The Baltimore Orioles are playing their 13th game on Thursday afternoon, against the Oakland Athletics.
Slugger Ryan Mountcastle is already up to six home runs.
That’s almost one every two games!
Of course, he won’t keep up that pace, but we might be about to witness a career season from the young thumper.
Against Adam Oller of the A’s, Mountcastle did this:
Ryan Mountcastle is now tied for first in MLB with 6 HR! pic.twitter.com/seuVURkQcL
— MLB (@MLB) April 13, 2023
Evidently, he has power to all fields, not just his pull side.
That makes him more of a threat and less vulnerable to certain pitches.
Including his last at-bat, Mountcastle is slashing .275/.304/.706 with six homers and a solid 1.010 OPS.
In many ways, he is still a work in progress.
His walk rate was a mere 5.6% entering the day, and his strikeout rate was a whopping 27.8%.
That has kept his on-base percentage relatively low.
However, his incredible slugging percentage drives up his OPS.
Mountcastle, still 26 and with four seasons of team control remaining, is one of the Orioles’ best young players and building blocks for the present and future.
The team is, before Thursday’s game against the Athletics, 6-6 in the tough American League East division.
They were 83-79 last year and look ready to at least fight for a spot in the postseason.
As for Mountcastle, he is a fine complementary piece even with his flaws, but if he takes a step forward in the plate discipline department, it’s not unconceivable that he enters All-Star territory.
For now, let’s all admire his immense raw power and how it affects games for the Orioles.
NEXT:
The Rays Welcomed A Special Guest On Thursday
