Tag Archives: Gunnar Henderson

July 26, 2025

Beat the Streak Picks

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For the past few years Baseball Musings tried to help with playing Beat the Streak. The Day by Day Database keeps track of hit streak of at least five games. In addition, two programs produce top ten lists of players with a high probability of a hit.

Here are the top picks my programs produced for use in Beat the Streak. This post mostly explains the ideas behind the calculations. In addition, this post shows tests on the Neural Network (NN). This post discusses an NN that includes the ballpark. I updated the models, and the results of those tests are here.

The Log5 Method yields these top projected hit averages versus starting pitchers:

It’s another “pick any player facing Senzatela” day.

The NN produces this list of batters with a high proability of collecting at least one hit:

  • 0.303, 0.731 — Luis Arraez batting at Matthew Liberatore.
  • 0.340, 0.719 — Gunnar Henderson batting vs. Antonio Senzatela.
  • 0.334, 0.714 — Ryan O’Hearn batting vs. Antonio Senzatela.
  • 0.332, 0.712 — Jordan Westburg batting vs. Antonio Senzatela.
  • 0.332, 0.707 — Ramon Laureano batting vs. Antonio Senzatela.
  • 0.279, 0.702 — Ivan Herrera batting vs. Randy Vasquez.
  • 0.289, 0.702 — Trea Turner batting at Marcus Stroman.
  • 0.326, 0.697 — Jackson Holliday batting vs. Antonio Senzatela.
  • 0.268, 0.696 — Bobby Witt Jr. batting vs. Tanner Bibee.
  • 0.284, 0.695 — Ronald Acuna Jr. batting at Kumar Rocker.

Henderson is the consensus top pick, with O’Hearn the double down choice. Arraez is the high probability pick, however. Arraez is working on an eight-game hit streak.

You can follow the NN results on this spreadsheet. I do not guarantee results. Your best pick is going to have about a 25% chance of not getting a hit. Good luck!

July 25, 2025

Beat the Streak Picks

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For the past few years Baseball Musings tried to help with playing Beat the Streak. The Day by Day Database keeps track of hit streak of at least five games. In addition, two programs produce top ten lists of players with a high probability of a hit.

Here are the top picks my programs produced for use in Beat the Streak. This post mostly explains the ideas behind the calculations. In addition, this post shows tests on the Neural Network (NN). This post discusses an NN that includes the ballpark. I updated the models, and the results of those tests are here.

The Log5 Method yields these top projected hit averages versus starting pitchers:

Arraez faced Mikolas nine times and put the ball in play each time, resulting in four hits, all singles. Machado is four for 17, but three of the hits went for extra bases.

The NN produces this list of batters with a high probability of collect at least one hit:

  • 0.319, 0.742 — Luis Arraez batting at Miles Mikolas.
  • 0.304, 0.719 — Jacob Wilson batting at Ryan Gusto.
  • 0.291, 0.704 — Miguel Andujar batting at Ryan Gusto.
  • 0.314, 0.702 — Gunnar Henderson batting vs. Kyle Freeland.
  • 0.285, 0.701 — Aaron Judge batting vs. Taijuan Walker.
  • 0.288, 0.698 — Jonathan Aranda batting at Nick Martinez.
  • 0.308, 0.697 — Ryan O’Hearn batting vs. Kyle Freeland.
  • 0.293, 0.697 — Manny Machado batting at Miles Mikolas.
  • 0.306, 0.694 — Jordan Westburg batting vs. Kyle Freeland.
  • 0.281, 0.694 — Yandy Diaz batting at Nick Martinez.

Both systems settle on Arraez, with a pretty high probability for this season. Gunnar Henderson stands as the consensus double down choice.

You can follow the NN results on this spreadsheet. I do not guarantee results. Your best pick is going to have about a 25% chance of not getting a hit. Good luck!

