On July 13th, Jordan Walker silenced a Philadelphia crowd by beating Kyle Schwarber 12-11 in the Home Run Derby final. Walker needed six consecutive home runs at the end of the round to complete the comeback and become the first Cardinals player to win the event.
The Derby always produces the same next question: what happens when the real games begin again? I am simply going to break down the players from last month, not get into the entire season.
Through August, the answer is sharply divided. Five hitters have posted an OPS of at least .879. The other three are at .638 or lower. The most surprising detail is that Walker and Schwarber, the two finalists, are both in the struggling group.
Here is the post-Derby breakdown.
Willson Contreras
AVG: .286/ 3 HR/ 9 RBI/ .949 OPS
Willson Contreras hasn’t hit the most home runs in the group, but he has been the best overall hitter of them. Across 18 games, the Boston first baseman is batting .296 with three home runs, nine RBIs and a .965 OPS. Beyond that, Contreras has been the lifeblood of this Red Sox team that went on a historic run in July.
Munetaka Murakami
AVG: .250/ 6 HR/ 11 RBI/ .906 OPS
Munetaka Murakami has hit the most home runs of this group the last month. His six home runs in 21 games, coupled with a .906 OPS, have helped Chicago maintain its first-place lead in the AL Central.
Bryce Harper
AVG: .234/ 5 HR/ 14 RBI/ .901 OPS
I had to do a quick double-take with this one, because the last I saw Harper trending on X it was for how bad he was playing. Meanwhile, he has a better OPS post-All-Star Game than he did before it.
Junior Caminero
AVG: .273/ 5 HR/ 12 RBI/ .871 OPS
The Rays are 8-2 in their last 10 and are the first American League team to hit 70 wins.
Jac Caglianone
AVG: .280/ 5 HR/ 14 RBI/ .859 OPS
Jac has been playing great, so don’t go thinking that these stats are inflated from his great game Saturday. He did have an 0-18 stretch mixed in since the Derby, but has rebounded over the last 10 days.
Kyle Schwarber
AVG: .209/ 3 HR/ 9 RBI/ .778 OPS
Honestly, because Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs today, I felt obligated to go and re-do all the stats for this blog. I was totally okay with just using the stats through August 8th, but noooooo, Kyle then needs to go hit two home runs.
Jordan Walker
AVG: .250/ 1 HR/ 9 RBI/ .620 OPS
Jordan Walker left Citizens Bank Park as the Derby champion. Since then? He has the weakest offensive line in the field. Doesn’t help that he is playing for a team that seemingly doesn’t know if it wants to compete, as well as dealing with a knee issue. He has recently strung together a 9-game hitting streak, so here’s hoping that momentum continues.
Ben Rice
AVG: .169/ 3 HR/ 7 RBI/ .583 OPS
Rice has probably been the most inconsistent of the group. Will hit a home run, then go 0-16, hit a home run, then go ice cold for two weeks, then hit another home run.
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