Welcome to this edition of the best defensive plays of the week, now coming at you every Wednesday.
June 19th, Reds vs Pirates – Billy Hamilton gets some air.
Before the season, there were questions as to whether or not Billy Hamilton could adequately play center field. This year, he’s turned himself into a pretty damn good defensive player, and this game-saving catch was the culmination of all of that hard work.
June 20th, Astros vs Rays – Kevin Kiermaier’s wild path.
Kevin Kiermaier didn’t have much of a choice when he was chasing this foul ball, so that makes his…circular route a little more understandable. I’m just amazed that he managed to catch the ball *and* avoid serious injury when sliding into the bullpen like that.
June 20th, Mets vs Marlins – Marcell Ozuna has a CANNON.
I don’t even know what to say about this. One great throw in a game is one thing, but two? Including one to cut down the tying run for the last out of the ballgame? That’s on a whole new level. Giancarlo Stanton isn’t the only stud in Miami’s outfield.
June 21st, Red Sox vs Athletics – BROCKHOLT.
This is your weekly reminder that Brock Holt isn’t an outfielder and he has no business making obscene diving catches in the outfield like this one.
June 23rd, Yankees vs Blue Jays – Anthony Gose has no regard for walls.
Anthony, there’s a wall there…you might want to stick your hand out and feel for it instead of just smashing into it. I have no idea how he held on to this ball, either – that was the craziest part.
June 24th, Athletics vs Mets – a bad route + wind = a great catch.
Eric Young Jr. is kind of like Brock Holt, an infielder masquerading as an outfielder, except he’s been doing it for years. Thus, you can get a situation where Young takes one of his patented sloppy routes to a fly ball, and the wind gets involved to make the route look even worse. But hey, at least he still came down with it.
June 24th, Cardinals vs Rockies – super Barnes!
This was the ninth inning of a five run game, so there wasn’t much on the line when Brandon Barnes pulled in this sinking liner from Matt Carpenter. That doesn’t mean this wasn’t a fantastic catch – it really was. But it wasn’t a game-changer like some of the others on this list.
