Taveras scales wall for incredible HR robbery of Yordan
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ARLINGTON -- In case you forgot, Leody Taveras is a great outfielder, too.
Highly lauded for his bat in the Rangers¡¯ postseason run, Taveras found his way into the highlight reels with an incredible home run robbery of Yordan Alvarez in the sixth inning of Wednesday¡¯s Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
Taveras, who got the start at center field in the Rangers¡¯ 8-5 loss to the Astros, covered 88 feet to get to the wall at Globe Life Field. He needed his full extension as he leaped over the wall to grab a ball that left Alvarez¡¯s bat at an elite 111.1 mph exit velocity and traveled 416 feet.
That loud out would have been a home run in 22 of 30 Major League ballparks, according to Statcast, and it had an expected batting average of 1.000.
Taveras¡¯ efforts haven¡¯t gone unnoticed by his manager -- even if his name wasn¡¯t among the Rangers¡¯ MLB-high five Gold Glove finalists.
"We have five guys that are finalists and a couple, I think, that were left out, to be honest: Josh Jung and Taveras,¡± said Bruce Bochy before Game 3. ¡°They both have had fine years defensively. But I'm proud of how these guys have separated their offense from their defense, and they've just done a great job out there."
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Taveras has taken pride in separating the two sides of the game, but he can feel equally good about both aspects right now. The 25-year-old has a .320 average with a 1.029 OPS in eight games this postseason, all while hitting in the No. 9 spot.
¡°We¡¯ve always had a plan as a team, but I think the way that I feel at the plate has helped me recently,¡± Taveras said, in Spanish, on Tuesday. ¡°I feel really confident right now.¡±