July 10, 2025

Revenge for ’69

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The Orioles licked the Mets in a doubleheader Thursday afternoon, taking the early game 3-1 and the evening tilt 7-3. The Orioles are now 26-17 starting May 24th, a .605 winning percentage. Unfortunately, the hole they dug early in the season means that even with that great stretch they are still 11 1/2 games out of first place.

Gunnar Henderson had a big day, collecting four hits, including a double and a homer. He’s done good job of getting on base during this streak.

April 6, 2025

Three Way Sluggers

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Bobby Witt Jr. hit his first triple of the 2025 Sunday afternoon. That gives him 29 for his career, and that’s the most in the majors since the start of the 2022 season, Witt’s first in the majors. Note that only 39 players collected at least 10 triples in that time frame.

Sorting the same group by slugging percentage show the three way sluggers, the batters who use all three long hits to raise their power. Shohei Ohtani stands at the top with his135 home runs, followed by Jose Ramirez, Witt, Gunnar Henderson, Ketel Marte, Seiya Suzuki, and Corbin Carrol. Note that three of those hitters, Witt, Henderson, and Carroll are rising stars.

As the triple slowly disappears from the game, maybe these young, slugging speedsters will bring them back them a bit.

Update: Carroll also tripled today, his first of the season. He went three for 5 and is slugging .641 on the season. It wasn’t enough as the Nationals beat the Diamondbacks 5-4.

July 20, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees remain 1-2 in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. Judge went two for four with a walk, while Soto gained on first with perfect night at the plate, four for four with two doubles, one of which turned into a little league home run. His game score of 77 tied tenth ranked Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals for third highest of the day. The Yankees downed the Rays 6-1.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles posted an excellent game score as well to sit in third place. He went four for five from the leadoff slot in a 9-1 win over the Rangers for a score of 68. His teammate, Anthony Santander went three for five with two home runs and five RBI for a score of 80, tied for the highest on the day. Santander ranks 14th.

Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers ranks fourth after a one for four with a double in a 4-1 win over the Red Sox. Bryce Harper of the Phillies finishes fifth as he went one for five in an 8-7 comeback win by the Pirates.

Jeff McNeil of the Mets posted the other game score of 80. His three for four with two home runs and three RBI was not enough as the Marlins took the game 6-4. It was a good night in a poor offensive season for McNeil, now hitting .223/.282/.340.

July 15, 2024

Best Batter At the Break

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Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees top the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings going into the All-Star Break. Soto suffered a rare bad day, going 0 for 5 with three strikeouts. Judge walked twice and was hit by a pitch. Judge and Soto rank 1-2 in the majors in OBP, and not making outs is a big component of game score. The fewer outs, the fewer points subtracted.

The Yankees lost to the Orioles 6-5 with Gunnar Henderson going two for five for the winning side including his 28th home run. He ranks fifth.

Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers went two for four in a 4-3 Tigers win, once again coming back late against the Los Angeles bullpen. Bryce Harper of the Phillies rounds out the top five with a walk in three plate appearances in an 18-3 drubbing by the Athletics.

Sorting batting leaders by Slugging Percentage puts all five in the top eight for a better comparison. Judge leads Ohtani 59 to 56 in extra-base hits, Ohtani with the triples tool Judge does not own. While Ohtani owns the higher BA, Judge blows the Dodgers DH away in walks and OBP. Note that the two biggest off-season deals were for Ohtani and Soto, and so far both met or exceeded expectations.

The best game score of the day goes to Michael Toglia of the Rockies, three for four with three solo home runs in an 8-5 win over the Mets. That was good for a game score of 87. It was the second three homer game of the day, Lawrence Butler‘s three four six good for a game score of 86. Toglia, in his age 25 season, is a low BA, low OBP hitter, but this season figured out how to hit home runs. Sixteen of his 34 hits would up a round trippers. He has one double and two triples for a .503 slugging percentage on a .197 BA.

