Julien homers twice, plates seven for Wind Surge

On certain nights, there's a guy who can basically beat an entire team by himself.

Edouard Julien had one of those nights Wednesday.

The No. 27 Twins prospect homered twice as part of a career-high seven-RBI night to pace Double-A Wichita’s 10-1 win over Springfield, plating the Wind Surge’s first four runs and seven of the first eight in their blowout win. Julien’s offense set a single-game Wichita record.

"It was pretty fun to be a part of that," Julien said. "I have to give credit to my teammates. They were getting on base every time before me. I was just lucky every time I hit my home runs, they were on bases."

MAMA THERE GOES THAT MAN! @edouardjulien7 hits a two-run RBI double for his SIXTH RBI of the night!

The Surge hold a commanding 7-0 lead over the Cardinals in the 4th. #WindSurge pic.twitter.com/dPhzPQJsxw

— Wichita Wind Surge (@WindSurgeICT) June 30, 2022

Julien drove an opposite-field solo shot in the first inning, pulled a three-run homer in the third, cranked a two-RBI double in the fourth and added an run-scoring groundout in the sixth. Second-ranked Austin Martin chipped in three hits and reached base five times to aid the bullpen effort after Wichita starter Casey Legumina left the game in the third when he was felled by a 110-mph comebacker.

"That's always scary, and you hope he's fine," Julien said. "From the offensive standpoint, you always try to go out there and have good at-bats. Especially when a teammate goes down, you try to pick him up and get a win."

Otherwise, the win was all about Julien, who broke out in his first season of pro ball last summer. The former 18th-round pick led Minor League Baseball in walks while producing 18 homers and 34 steals across two levels of Single-A ball in 2021, his .434 on-base percentage fueling a .914 OPS. He’s largely replicating that production at Double-A this season, with a .425 OBP, .888 OPS, six homers and nine steals in 49 games.

His first multi-homer game of the season was the second of Julien’s career, and the seven RBIs far outpaced his previous high of four, set on July 18, 2021 at High-A Cedar Rapids. He’s also been on a tear over the past two months, hitting .309/.449/.496 with five homers and six steals since May 1 as Wichita’s everyday second baseman.

"All the balls I hit tonight were on off-speed (pitches), so I'm happy about that," Julien said. "I worked very hard in the offseason to be a better hitter against off-speed. It's showing this year. I feel much more comfortable hitting the off-speed. I've always been a good hitter off the fastball, so now that work is paying off."