Shhh… No one tell Hunter Renfroe that this Major League Baseball thing is supposed to be hard.
The 24-year-old San Diego Padres prospect is just a week removed from leading the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas to the Pacific Coast League Championship and has not missed a beat since his promotion to the majors.
On Tuesday, facing the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers, Renfroe had an impressive night at the plate.
In the bottom of the first, the young slugger golfed an offering from Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda deep to left for a three-run homer.
Later, in the bottom of the eighth, he struck again, this time clobbering a line drive over the center field wall for a grand slam.
For those keeping score at home, that’s seven runs on two swings. Those seven RBI set a new Padres record for the most in a single game by a rookie. He provided all of San Diego’s offense for the evening. They won the game 7-1.
Renfroe’s 2-for-4 night marks the third time in just four career starts that he’s recorded multiple hits.
Thus far in his brief Major League career, Renfroe boasts a gaudy .353/.389/.941 line over 18 plate appearances. While those numbers are clearly unsustainable, it has to be nice for him to hit the ground running.
As you may have guessed from his early performance, Renfroe’s calling card is his power. He has an aggressive approach but makes enough contact that he could still hit for average. His strong arm should also play well in Petco Park’s spacious outfield.
After a brief but bold attempt at contention (see: Justin Upton, Matt Kemp, Wil Myers, Craig Kimbrel, etc.), the Padres have pivoted and now appear to be making a conscious effort to focus on young talent. Renfroe is expected to be a major part of that.
Scott Ferris covers all things baseball as a Staff Writer for Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter @ScottHFerris
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