky as hell to be able to witness Mike Trout play.

Before we get into what he did this week, let’s look at what he’s done this season as a whole. Currently, Trout is slashing .307/.468/.649 with a 1.118 OPS — if the season ended today, it would be the highest OPS of his illustrious career. Oh, and when he won the MVP in 2014 and 2016? His OPS marks were .939 and .991, respectively.

Trout has homered 10 times in his last 22 games. In his last seven games, he’s hit .519 with four HRs, 12 RBIs and one stolen base. He had a career-high seven RBIs on June 19. With those home runs along with four walks this week, Trout has now secured his eighth-straight season of 20+ home runs and 60+ walks. He is 27 years old.

Pete Alonso: The next great home run hitter?

Throughout baseball history, there have been sluggers with a propensity for the long ball. Casual fans remember their names. Even though many people have differing opinions about the state of the sport today — with home runs and strikeouts seemingly the end-all, be-all — it’s hard to deny the excitement that comes from seeing a hitter blast a ball into the seats. New York Mets rookie Pete Alonso, with just 77 games under his belt, looks like the next slugging star.

Let’s take a look at what Alonso has done of late. He hit five homers in his last 10 games. He became the first rookie in National League history to hit 25+ homers in his team’s first 75 games (H/T: @StatsBySTATS). He broke the Mets’ rookie record set by Darryl Strawberry for home runs by hitting his 27th on Sunday. He has 61 RBIs already. This kid is the real deal.

Walker Buehler makes history

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been one of the best teams in baseball the last few years, and this season is no different. They have an embarrassment of riches in terms of team depth, especially amongst their pitching. Hyun-Jin Ryu has been a revelation this season, but his success can sometimes overshadow the fact that his younger running mate, Walker Buehler, is having an elite year as well.

The 24-year-old is 8-1 with a 2.96 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 91 1/3 innings. He made history, though, in his latest start. Squaring off against the NL West rival Colorado Rockies, Buehler pitched a complete game, two-run gem, highlighted by a career-high 16 strikeouts. The strikeouts were the most by a Dodgers pitcher under 25 years old since Ramon Martinez (18) in 1990 (H/T: @MLBStats).

Xander Bogaerts ties the record

The Boston Red Sox aren’t having the season they expected after their 2018 championship run, but Xander Bogaerts has definitely been one of the brighter spots for fans and fantasy gamers rostering him, too. Bogaerts is slashing a cool .294/.385/.526 with a .910 OPS and 14 home runs. This past week, however, Bogaerts went on a streak that nearly made history.

He went SEVEN straight games with a double, tying the American League record. The entire Red Sox offense is expected to get better, so those rostering Bogaerts should enjoy some more good times as the season continues.

Talk about a debut: Jordan Yamamoto

The Miami Marlins get a lot of flak for the trades they’ve made in recent seasons, letting current-and-future studs go for seemingly low return value. Yet, more light should be shed on the prospects the Marlins have been able to beef up their farm system with as a result of those trades. Jordan Yamamoto came over to the Marlins as part of the Christian Yelich trade, but he was never heralded as a top prospect. Yet, through three MLB starts in 2019, the rookie is showing what he can do.

Yamamoto had a MLB debut to remember: 7 IP, 0 ER, 5 Ks and a win against the St. Louis Cardinals. He then came back in his second start to dominate those same Cardinals again: 7 IP, 0 ER, 7 Ks, W. He faced a stiffer test on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies and acquitted himself admirably: 5 IP, 2 ER, 7Ks, W. Yamamoto became the first pitcher since 1908 (at least) to begin their MLB career with back-to-back starts of seven scoreless innings and three or fewer hits (H/T: @AndrewSimonMLB). So far, so good, indeed; Yamamoto is currently available in 47% of Yahoo leagues.

Round of applause: Cole Hamels and CC Sabathia

Always love to end these by giving credit to some amazing, historical accomplishments. With that said, congratulations to both CC Sabathia and Cole Hamels for some memorable weeks.

Earlier this season, Sabathia joined the 3,000-strikeout club, and this week, he earned his 250th win, becoming just the 48th pitcher to do so in MLB history. He also accomplished both feats in the sixth-fewest amount of games, with only names like Roger Clemens, Tom Seaver, and Randy Johnson ahead of him.

Hamels has been enjoying success as a member of the Chicago Cubs this season (he came into Sunday with 1 ER allowed in his last four starts). He enjoyed another moment of success this past week, delivering the 2,500th strikeout of his career (and he did it at a younger age than Randy Johnson did). Talk about a couple of stud left-handers.

Which other crazy stats stuck out to you this week?

More Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Advice