Paris' historic start to '25 continues with 1st career multihomer game

TAMPA -- Even as Kyren Paris has become an early-season breakout star for the Angels, manager Ron Washington has tried to keep things in perspective regarding his 23-year-old player.

“If it took nine games to be a Hall of Famer, there'd be quite a few of them,” Washington said prior to Tuesday’s game vs. the Rays.

Later that evening, Paris homered again -- his third dinger in 19 at-bats this year -- as part of a Halos victory. And on Wednesday, he outdid himself by launching two homers in the Angels’ 5-4 loss at George M. Steinbrenner Field. It was Paris’ first multihomer game in the Majors.

“I’m hoping he just continues,” Washington said after Wednesday’s game. “That is impressive.”

Paris doesn’t need to start prepping a Cooperstown speech, but it’s difficult to be more productive than he has been to begin 2025. In fact, no player in Angels history has accomplished as much as what Paris has done so far.

He is the franchise’s first player with 11 hits, five home runs, four stolen bases and four walks through their first 10 games of a season. Since the start of the Expansion Era in 1961, only two other players -- Larry Walker of the 1997 Rockies and Gary Redus of the 1983 Reds -- have achieved those stats through their first 10 games of a season.

“After working throughout the offseason, I kind of just had that feeling,” Paris said. “And just learning from my failures in the past, it's leading to success.”

Those past failures were no joke. Paris, the Angels’ second-round Draft pick in 2019, was the club’s No. 4 prospect heading into 2024. However, he batted .167 with a .532 OPS during his injury-shortened time in the Minors and then went 6-for-51 (.118) with 17 strikeouts in his 21-game stint in the Majors last year.

He revamped his swing in the offseason, and the results speak for themselves. From 2023-24, Paris hit one homer through 91 MLB at-bats. This year, he has gone deep five times in 25 at-bats. His 1.653 OPS is by far the best in the bigs among players with at least 25 ABs. The Yankees’ Aaron Judge is a distant second at 1.238.

“I've always had pop, but I’m just being more consistent getting the ball on the barrel,” Paris said. “That's what's happening now.”

The home runs are cool, but what’s even more noteworthy is what they looked like. Both of Paris’ homers Wednesday went to the opposite field, sailing beyond the stadium’s right-field fence. They were the first two opposite-field homers of Paris’ young career.

“That just shows me that I'm in a good place, being able to hit the ball all over the field,” Paris said. “That's important to be a complete hitter.”

Being able to handle different pitches is important, too. Paris, who went 0-for-10 in limited looks against Major League sliders over the past two seasons, crushed an elevated slider for a home run on Tuesday. In Wednesday’s second inning, he reached for a 93.5 mph fastball on the outside corner from Rays right-handed starter Ryan Pepiot and blasted it.

In the eighth, Paris caught up to a 99.1 mph four-seamer at the very bottom of the strike zone from left-hander Mason Montgomery and sent it a projected 367 feet.

It’s even worth mentioning that neither of those long balls were Paris’ hardest-hit ball of the night. That came in the sixth inning as Paris drilled a 90.5 mph sinker from reliever Kevin Kelly at 108.1 mph. It ended up as a lineout, but that ball, which had a .680 expected batting average, possessed Paris’ best exit velocity of the season, and the third-highest of his career.

Different pitches, different locations, different velocities, different pitchers -- and essentially the same result.

A strong spring helped Paris earn a roster spot with the Halos as they broke camp. That alone has to give any developing player confidence, to know that they truly belong in The Show. Now that confidence within Paris seems to be growing with each swing.

He didn’t begin the year as an everyday player, but with his ability to play both second base and center field mixed with his historic production, Paris has made himself undeniable and indispensable to this club.

“That was my goal -- to be an everyday big leaguer,” Paris said. “It's definitely showing out on the field.”