Matt Adams's Tater-Mashing Power Is In Mid-Season Form

Matt Adams joined the Nationals this offseason after arguably his best season as a hitter in 2017, when he produced a career-high .841 OPS and 20 dingers in 131 games split between the Cardinals and Braves. With Ryan Zimmerman’s availability never all that secure and kick-ass bench masher Adam Lind gone to the howling vortex of veteran free agency, Adams figures to play some first base and do a whole lot of pinch-hitting with the lion’s share of Lind’s 301 2017 plate appearances.

Adams got the start for Zimmerman today, at first base. He’s a big strong man, and he got all the way into this 1st inning pitch from Cincinnati Reds starter Luis Castillo, sending it way out into the stands in right center, by way of the stratosphere:

Statcast has that sucker at 460 feet, which wouldn’t have placed in the top 50 dingers measured by Statcast in 2017. Interestingly, none of those mighty lashes came before April 28—Adams’s huge home run will not be the longest of the season, but it is the first huge one, and a particularly early one. Let the chronicling of soaring taters commence!