Jeffers has never started more than 81 games in a season at catcher, though his DH workload has gradually increased. He entered Tuesday hitting .315 as the designated hitter this season with an .867 OPS, making it more tempting than ever for Baldelli to put him in the lineup on his “days off.”
Which is OK with Jeffers.
“This is my best season at the plate. I’m more comfortable than ever. You look at my numbers, I’m hitting the ball harder and more often than ever,” said Jeffers, whose hard-hit rate, as calculated by MLB Statcast, is at a career-best 44%. His home run power is down a bit — just eight this year, after hitting 21 a year ago — but he has already eclipsed his career high in walks, and after posting a 12-game hitting streak this month, his career high in hits will fall in the next week or so.
But can he handle the August heat?
“If I can handle last weekend” at Target Field, when humidity registered above 90%, Jeffers said, “I can handle anything.”
Praise for Gasper
Baldelli had a few words of praise for Gasper’s work behind the plate, too, since the 29-year-old rookie has mostly played first and second base with the Twins.
Gasper got his first start there Sunday, breaking Jeffers and Vázquez’s 440-game streak in which one of them started every game. He also started Tuesday, throwing out Trent Grisham at second base in the second inning.
