Manzardo gets even hotter with third homer in two games
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Kyle Manzardo had himself a weekend.
The Guardians No. 2 prospect launched three homers and amassed five extra-base hits in three games for Triple-A Columbus, capping off a nine-game stretch in which the lefty slugger has been firing on all cylinders at the dish.
His most recent jack came in the first inning of Sunday's 16-4 loss to the Bisons, when Manzardo deposited an 0-1 fastball from righty Andrew Bash (Blue Jays) onto the berm in left-center at Huntington Park. The big fly was the fourth of the season and third in two games for MLB’s No. 53 prospect.
Entering Sunday, Manzardo was fresh off back-to-back three-hit games. He also tallied two extra-base knocks apiece in each, both of them homers on Saturday. The big flies left the bat at exit velocities of 100 mph or greater and were both on pitches low and inside, a location that Manzardo has crushed all season.
According to Baseball Savant, seven of Manzardo’s nine extra-base hits this year have come on pitches either in the lower half or inner half of the zone and five of those seven are considered barrels -- a classification assigned to batted balls with exit velocities and launch angles that equate to hits resulting in a .500 average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
Over the three-game span this weekend, Manzardo went 7-for-9 and raised his average 32 points from .276 to .308.
The streak is a microcosm of the Idaho native’s past nine games. Starting with his two-hit night on April 12, Manzardo sports a .405/.463/.784 slash line, a dramatic increase from his first nine games. In that same stretch, he raised his average 129 points with posted five multihit performances.
Manzardo's current success is reminiscent of his time in the Arizona Fall League a few months ago. In 22 games with the Peoria Javelinas, the first baseman posted a .905 OPS and clubbed six roundtrippers en route to All-AFL team honors.
If Manzardo continues his torrid pace at the plate, his Major League debut could come in the not-too-distant future.