It’s been a tough start to the season for the Louisville Bats. After starting the season 2-2 they’ve now lost seven straight and sit at 2-9. That’s not the best way to try and have a winning record for the first time since 2011. While it’s been rough for the team, Chuckie Robinson has been doing his part to try and get the Bats on the winning side of the ledger. On Wednesday night in Toledo he was responsible for the lone run for Louisville as he hit his first home run of the season.
This pitch came in at 100 MPH from former Reds prospect Aneurys Zabala. While the announcer said it left at 100, it was actually 104. And it landed 402 feet from the plate. You knew it was gone the second the bat met the ball.
The home run extended his hitting streak to seven games. Robinson has gone 10-27 so far this year. He’s walked twice and he’s struck out just twice. He’s hitting .370/.433/.519 through the first eight games of the year.
Ariel Almonte is doing damage
Signed in 2021 as one of the top international free agent signings by the Reds over the last few years, Ariel Almonte has been on the radar since the ink was still wet on his contract. As a 17-year-old he put up an OPS of .836 with the Dominican Summer League Reds. Last season he put up an OPS of .883 in the Arizona Complex League.
In both of those seasons he was very productive at the plate, but he also racked up plenty of strikeouts. In 2021 he had a 26.5% strikeout rate. Last season it jumped up to 29.9%. High strikeout rates aren’t as frowned upon like they used to be. The game is changing a bit, but still, you’d like to see more contact than less contact – particularly if you can still do damage.
Ariel Almonte has only played in four games with Daytona so far this season. He’s also struck out just one time this year. He’s come to the plate 20 times and has one strikeout. That’s a 5% strikeout rate for those keeping track at home. And it’s not as if he’s turned into a slap-and-dash kind of hitter in order to accomplish a bunch of contact. He’s gone 6-16 with three doubles so far. He’s hitting .375/.500/.563 with three walks. Over the last two games he’s drive in three runs in each contest, pushing him to the league lead with seven runs batted in.