Watch: Promising Reds slugger hits another massive homer
Cincinnati Reds right fielder Rece Hinds had an excellent major-league debut on Monday, hitting a 449-foot home run. He followed it up with an even longer dinger on Tuesday night.
At the bottom of the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies, Hinds hit an 84 mph sweeper from pitcher Justin Lawrence into left field for a 458-foot home run, giving the Reds an 8-4 lead.
Citing MLB research and development senior manager Jason Bernard, MLB.com's Sarah Langs shared Hinds is the first player in the Statcast era to have homers of 445-plus feet in each of his first two games.
Hinds went 3-for-5 and finished a single shy of the cycle in the 12-6 victory. Per MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, all five of the 23-year-old's hits have been for extra bases — the most for a player through his first two games since at least 1901.
This season, Hinds — a second-round pick in 2019 — hit 13 home runs and drove in 41 RBI in 296 at-bats with the Triple-A Louisville Bats. However, he struck out 126 times.
If he can combine his raw power with better plate discipline, he may become the offensive weapon the Reds (44-48) desperately need. Entering this game, they ranked 23rd in the majors in OPS (.678) and were tied for 21st in home runs (89).
More must-reads: