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MLB Alumni Weekly Recap: 5/4 - 5/10

05/11/2023 10:15 AM

Article By: Michael Lane

Harrison Bader Is Back

Harrison Bader (Bourne ‘14) missed the first month of the season recovering from an oblique injury, but returned to the Yankees lineup May 2nd. Last week, Bader slashed .524/.546/1.143 in six games. Over the week, Bader hit three home runs, two triples, drove in 11 runs, and scored seven more. Bader’s production was much needed for a Yankees offense that hasn’t found its stride yet this season. Paired with the return of Aaron Judge (Brewster ‘12), the Yankees are hopeful to begin the climb out from the bottom of the AL East.

Casey Schmitt Shines In Debut

The San Francisco Giants called up Casey Schmitt (Cotuit ‘19) to their MLB roster on Tuesday. Schmitt’s first career hit was a 420-foot home run in his second at-bat. Schmitt finished his debut with two hits and followed it up with two more hits Wednesday afternoon. Schmitt was named the CCBL Playoff MVP in 2019, as he helped lead the Kettleers to their 17th title in league history. In the championship-clinching game, Schmitt hit two home runs, before closing the game out on the mound. 

JJ Bleday’s Breakout

Last year as a rookie, JJ Bleday (Orleans '18) struggled to piece it together at the big-league level. He finished the season with a .167/.277/.309 slashline in 65 games. Since being called up by the A’s on May 3rd, Bleday is slashing .379/.419/.793 this year. Last week, Bleday hit three home runs and three doubles. His slashline for the week was .440/.482/.920. Given the fact the A’s are in the beginning stages of a rebuild, Bleday will have plenty of time to continue establishing himself at the big-league level.

Spencer Torkelson Putting It Together

Spencer Torkelson (Chatham ‘18/’19) had a disappointing rookie season in 2022. While he didn’t start this season out bad, his bat has heated up in the past week. Torkelson slashed .357/.400/.571 last week in 28 at-bats. Selected first overall by the Tigers in the 2020 MLB Draft, Torkelson is the biggest piece to the Tigers rebuild and they’ll continue giving him opportunities to settle into the major leagues.