Aristides Aquino returned to Pensacola for a second season in 2018. The previous season he hit .216/.282/.397 for the Blue Wahoos in 131 games. That came with 39 walks and 145 strikeouts, but also with good power numbers. He hit 20 doubles, six triples, and he had 17 home runs.
The 2018 campaign started out hot over the first two weeks, but slowed down quickly for Aristides Aquino. From the start of the year through June 17th he hit .232/.290/.424 with 14 walks and 62 strikeouts in 215 plate appearances. Then the All-Star break came in the Southern League.
Things have gone quite different for Aristides Aquino ever since, and last night may have been the high note for the 24-year-old outfielder. In the first game of a double header he crushed a walk-off home run for the Blue Wahoos.
Since the All-Star break ended, Aristides Aquino has played in 37 games and he’s racked up 146 plate appearances. In that span he’s improved across the board offensively. He’s hit .269/.329/.478 with 12 walks and 30 strikeouts. That’s come with six doubles, two triples, and six home runs.
Aristides Aquino has raised his walk rate from 6.5% to 8.2%. That’s a small jump, but takes his walk rate into that solid range. He’s cut into his strikeout rate significantly, lowering it to 20.5% from 28.8%. This is a big step forward. His power has even jumped up a tad, with his isolated power jumping up from .192 to .209. The second half isn’t over, but it has made up 40% of his season thus far. It’s still a sample size of just 146 plate appearances, but the improvements are there and it’s a good thing to see.