David Fry joins list of all-time greats with his recent performance
There has been a breakout star who calls the corner of Carnegie and Ontario home. David Fry has burst onto the scene this season, making a case for regular playing time along the way. It was very obvious that Fry was having an impressive go of things at the plate, but it is safe to say that nobody was prepared for his performance during the month of May.
Fry finished May with a .383/.513/.750/.1.263 super slash line with seven home runs, 13 walks, three stolen bases, a pretty impressive month. Further examination over the last two weeks sees Fry join an elite group of which there are few.
Going back to May 12th, Fry is slashing .436/.585/.897 with a 1.482 OPS, six home runs, 11 walks, and three stolen bases while striking out only four times. This hot streak from Fry, combined with Cleveland's 12-2 record, makes him only the third player in baseball history to have more than five home runs, 15 RBI, 10 walks, an OPS above 1.400, more home runs than strikeouts, and 12 or more team wins. This puts Fry among some of the greatest players to ever play the game, Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds, as the only players to do so over 14 games since RBI became an official statistic (1920).
Fry has been one of the most important players for the Guardians this season, that has been obvious. But to see his performance over the past two weeks be mentioned in the same sentence as Ruth and Bonds is beyond impressive.
It has been clear for some time that Fry deserves more playing time. His versatility has allowed first-year manager Stephen Vogt to deploy him all over the diamond without Fry missing a step. Fry should continue to be used in that manner, but it would not be a surprise to see more time in the outfield now that the Guardians have designated Estevan Florial for assignment. Florial did not have a whole lot of playing time in the outfield, spreading out 144 innings across time in both corner outfield spots with one appearance in center. With him out of the picture, it will free up an opportunity that was going to waste otherwise with Florial and should provide Fry with a well-deserved opportunity to flourish.
David Fry has come a long way from being the player to be named later in the deal that sent J.C. Mejia to Milwaukee, and it appears the Guardians have struck gold again in a deal involving a PTBNL. Sure, Fry is currently hitting an unsustainable rate, and a correction is going to come at some point. But for now, enjoy BIg Fly David Fry while he is on an absolute tear.