D-backs’ Yasmany Tomás continues home run binge
Aug 18, 2016, 7:42 AM
Arizona Diamondbacks' Yasmany Tomas watches his three-run home run against the New York Mets during the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016, in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks defeated the Mets 13-5. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
While the Arizona Diamondbacks haven’t played great baseball in the second half of the 2016 season, one thing has become quite a regular occurrence: Yasmany Tomás is hitting a lot of home runs.
The Cuban outfielder slugged two more Wednesday night in the D-backs’ 13-5 win over the New York Mets to bring his season total to 25.
The first came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Tomás rocketed a 1-1 slider from Mets starter Jonathan Niese over the wall in left to give Arizona a 3-1 lead. The second was a three-run shot off of reliever Josh Edgin in the eighth inning that traveled an estimated 434 feet and stretched the Arizona lead to 13-2.
It was Tomás’ seventh multi-home run game of the season, a mark which leads Major League Baseball. Baltimore’s Mark Trumbo and Boston’s Mookie Betts each have five-multi HR performances.
“He looks good at the plate, he’s getting the right pitches to hit and that’s big for him,” Arizona manager Chip Hale said Wednesday. “He’s very comfortable — we talked about that before we went on the road. He’s starting to get it and then he had the neck problem and couldn’t play. So he’s starting to get back to feeling good about himself and just taking advantage of some pitches that are up in the zone and that’s what good hitters do.”
The outburst was the fourth multi-HR game for Tomás since the All-Star break. In 25 games since the break, the second-year player has 12 homers, 23 RBI and a slash line of .317/.343/.752. He’s tied with Minnesota’s Brian Dozier for the most home runs in the big leagues in the second half of the season, although all of Tomás’ dingers have come in the last 19 games.
Part of the reason Tomás earned a six-year, $68.5 million contract from the D-backs was his power potential. In his rookie campaign last season, that element of his game wasn’t necessarily on display. He hit nine home runs and slugged .401 in 118 contests in 2015.
