He’s still strong, but he’s even a super rookie… .
One of the strongest teams in the American Major League (MLB) this season is the Baltimore Orioles, the number one team in the American League (AL). In particular, the promising players raised at the farm are leading the way and causing a sensation, attracting a lot of attention.
Another super rookie has joined Baltimore. This is outfielder Heston Custad (24).
Custad, who was called up to the major leagues on the 14th, is absolutely hitting hard. He appears to have adapted to the big leagues right away, with 4 hits (2 home runs) in 5 games and 13 at-bats, a batting average of 0.308, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 1.077. In today’s game (the 20th) in our time, he played as the designated hitter at number 6 and hit a home run.
What is noteworthy is that the batting quality is better than what appears on the surface. According to Baseball-Savant, an MLB records site, Custard’s average exit velocity is 99.2 miles per hour (159.6 km/h). Even though he has only a few plate appearances, it’s still a great record.
The first place overall average exit speed is Aaron Judge (31, New York Yankees) with 97.1 miles (156.3 km/h), and the second place is Ronald Acuna Jr. (25, Atlanta Braves) with 94.6 miles (152.2 km/h), 3. Above is Shohei Ohtani (29, LA Angels) at 94.4 miles (151.9 km/h).
Custard’s barrel hit rate is also as high as 20%. A barrel hit is a ball that hits the ball at a speed of over 98 miles per hour and a launch angle of 26 to 30 degrees, and is likely to lead to a long hit such as a home run. Producing more than 20% of barrel balls is one of the few in the league.
Custad is a top prospect who was selected by Baltimore with the second overall pick in the first round of the 2020 rookie draft. His contract fee was $5.2 million (KRW 6.9 billion), and he was the highest rated by Power among draftees at the time.토토사이트
However, Custad suffered heart problems shortly after joining the team, requiring him to rehab for over a year, and expectations were lowered for him as he only began his minor league career last year.
However, Custad, who recovered his health, quickly graduated from each minor league, recovering the expectations he had when he joined the team, and this year in Triple A, he also performed well with a batting average of 0.298, 10 home runs, and 0.869 OPS in 337 at-bats, ranking 24th in the league and 3rd on the team. He jumped to the top prospect level. And now he is producing ‘work’ in the big leagues.
Although they are performing well, the hurdles Custad has to overcome are high. Currently, the Baltimore outfield is filled with players with name value and skills, including Cedric Mullins (28), Austin Hayes (28), Anthony Santander (28), and Aaron Hicks (33).
However, if he continues his performance like this, he could become the owner of Baltimore’s outfield. “Kirstad is a really hot bat,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “It’s a lot of fun to watch him play.”