July 13, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Bryce Harper of the Phillies moved back into the top five of the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings after collecting a single and two walks in a 6-2 Athletics win. He ranks fifth. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees rank 1-2 respectively. Judge posted the second highest game score of the night, a 75 based on a home run and four walks. Soto singled twice in the 4-1 win over the first place Orioles. Gunnar Henderson went one for four on the losing side and drops to fourth place.

Yordan Alvarez of the Astros collected two singles and a walk in a 6-3 win over the Rangers. With the Mariners falling to the Angels, Houston is now just one game out of first place in the AL West, and tied in the AFILC.

The best game score of the evening belonged to Brett Wisely of the Giants, a 76. The second year shortstop, batting ninth, collected three hits and a walk, missing the cycle by a home run. The triple was the first of his career. Wisely showed big improvement at the plate in his age 25 season with a .286 BA, a .322 OBP, and some doubles pop. He’s a good example of the ninth place hitter serving as a secondary table setter for the top of the order.

July 12, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Juan Soto of the Yankees closed the gap teammate Aaron Judge in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. Judge remains at the top of the list, but his lead is down to four points. Judge drew a walk in five trips to the plate while Soto went two for three with two walks, a double and a home run. The Rays took the game, however, 5-4.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles sits in third place after an 0 for 4 in an 8-0 Cubs win. Yordan Alvarez of the Astros moved into fourth place by not playing, while Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers dropped to fifth place with an 0 for 4 in a 5-1 Phillies win, Philadelphia sweeping the series.

Cal Raleigh of the Mariners posted the highest game score of the day, a 79. He went three for five with two home runs. Raleigh upped his offensive game in July, with a .306/.375/.750 slash line, including five home runs. What I find interesting is that the Mariners batted him third, and he received a number of plate appearances in that slot. Raleigh is all power, with both a low BA and OBP. The Lineup Analysis Tool tends to put a poor hitter third, and a poor hitter with power would fit that slot nicely. I don’t think that is what is going on here, as the Mariners are full of poor hitters, and Raleigh, in that lineup, needs to be near the top.

July 11, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Aaron Judge remains atop the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings after a one for four in a 2-1 win over the Rays. His teammate, Juan Soto, went two for four and remains in third place.

Between them stands Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles. He posted a one for five in a 4-0 Cubs win, the Yankees gaining a game in the AL East race. The teams are now separated by two games.

Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers remains fourth after a two for four in a 4-3 Phillies win. He is 26 for 79 with seventeen walks, a hit by pitch, and a sacrifice fly from the leadoff slot for a .449 OBP. Those hits come despite 25 K. Bryce Harper did not play in that game, but slides into the fifth slot as Yordan Alvarez of the Astros singled and walked, but was lifted early in a 9-1 win over the Marlins.

The best game score of the day belonged to Patrick Bailey of the Giants, a 77. Bailey posted a perfect night at the plate, going two for two with three walks and a home run in a 10-6 Blue Jays win. The catcher served as DH in the game, and in his sophomore season showed great improvement at the plate, his OBP up about 70 points from his rookie season.

July 10, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Aaron Judge of the Yankees remains on top of the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings after a one for three with a walk in a 5-3 Rays win. It’s been a few games since Judge produced an extra-base hit. His teammate, Juan Soto, drew a walk in five trips to the plate and drops to third place.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles took advantage of Soto’s poor game to move into second place. He went one for four in a 9-2 Cubs win. Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers singled and walked in a 10-1 Phillies win and sits in fourth place. Yordan Alvarez of the Astros went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in a 4-3 win over the Marlins for fifth place.

Brenton Doyle of the Rockies posted a three for four night with a double and a home run in a 12-6 Reds win for the best game score of the day, an 84. It’s the third time this season and the second time this month Doyle came out on top for best game score of the day. This was his first time on the road, however, and he has not hit well away from Coors. Honorable mention goes to Rece Hinds of the Reds. In his second MLB game, he goes three for five, missing the cycle by a single! In two games, he is five for eight, all five hits for extra bases.

