Jesús Aguilar

StaTuesday: Brewers' Aguilar thriving with two strikes

Published Aug. 21, 2018 6:24 p.m. ET

Getting Milwaukee Brewers slugger Jesus Aguilar to two strikes isn't exactly cause for celebration.

Miami Marlins pitcher Junichi Tazawa learned this back in April, when Aguilar turned a two-strike count into a 7-minute marathon, fouling off seven pitches and turning the 13th into a walk-off home run.

https://twitter.com/fswisconsin/status/987876817519325184

It was Aguilar's first home run of the season, and while it took him 17 games and 31 at-bats to get that first one, it turned out to be a sign of things to come.

Aguilar went on to hit .298/.373/.621 with 24 home runs in the first half, a stretch that earned him enough popular support (#WeBelieveInJesus) for a spot in the All-Star Game.

He's hitting .283/.368/.576 with 29 home runs following a post-ASG slump, and has continued to excel in two-strike situations.

Aguilar has homered with a two-strike count 16 times season, third in the league behind New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez.

Aguilar is hitting .261/.331/.504 and 57 RBI in 234 such at-bats this season. That last figure is significant: It's tops in the majors by a significant margin, and a Brewers record.

Player	G	RBI	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Jesus Aguilar	103	57	234	25	61	9	0	16	26	106	0.261	0.331	0.504	0.835
Nolan Arenado	112	39	236	32	59	12	1	13	22	91	0.25	0.315	0.475	0.79
Nick Markakis	116	39	228	28	60	14	1	7	25	61	0.263	0.333	0.425	0.759
Xander Bogaerts	99	39	221	22	50	20	2	6	16	76	0.226	0.286	0.416	0.703
Giancarlo Stanton	119	38	286	31	55	11	0	17	30	160	0.192	0.269	0.409	0.678
Rhys Hoskins	109	38	260	36	55	11	0	13	27	114	0.212	0.292	0.404	0.696
Jose Ramirez	112	37	236	29	58	9	2	17	39	58	0.246	0.362	0.517	0.879
J.D. Martinez	116	34	252	35	49	9	0	13	24	119	0.194	0.264	0.385	0.649
Eddie Rosario	118	34	259	32	58	14	2	8	5	94	0.224	0.238	0.386	0.624
Mike Moustakas	113	33	203	25	38	7	0	11	14	75	0.187	0.243	0.384	0.627
Eugenio Suarez	101	33	217	23	43	6	1	10	26	106	0.198	0.289	0.373	0.662
Mitch Haniger	119	32	235	22	48	11	1	4	35	116	0.204	0.313	0.311	0.624
Freddie Freeman	112	31	232	36	60	13	1	9	25	98	0.259	0.337	0.44	0.777
Rafael Devers	94	31	205	19	39	10	0	8	14	105	0.19	0.241	0.356	0.597
Jose Martinez	105	31	209	14	45	12	0	4	17	69	0.215	0.274	0.33	0.604

The 28-year-old slugger is already just the second Brewers player to rack up 50 two-strike RBI in a single season, and he's still going. Prince Fielder had 50 RBI in 294 such at-bats.

Player	Year	G	RBI	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Jesus Aguilar	2018	103	57	234	25	61	9	0	16	26	106	0.261	0.331	0.504	0.835
Prince Fielder	2009	149	50	294	34	58	11	0	17	29	138	0.197	0.269	0.408	0.677
Ryan Braun	2008	142	49	298	41	67	15	4	18	16	129	0.225	0.263	0.483	0.747
Prince Fielder	2007	148	47	282	46	58	13	1	23	30	121	0.206	0.285	0.504	0.788
Richie Sexson	2003	153	47	305	33	49	11	1	14	50	151	0.161	0.285	0.341	0.626
Richie Sexson	2001	148	45	314	36	60	10	0	18	32	178	0.191	0.268	0.395	0.663
John Jaha	1996	138	45	265	40	55	10	0	11	42	114	0.208	0.317	0.37	0.687
Ryan Braun	2012	145	43	297	31	74	17	2	14	24	128	0.249	0.309	0.461	0.77
Ryan Braun	2009	148	42	310	42	70	17	3	11	14	121	0.226	0.275	0.406	0.681
Casey McGehee	2010	143	41	274	23	69	14	1	10	22	102	0.252	0.303	0.42	0.723
Dave Nilsson	1997	134	39	245	26	54	12	0	10	16	82	0.22	0.268	0.392	0.66
Ryan Braun	2010	141	39	280	33	64	16	1	6	27	105	0.229	0.297	0.357	0.654
Bill Hall	2006	142	38	315	41	53	15	3	15	37	162	0.168	0.255	0.378	0.633
Jeromy Burnitz	1998	153	37	328	37	58	14	1	13	29	158	0.177	0.246	0.345	0.59
Prince Fielder	2011	144	36	257	27	64	18	0	11	35	106	0.249	0.347	0.447	0.794

That's good enough for eighth since 1908. Two more would get him into sixth, and just 13 more two-strike RBI would tie the single-season mark set by Manny Ramirez (then with Cleveland) in 1999.

Player	Year	G	RBI	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Manny Ramirez	1999	140	70	282	40	71	13	2	21	46	131	0.252	0.363	0.535	0.899
Todd Helton	2000	145	66	270	48	92	24	2	13	27	61	0.341	0.397	0.589	0.986
Ken Griffey Jr.	1997	139	63	269	42	63	15	0	23	23	116	0.234	0.293	0.546	0.839
Sammy Sosa	2001	153	62	295	45	72	13	3	21	38	153	0.244	0.327	0.522	0.849
Carlos Delgado	2000	154	61	287	43	79	19	0	19	47	104	0.275	0.389	0.54	0.929
Jason Giambi	2000	146	58	258	33	71	10	0	16	51	96	0.275	0.398	0.5	0.898
Albert Pujols	2001	149	58	313	38	84	20	2	17	26	93	0.268	0.328	0.508	0.836
Jesus Aguilar	2018	103	57	234	25	61	9	0	16	26	106	0.261	0.331	0.504	0.835
Ryan Howard	2006	149	57	328	38	79	7	0	23	41	181	0.241	0.327	0.473	0.8
Manny Ramirez	1998	144	57	296	42	71	9	2	17	34	121	0.24	0.321	0.456	0.778
Ken Griffey Jr.	1998	151	56	305	39	57	13	1	20	30	121	0.187	0.266	0.433	0.699
Jose Canseco	1988	150	56	306	38	79	12	0	17	35	127	0.258	0.34	0.464	0.804
Sammy Sosa	2000	150	55	325	38	72	14	1	20	47	168	0.222	0.318	0.455	0.774
Curtis Granderson	2011	152	55	354	53	68	10	2	20	54	169	0.192	0.303	0.401	0.704
Ryan Howard	2007	132	55	319	41	47	9	0	20	32	199	0.147	0.228	0.364	0.592

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Jesús Aguilar

Milwaukee Brewers