It’s been another eventful year in Major League Baseball and there’s only two months left in the regular season. Local products have been heavily involved this year, with some notable recent highlights on the diamond.
Long Beach native Justin Turner just recorded his biggest hit of the season, launching a walk-off home run for the Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The veteran infielder has been a situational bat for the Cubs this season, and he continues to hit left-handed pitching well. Turner has an .810 OPS in 80 plate appearances against southpaws this season as he looks to help lead the Cubs into the postseason.
Speaking of walk-offs, Lakewood High grad Travis d’Arnaud collected a pinch-hit, walk-off single for the hometown Angels back on July 11, finishing off a 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The veteran backstop is part of a resurgent Angels team hoping to make a postseason push of their own this summer.
Staying on the topic of walk-offs by Lakewood Lancers, J.P. Crawford crushed the first walk-off home run of his career to lift the Seattle Mariners to a victory last Saturday. The homer helped snap Crawford out of a homer drought that stretched back to July 9, and delivered a key win for the Mariners over the division rival Texas Rangers.
“He has been made for the big moments in this ballpark,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson told MLB.com after Crawford’s big homer. “And we’ve seen it a lot from him. And tonight, wow, what a huge moment for J.P. and the ballclub.”
Not only is Crawford an emotional leader for the Mariners, he’s also been effective at getting on base this season, ranking third among all qualified MLB shortstops in walk rate (11.9%) and sixth with a .358 on-base percentage.
Millikan High grad Spencer Steer made headlines back in late June when he slugged three home runs in an 8-1 win over the San Diego Padres. It was the second multi-homer game of his career but his first with three homers. The 27-year-old has had some struggles at the plate this year, but is providing terrific defense at first base for Cincinnati. His 8 defensive runs saved ranks third among all Major League first baseman, and he’s earned that mark while also spending a chunk of time in the outfield for the Reds.
Staying in the NL Central, Long Beach State alum Garrett Hampson joined his third different team this season when the St. Louis Cardinals claimed him off waivers. The utilityman started the year in Arizona before a brief stint in Cincinnati.
North of the border, Wilson High grad Tommy Nance has been terrific since his call-up on July 11. The 34-year-old right-hander has made seven relief appearances for the Toronto Blue Jays, posting a 1.04 ERA with 9 strikeouts over 8.2 innings pitched.
Former Long Beach State Dirtbag Jarren Duran has been heating up at the plate for the Boston Red Sox. After a relatively slow start to the season, he’s showing the form that made him a breakout All-Star last season. He ended July with a pair of multi-hit games, homering in each, and then went deep on Monday to give him three long balls in his last five games. He’s up to 12 homers and 18 stolen bases this season as he pursues another 20/20 campaign.
The recent MLB trade deadline saw one player with Long Beach connections get traded. RHP Juaron Watts-Brown, who started his college career with the Dirtbags and threw the program’s only solo no-hitter (while striking out 16 batters in that game), was sent from the Blue Jays to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Seranthony Dominguez. Watts-Brown is currently in Double-A and is a promising prospect with 252 strikeouts across 196.0 minor league innings in his career.