Note that Tuesday was a good day for runs, the 13 games averaging 11.85 runs/game, the second highest scoring day of the season. There were a lot of walks, home runs, and strikeouts.

July 7, 2024

Best Batter Monday

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Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles moves into second place in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings to spilt the Yankees at the top of the list. Henderson went two for five with his fifth triple of the season to help beat the Athletics 6-3.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees stand one and three respectively. Judge went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts as his mini slump continues. Soto picked up a double, one of only four hits in the game for the Yankees as the Red Sox pitch a shutout 3-0.

Yordan Alvarez of the Astros sits fourth after missing the game due to his knee bothering him getting hit by a pitch on Saturday. The Astros took the game against the Twins 3-2. Shohei Ohtani ranks fifth as he posted a one for five in a 9-2 Brewers win.

Jonah Heim of the Rangers posted the best game score of the day, a 79. The catcher went four for five with a double and a home run in a 13-2 win over the Rays. Heim so far this season was not able to hold on to his 2023 improvement. His 2024 batting line is much closer to his career averages.

July 7, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Saturday brought a bit of a reshuffling to the top five of the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. Shohei Ohtani posted the second highest game score of the day, an 81 to move back into the top five, taking fourth place. He posted a perfect day at the plate, two for two with two walks, a hit by pitch, and a triple in a 5-3 win over the Brewers. That gives him 32 triples for his career, which started in 2018. He ranks fifth in the category over that time despite missing significant time to injury.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees remain one and two respectively after a 14-4 win over the Red Sox. Soto did not contribute, going 0 for 5, but Judge collected two singles in his five PA and is now hitting .312. Rookie Ben Rice came out as the star of the game, three for five with three home runs for the highest game score of the day, an 88. I discussed Rice last night.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles sits in third place as he went two for two with a walk, but the Orioles fell to the Athletics 19-8. Four Athletics collected three hits, each with a game score of 70 or 71. Yordan Alvarez of the Astros drops to fifth place. He went 0 for 2 in a 9-3 Twins win.

July 6, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Will Smith of the Dodgers posted a perfect night at the plate, going three for three, all three hits home runs, and drawing two walks in an 8-5 win over the Brewers. That was good for a game score of 95, the highest of the day and the highest of the 2024 season. We now have a dozen game scores of at least 90 this season, and this is the third day in a row with a 90. Smith got off to a good start this season, but hit more like a catcher in May and June. Maybe this is the start of a turnaround for him. He now ranks 30th.

All Smith’s home runs were solo shots, as Shohei Ohtani failed to set the table. He went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts, allowing the injured Bryce Harper of the Phillies to move back into fifth place in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto remain one and two respectively in the rankings. Judge drew a walk in five trips to the plate, while Soto collected a single and a walk. The Yankees slide continued with a 5-3 Red Sox win in ten innings. Nestor Cortes gave the team a strong start, but the bullpen failed to hold a lead.

Yordan Alvarez of the Astros remains third after a one for five in a 13-12 win over the Twins. Minnesota scored seven runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to just fall short, so the game wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Jose Miranda of the Twins went four for four in the game with a double and a home run. He keeps coming up near the top of the best game scores of the day, and his 81 came in third. He now owns ten straight hits, tying a Twins record. Miranda ranks 43rd.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles rounds out the top five in fourth place after a one for five in a 3-2 win in Oakland.

July 5, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees remain one-two in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. Judge took an 0 for 4, striking out twice, while Soto homered and walked in an 8-4 Reds win, Cincinnati sweeping New York.

Yordan Alvarez of the Astros sits in third place after reaching base four times in a 5-3 win over the Blue Jays. Alvarez walked twice and was twice hit by a pitch. Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles posted another missed cycle with a three for five, including a double and a home run. The Mariners took the game 7-3, allowing them to hold their now slim two game lead over Houston.

Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers ranks fifth. He drew a walk in a 9-3 Diamondbacks win. Of note, in the game game, Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks went two for three with two walks and two home run for a game score of 80, the third highest of the day. Combined with his game score of 91 the day before, Walker jumped from 50th to 12th in the ranking in two day.

The best game score of the day belonged to Ian Happ of the Cubs, a 92, the 11th game score of 90+ this season. went four for four with a double and two home runs in a 10-2 rout of the Phillies. Happ is a good example of someone whose offensive contributions have little to do with his batting average. With a .238/.351/.448 slash line, his batting average only represents 30.5% of his offense. Judge and Soto are 1-2 at 26.6 and 28.7 percent respectively, while Happ ranks sixth.

July 4, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Yordan Alvarez of the Astros returns to the top five of the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. His game score of 79 tied for the second highest of the day as he put together a three for three evening with a walk, two doubles, and a home run to help beat the Blue Jays 9-2. He suffered a fall-off in power in May, but hit two home runs on June first, and is slugging .804 since. He now ranks third.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees remain one and two on the list. Judge drew a walk in four trips while Soto singled and walked twice in the 3-2 Reds win. Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers ranks fourth after a one for four in a 12-4 Diamondbacks win. Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles sits in fifth place as he took the collar in a 4-1 win over the Mariners.

In the Diamondbacks win, Christian Walker posted a game score of 91, the best of the day and the tenth time a batter reached 90 this season. He went four for five with a walk, a double, and two home runs. His .267/.339/.506 slash line is a bit better than his 2023 season. He’s walking a little less, but substituting hits, which is a very good trade-off.

July 3, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Aaron Judge and Juan Soto remain one-two respectively in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings after a 5-4 Reds win in The Bronx. Judge posted a three four for game with his 32nd home run. His seventy one game scored tied for third best of the day. Soto drew a walk in four trips to the plate. Judge now leads Soto by about 26 points.

Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers used a game score of 70, fifth best of the day to move into third place. He went three for five with a double and a home run in a 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks. Gunnar Henderson drops to fourth place after a one for four with three strikeouts in a 2-0 win over the Mariners.

The injured Bryce Harper of the Phillies remains fifth. His teammate, Trea Turner, collected three hits, including two home runs in a 6-4 win over the Cubs. That gave him the highest game-score of the day, a 79. Turner now owns a .338/.386/.487 slash line. His rank of 26 is due mostly to his time missed due to injury.

July 2, 2024

Best Batter Today

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None of the top five batters in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings played on Monday, a day with just three games on the schedule. The order remains Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees, Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles, Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, and Bryce Harper of the Phillies.

The best game score of the day belonged to Brenton Doyle of the Rockies, an 84. Doyle went three for four with two home runs in an 8-7 walk-off win over the Brewers in ten innings. Doyle’s second home run in the eighth inning caused the extra frame.

Doyle show improvement in his sophomore season. In 46 fewer games he already equaled his run score of 48 from 2023. He exceeded his walk total, and should blow by his extra-base hit total. Most of that has come at home, however. Away from Coors, his stats are poor.

June 30, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Aaron Judge collected his 55th extra-base hit of the season as he stays in first place in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. He went two for four with his 31st home run of the season. His teammate, Juan Soto, retakes second place with a one for three with two walks, raising his OBP to .437, one point ahead of Judge. The Yankees beat the Blue Jays 8-1.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles drops to third place after an 0 for 4, all four AB ending in strikeouts. In the same game, rookie Wyatt Langford of the Rangers hit for the cycle, his four for five resulting in a game score of 85, the highest game score of the day. That helped the Rangers take the game 11-2.

Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers holds fourth place despite an 0 for 5 with three strikeouts in a 10-4 Giants win. The injured Bryce Harper of the Phillies remains in fifth place.

