SARASOTA, Fla. -- Vance Honeycutt is slugging his way to a new nickname this spring: “Home Run Honeycutt.” Because the only thing the 22-year-old Orioles prospect is doing is going deep.
In one of the most unbelievable tears to open a Spring Training, Honeycutt improved to 4-for-4 with four home runs in four Grapefruit League games in Baltimore's 4-2 Grapefruit League loss to Houston on Wednesday at Ed Smith Stadium. Why does he only have four at-bats? Because he’s not even in big league camp, coming over from the Minor League side only on occasion to serve as an extra player for these contests.
It was already ridiculous when Honeycutt homered in each of his three at-bats. Now, it’s becoming unreal.
Honeycutt’s fourth blast was his longest yet, as he clobbered an 0-2 offering from Astros Minor League Miguel Ullola and sent it a Statcast-projected 471 feet to center field. That came after Honeycutt swung and missed at each of Ullola’s first two pitches.
In the process, Honeycutt became the first player in MLB action this spring with four home runs.
The power surge has come out of nowhere for the 2024 first-round Draft pick. Honeycutt hit only five home runs in 101 games for High-A Aberdeen last season, while hitting .171 with a .559 OPS. He’s a career .172 hitter in 114 Minor League games.