The 2021 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls from this week.
Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels
Rendon was somewhat quiet at the plate this week, collecting a pair of doubles and two RBI over the last six games. That didn’t stop him from adding value elsewhere. Rendon’s range and head’s up baseball smarts led to a rather peculiar double play combination against the A’s.
Anthony Rendon needed to cover 113 ft to track this ball down. pic.twitter.com/NhSBeKeLkW
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 29, 2021
Through May 29, Rendon is hitting .228 with seven extra-base hits, 14 walks and 24 strikeouts. His OPS is .657 and he’s collected 14 RBI.
Brock Holt – Texas Rangers
Roughly a week and a half removed from a stint on the injured list, Holt started four of six games for the Rangers this week while also making one pinch-hit appearance.
Through May 29, Holt is hitting .238 with three extra-base hits, 11 walks and 15 strikeouts. His OPS is .693 and he’s collected seven RBI.
Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins
Duffey was nearly spotless in three outings this week. He faced 10 batters over 3.0 innings, striking out seven, walking two while allowing no hits. He lowered his ERA by nearly a full point over that time period.
Through May 29, Duffey has a 4.66 ERA with a 1.309 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.
Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees
Luetege made two appearances this week, both in Yankee losses to the Blue Jays. He allowed a pair of unearned runs in the first outing on Tuesday but bounced back in the second, striking out three batters in 1.1 innings on Thursday.
Through May 29, Luetege has a 2.66 ERA with a 1.014 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
J.T. Chargois – Seattle Mariners
Chargois earned a pair of holds this week, his first of the season. He’s settled in quite nicely in his return to the major leagues. He’s also been one of the Mariner’s toughest to hit pitchers, ranking highly among the staff in whiff rate, the ratio of pitches that produce swings and misses.
Whiff rate of a few M’s pitchers:
Keynan Middleton 36.8%
JT Chargois 35.2
Yusei Kikuchi 30.7
Kendall Graveman 30.4
Robert Dugger 30.4
Drew Steckenrider 24.6
Justin Dunn 24.5
Rafael Montero 24.5
Logan Gilbert 20.5
Justus Sheffield 17.8
Marco Gonzales 17.7
Chris Flexen 16.8 https://t.co/nEAAuWeQJY— Luke Arkins (@luke_arkins) May 22, 2021
Through May 29, Chargois has a 2.45 ERA with a 0.727 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