June 30, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Aaron Judge of the Yankees remains atop the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings after a two for three with a walk in the 9-3 Blue Jays win. His teammate, Juan Soto, sat out the game with a bruised hand and sits in third place. In the same game, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went three for five with a double and a home run, giving him the highest game score of the day, a 75. Guerrero is now hitting .296/.372/.470 on the season. Guerrero slugged .383 through games of May 22. Since then, he’s slugged .587. He ranks seventh.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles remains in second place after a two for five with a double in the 6-5 win over Texas. Shohei Ohtani ranks fourth after a home run and two walks in a 14-7, extra-inning win over the Giants. The injured Bryce Harper of the Phillies rounds out the top five.

June 29, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees rank first and third respectively in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings after both posted batting stats in the 16-5 win over the Blue Jays. Judge went three for five, Soto two for four with a home run and a walk.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles ranks second. He singled and walked in a 2-1 win over the Rangers, driving in his 58th run of the season. Note that 100 RBI from the lead-off slot is a rather recent innovation. Darin Erstad accomplished it in 2000, then Charlie Blackmon in 2017. In 2023, however, Mookie Betts (107), Ronald Acuna Jr.(106), and Marcus Semien (100) all reached the century mark. Betts became the first player to lead the majors with most RBI in a given slot. In all but three seasons since 1974, the leader came from the three or four positions in the batting order.

Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers ranks fourth. He singled and walked in a 5-3 Giants win. The injured Bryce Harper of the Phillies sits in fifth place.

The best game score of the day belonged to Jose Siri of the Rays, a 77. Siri hit two home runs and drew a walk in a 3-1 win over the Nationals. Since the start of 2023, power represents his only strength at the plate. His slash line looks like .221/.281/.467, with 62 of his 122 hits going for extra bases, 36 of those home runs. He struck out 217 times in 601 PA. The power is nice, but it comes at a very high price of outs, and many of those outs not even giving fielders a chance to make a mistake.

June 28, 2024

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Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees now rank one and four respectively in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings as the Blue Jays take Thursday’s game 9-2. Judge went 0 for 4 while Soto drew a walk in four trips to the plate. Judge’s lead is down to fourteen points. In the same game, George Springer of the Blue Jays posted the best game score of the day, a 77. Springer went three for three out of the fifth slot with two home runs. He may be breaking out of his slump, as he posted two three-hit games in a row.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles stands in second place after a two for five in the 11-2 win over the Rangers. The Dodgers took the night off, but Soto’s slide puts Shohei Ohtani in third place. Bryce Harper of the Phillies remains fifth after collecting a double in five PA in a 7-4 Marlins win.

June 27, 2024

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Wednesday brought quite the shakeup to the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. Aaron Judge remains in first place after a two for two with a walk and a home run, but the Mets blew out the Yankees 12-2. His teammate, Juan Soto, drops to third place after an 0 for 2 with two walks. Both hitters were lifted early in the blow out. Judge now projects to between 92 and 107 extra-base hits on the season.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles used the fourth highest game score of the day, a 72 to move into second place. He went three for four with a home run out of the lead-off slot to help down the Guardians 4-2.

Shohei Ohtani of he Dodgers moves up to fourth with a home run and two walks in a 4-0 win over the White Sox. He reaches 25 home runs for the fourth straight season. Bryce Harper of the Phillies ranks fifth after he collected a single and a walk in a 6-2 win over the Tigers.

Kyle Higashioka of the Padres posted the best game score of the day, an 83. The Padres rested a number of their regulars, but beat the Nationals 8-5. Higashioka went three for four out of the eighth slot with two home runs to lead the charge, driving in six runs. He is all power this year, with a .207/.240/.522 slash line, twelve of his nineteen hits going for extra bases.

June 26, 2024

Best Batter Today

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In terms of individual performances, Tuesday as good to the top five of the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. Aaron Judge of the Yankees extended his lead by producing the best game score of the day, a 78. He doubled, hit a grand slam, walked, and received a hit by pitch, but the Mets prevailed 9-7. His teammate, Juan Soto, homered and walked twice to move back into second place.

