As the MLB season moves past the All-Star break, the time for teams to do or die has arrived. Multiple former members of the Pack9 find themselves in the midst of a fierce push for the postseason, and each athlete will need to give their best effort to push their teams to the playoffs.
MLB:
Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants, C
Throughout the season, the San Francisco Giants have been engaged in an intense three-team race for the NL West crown, and rookie Patrick Bailey has been a key pillar of their success.
Bailey has come back down to earth offensively, batting .193 over the past month. However, he put together a masterful performance June 30 against the New York Mets. Bailey drilled a late, three-run homer to help seal a 5-4 win. . Following the All-Star break, the Giants faced off against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a series that saw the rookie collect crucial RBIs across two games to help earn a win both times.
Even though his bat may have cooled off some, many baseball fans are beginning to take notice of Bailey’s defensive prowess. In a season which has seen an increased amount of stolen bases, players should attempt to steal on Bailey at their own risk. He has thrown out a staggering 18 runners, which is good for second-best in all of baseball. He even threw out speedy phenom Elly De La Cruz, who is widely regarded as one of the fastest players in the majors.
Andrew Knizner, St. Louis Cardinals, C
While seeing rather limited time behind the dish, Knizner has struggled to find sustained success in what has proven to be a frustrating season for the St. Louis Cardinals.Before July, Knizner only recorded 12 RBIs and a meager .210 batting average. However, in the month of July, he has put forth an impressive .323 average, 11 RBIs and three homers, including his first dinger in over a month.
Knizner produced his best performance of the season July 27 against the Cubs. After Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch and forced to leave the game prematurely, Knizner stepped up to record the first multi-home run game of his career. Even though the Cardinals lost, Knizner’s individual performance certainly gave an eye-opening glimpse of his capabilities at the plate.
Carlos Rodon, New York Yankees, LHP
After an injury-plagued start in the Bronx, Rodon finally made his debut in the pinstripes July 7. In his first game, he put forth an average performance, allowing two runs on four hits in the Yankees’ loss to the Chicago Cubs. Despite initially showing some good potential, Rodon struggled over his next two starts — he allowed eight hits, seven walks and a staggering ten runs. Desperate to flip the script, Rodon showed signs of his normal self July 26 against the Mets, pitching 5.2 innings while only allowing one run and striking out four.
Currently, Rodon carries a 1-3 record and a subpar 5.75 ERA. This is certainly less than ideal for a Yankee rotation that has seemed to struggle all season to find consistency outside of pitching ace Gerrit Cole. Rodon is needed to help the team make up ground in a very competitive AL East division, as the Yankees face a gauntlet of tough opponents.
Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies, SS
As the 2023 season has progressed, Philadelphia and baseball fans alike have hoped to see star Trea Turner break out of his shell. After inking a massive deal this past offseason, he’s struggled to find his mojo again. The Phillies are hoping to find some more consistency as well — they have amassed a 15-11 record since June 27. Even though the team recently won eight of 11 games, which brought them to second place in the NL East, they have since lost six of their last ten.
In the past month, Turner has strung together some solid performances. In a July 15 doubleheader against the San Diego Padres, he batted a runner in to help the Phillies complete a late-inning comeback. He also contributed a pair of stolen bases that helped give his team the best chance to win. Later in the day, he brought home another run in the back half of the doubleheader to help get another crucial win. Even though Turner has been able to collect some hits this July, he has largely been quiet at the dish, striking out an alarming 26 times. The Phillies will need him to find success again soon if they want to make a push toward the postseason.
Minor Leagues:
Devonte Brown, Vancouver Canadians (Toronto Blue Jays), OF
After being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022, Brown has quietly put forth a very solid year in his first full season of professional baseball. So far, he has put forth a .263 batting average which includes 10 homers and 40 RBI. He has also been able to show off his speed as he has stolen 14 bases. One of his best performances came July 7 against the Hillsboro Hops. In the contest, he amassed four hits, five RBIs and a homer. This game kicked off a stretch for Brown in which he hit five home runs and 15 RBIs. This helped Brown make the most of the month of July and put forth a .323/.463/.631 mark.
Evan Justice, Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado Rockies), LHP
A fifth round pick by the Colorado Rockies in 2021, Evan Justice is certainly making his presence felt in Triple-A ball this season. He currently sports a 6-0 record, a 1.99 ERA and has punched out 55 batters in 31.2 innings of play. Despite allowing six runs in the month of May, Justice has rebounded very well — he has only allowed a single run in the months of June and July. He also only allowed eight batters in the past two months to even reach base, whether it be via a hit or a base on balls.
