Soul Patrol: Kyle Lewis & Taylor Trammell Give Mariners Dynamic Offensive Potential

Soul Patrol: Kyle Lewis & Taylor Trammell Give Mariners Dynamic Offensive Potential

by | May 30, 2022 | THE LEAD OFF

The return of Taylor Trammell and Kyle Lewis has injected some much-needed soul power into the Seattle Mariners as they look to get back into the AL West division race after a slow start to 2022.

 

Take That | Former Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis Returns

Last week the Mariners locker room and offense got a much-needed boost after learning outfielder Taylor Trammell was called up from Triple A to make his season debut after suffering a hamstring injury that had him sidelined since early April.

Trammell is one of the top rated prospects in the Mariners organization.  He was originally selected as the 35th pick in the 2016 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds out of Mount Paran Christian School in Georgia, where he was considered one of the best two-sport athletes in the state.

Then in 2019 he was sent to the Padres in a three-team trade that involved Trevor Bauer before ultimately landing in Seattle following a 2020 deal for Austin Nola.

Trammell joined a Mariners team that in 2021 had more Black players on their roster than any other Major League organization.

J.P. Crawford, Kyle Lewis, Taylor Trammell, Kenyan Middleton, Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn were all a part of the core that saw 90 wins last season, which were the most in franchise history since the 93 games they won in 2003, which happens to be the last time they made the playoffs.

 

 

Trammell got his first start of the season this past Friday night, helping the team beat down Cy Young candidate and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander.

In the fourth inning and in true MLBbro fashion, he became the first Mariner to bunt for a base hit this season. Then in the sixth, he smoked the ninth home run of his career to officially put the candle out on Verlander’s night.

That homer by Trammell was one of four hit by a Mariners player under the age of 27 in the same game, which had only happened four times in the franchise’s history.

 

 

One of those four home runs was hit by 2020 MLB Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis.  It was the first for Lewis since March 28 of last season and looks like it could be the beginning of his ascendence back into the conversation of best young talents in baseball.

Entering Sunday Lewis had homered in two straight games and driven in three runs against Dusty Baker’s Houston Astros.  

It was the fourth straight game Lewis saw his name in the lineup as the Mariners Designated Hitter, a role it appears he will have for the foreseeable future coming off his ACL injury.

His name was originally in Seattle’s Sunday lineup, but ultimately the team would decide to let him rest for the day, which is not surprising with it being a day game after a night game.

Coming into the season the Mariners were a popular pick to not only make the playoffs but also make a run at bringing a World Series Championship to the Emerald City.  However, entering Sunday they sit seven games under .500 and have not gotten much of anything on the offensive side of the ball from anyone not named J.P. Crawford or Julio Rodriguez, who has filled in nicely in center field for Lewis.

The energy Trammell brings to the locker room will need to be matched by his production at the plate. In 51 games last season he batted .160, had an on base percentage of just .256 to go along with eight home runs, 18 runs batted in and two steals.

This week the Mariners will match up against Cedric Mullins and the Baltimore Orioles before heading down to Texas to face off against Marcus Semien’s Rangers.

 

Aaron Hicks Is Thinking 30-30 Club This Season | A Key Cog In Yankees Soul Patrol Wants To Make Up For Lost 2021

Aaron Hicks Is Thinking 30-30 Club This Season | A Key Cog In Yankees Soul Patrol Wants To Make Up For Lost 2021

by | Apr 12, 2022 | THE LEAD OFF

Aaron Hicks is well aware of the situation in the Bronx.

Entering year three of a seven-year, $70 million-dollar extension and battling for playing time in an outfield full of sluggers, it’s time for the switch-hitting center fielder to become the consistent force the Yankees expected when he signed on that dotted line.

Finally healthy, Hicks, 32, knows exactly what will make him stand apart from the competition.

“There is something special about 30-30,” Hicks told reporters when asked about his goals this season. “For me, I want to steal more, and I feel like 30 home runs are reachable for me. Those two together are a dangerous pair. That’s definitely something that I would like to do.”

Hicks wants more moments like this…

 

 

And when it comes to the 30-30 club, Hicks is right. It’s one of the most revered in all of baseball, mainly because rarely do players possess the combination of speed and power to hit both plateaus.

If Hicks reaches his goal, he would be the oldest Yankee – and just the third in team history – to accomplish the feat. In 1975, the OG Bobby Bonds was the first to post a 30-30 season in pinstripes. Yankees’ fans would have to wait 27 years to see it again, when Alfonso Soriano joined the club in 2002 and 2003.

For Hicks, reaching this plateau would mean a career season.

In his best season to date, Hicks smacked 27 homers and swiped 11 bags. Now neither of those marks would qualify him for the 30/30 club, but Hicks isn’t discouraged by any means.

As a matter of fact, Hicks – who played only 32 games in 2021 after a wrist injury – has put in extra work over the offseason, including a trip to the Dominican Winter League.

“I got to work on a lot of things that you can’t really work on during the season, like hitting the other way,” said Hicks, who batted .250 (2-for-8) in the first three games of the 2022 season. “I made sure my first two at-bats, I was trying to do that. Stealing bases, I was 2-for-2 there.”

He even got engaged to his girlfriend Cheyenne Woods, the niece of golf legend Tiger Woods. They now share one child together.

 

 

They told GolfWeek that they first met when 31-year-old Woods interviewed Hicks for her podcast, “Birdies Not BS.”

Hicks is accomplishing so much growth in his personal life and expects that to translate to the field. Going 30-30 would put Hicks in elite company, not only in Yankees’ history, but history period.

ELITE COMPANY

Only 43 ballplayers in MLB history have joined the 30-30 Club —13 have done it multiple times — making it one of the smallest fraternities within the sport. Of those 43 players, 17 are Black. That’s about 41 PERCENT of all players to ever crack this list.

 

The Bonds household (Barry and Bobby) hold the record for most 30-30 seasons with five, while Hall of Famers and certified G.O.A.T.s Willie Mays and Hank Aaron are also part of this illustrious group. Baltimore Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins was the latest MLBbro to make the club, doing so last season.

Hicks possesses all the tools.  And now that he’s healthy, we will see if he’s given an opportunity to join this historic group.

by | Apr 10, 2022 | FRONT STREET

Giancarlo Stanton homered on Saturday, giving him two HRs in the first two games. In all, he has homered in his last six games against Boston, dating back to last postseason.