The Yankees reached the halfway point of the season, and the two extra-base hits give Judge 53 on the year. His pace gives him a shot at 106 EXBH for the season, while his expected total based on his Musings Marcels projected rate comes in at 92. He owns a decent chance of reaching 100 EXBH, but his probability of setting a new record remains extremely low.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles and Steven Kwan of the Guardians faced off in Baltimore. Henderson moved into third place with a two for three with two walks and a home run, while Kwan dropped to fourth place with a one for five. Kwan’s Guardians prevailed, however, 10-8 in game that saw 30 hits. The Guardians collected fourteen of those, but did not draw a walk. Both team recorded eleven AB with runners in scoring position, Cleveland collecting seven hits to Baltimore’s one.

Bryce Harper of the Phillies rounds out the top five after a two for four in a 4-1 loss to the Tigers. He doubled and homered, accounting for half the Phillies hits and their lone run. He’s slashing .306/.402/.590 on the season with 39 extra-base hits.

June 25, 2024

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Bryce Harper of the Phillies moves back into the top five of the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings with a big game in an 8-1 win over the Tigers. He went three four five with two home runs and a double as he grabs fourth place. His game score of 76 came in second to his teammate, Alec Bohm. Bohm went four for five with a double and a home run for a score of 79. The two combined to drive in all eight runs in the game. Bohm ranks 13th.

Steven Kwan of the Guardians and Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles went head-to-head on Monday. Kwan ranks second after a one for three with a walk, while Henderson stands fifth after collecting a double in four trips to the plate. Cleveland took the game 3-2.

The schedule gave the Yankees the day off, leaving Aaron Judge in first place and Juan Soto in third place.

June 24, 2024

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Sunday’s games brought a slight reshuffling of the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees now rank first and third respectively. Each of them posted a one for four in the 3-1 Braves victory. Steven Kwan of the Guardians moved into second place as he went two for five with a home run, and is now batting .290. Cleveland beat the Blue Jays 6-5. His seven home runs are a new single season high for him.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles drew a walk in four plate appearances to rank fourth, as the Astros take the game 8-1. Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers did not play, and he remains fifth.

Spencer Horwitz of the Blue Jays and Colt Keith of the Tigers tie for the highest game score of the day, an 80. Horwitz went two for three, both hits home runs, and drew two walks. In 94 MLB PA, Horwitz owns a .415 OBP. Keith went four for five with a double and a home run in an 11-2 win over the White Sox. It was a great game in a rather poor season for him, as his slash line stands at .243/.292/.336. He puts the ball in play a bit, but owns a .271 BABIP.

June 23, 2024

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Aaron Judge and Juan Soto return to 1-2 in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. Judge hit home run 28 on the season and extra-base hit 51, also drawing a walk. Soto posted a 1 for 2 with three walks to move back into second place, and the Yankees defeated the Braves 8-3.

Steven Kwan moves back into third place after a two for four with a double and a home run in a 6-3 win over the Blue Jays. He is now batting .390. Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles drops to fourth place after drawing a walk in a 5-1 Astros win. Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers homers and walks in a 7-2 win over the Angels and holds fifth place.

Seven points separate two from five right now.

Alec Burleson of the Cardinals posted the best game score of the day, an 84. On a big day for the top of the St. Louis order, Burleson went three for four with a walk and two home runs in a 9-4 win over the Giants. Burleson looks like the type of batter who might do well in Beat the Streak. He owns a high BA with a relatively low OBP, and doesn’t strike out too much.

June 22, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Friday brought a bit of a shakeup to the top five of the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles posted a game score of 80, the second highest of the day to move up to second place. He went three for five with a walk and two home runs in a slugfest won by the Astros 14-11 Henderson is now slugging .610.

Henderson splits the Yankees hold on the two top spots. Aaron Judge holds number one despite an 0 for 4 in an 8-1 Braves win. Juan Soto slips to third place, also going 0 for 4 in the game. A Yankees starting pitcher gets hammered for the second day in a row.

Steven Kwan of the Guardians stands fourth after an 0 for 4 in a 7-1 win over the Blue Jays. Kwan’s fourteen game hit streak ended due to a base running blunder.

Cleveland’s Steven Kwan, who came in batting .396 while just shy of eligibility to lead the majors, went 0 for 4 and is “down” to .387. He had his hitting streak stopped at 14 games and an on-base streak end at 25.

Kwan did connect on what should have been a single in the second, but Hedges got forced at second on a throw from center.

“Of course Kwan would lose his hitting streak on a hit,” Vogt said. “It’s just funny to me that that’s how it ended. We’re not worried. He’s not worried. He’s going to start another one tomorrow.”

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Shohei Ohtani moves back into the top five with a perfect night, two for two with two walks and a two run homer in 3-2 Angels win. He’s hitting .417/.517/.917 from the leadoff slot.

Jake Cronenworth of the Padres posted the best game score of the day, an 86. He went five for five with a double and home run. He currently ranks 39th.

June 21, 2024

Best Batter Today

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The Orioles 17-5 blow out of the Yankees featured three of the top five players in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles, in fourth place, gains some ground on the leaders as he posted a three for five day with a walk and two doubles from the lead-off slot. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees remain 1-2 respectively. Judge went two for three with a home run, his 50th extra-base hit of the season. Soto drew a walk in four trips to the plate.

Two Guardians, Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez rank three and five respectively. Kwan went one for three with a double and a walk to put his BA at .396. He is now just five points behind Soto on the list. Ramirez drew a walk in four trips. Five through twelve are now separated by just seven points. The team defeated the Mariners 6-3.

The best game score of the day belonged to another Guardian, Will Brennan. His three for four with a double and two home runs produced a score of 81. Brennan, at seasonal age 26, is in his second season as a full-time player, he showed some improvement this season in both his ability to get on base and hit for power, but his .254/.308/.421 slash line this season remains weak for a corner outfielder.

June 20, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees top the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings once again. The Yankees kept Judge out of the lineup due to his hand injury from the night before. Soto posted a one for four with a walk, dropping his OBP to .435. The Orioles prevailed 7-6 in ten innings. Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles went one for four with a double and a walk and ranks fifth.

Guardians Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez rank three and four respectively after an 8-0 blowout of the Mariners. Kwan went two for three with a walk and a home run to raise his BA to .397. He is about 24 PA short of qualifying for the batting title at this point. Ramirez went two for four and collected his 64th RBI. Josh Naylor hit two home runs, and his game score of 81 ranked second on the day.

The highest game score went to Sean Murphy of the Braves, an 88. He posted a four for four with two home runs and four RBI in a 7-0 shutout of the Tigers. After an injury in his first game of the season, Murphy was off to a slow start with a .135/.196/.212 slash line in his first 15 games. The Braves could certainly use a return to his norms given their other injures.

June 19, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Jose Ramirez of the Guardians returned from paternity leave to post a two for five night and move back into the top five in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. He ranks fifth, while his teammate Steven Kwan posted a one for five to put his BA at .392 and hold third place. The Mariners won the game 8-5.

In that same game, J.P. Crawford of the Mariners when two for three with two walks, a double and a home run for a game score of 76, tied for the best game score of the day. Crawford broke out of a slump, having gone for 25 with five walks in his previous seven games.

Brenton Doyle of the Rockies tie Crawford’s score, going four for five with a home run in a Coors slugfest won by the Dodgers 11-9. After a weak rookie season, Doyle is now hitting .274/.342/.407 in 2024, serving as a good table setter. He also runs well, now with 40 steals in 48 attempts in his short career.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees remain 1-2 in the ranking after helping beat the Orioles 4-2. Judge singled and was hit by a pitch, which caused him to leave the game. Imaging came back clean, however. Soto drew three walks in five plate appearance, raising his OBP to .436.

Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles went one for four in the game to hold fourth place.