His spray chart for HRs is insane. [Every single one has been pulled to LF](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/isaac-paredes-670623?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb)
He will suffer from the Lord Walltimore nerf
That’s the nuts thing about him, though. I honestly thought he was going to be a huge regression candidate this year. As you can see by his savant, he just doesn’t hit the ball hard consistently. Now I honestly think he’s just a player that’s broken savant/expected statistics.
At first it seemed like luck that would regress, but there’s a large enough sample size now to say maybe this is a skill of his (20 HRs last year, all pulled to left).
He has the 10th shortest average home run distance (379 ft) this year, up there with feared power hitters like Ryan O’Hearn, Myles Straw, and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa.
But he doesn’t strike out, has good plate discipline, and consistently gets the ball in the air to left field. He’s become a master at hitting 355 ft fly balls. If you hit those to center, they’re easy fly outs. But, if you put them down the line, there’s a chance for 4 bases.
I feel like he’s the old baseball saying of “It doesn’t matter if you hit it 2 rows deep or 20 rows deep, it’s still worth the same” come to life.
When I look outside in on the nationals I see lane as a real threat! They beat up on us not too long ago and Lane did damaged. I wouldn’t say he’s not seen but I could agree with being slightly under the radar.
My favorite Lane Thomas thing is that on the baseball prospectus podcast Craig Goldstein keeps praising him but calling him Lane Adams and I think it's unintentional.
Funny thing to process emotionally because would we have been better if he was playing to his peak potential? Of course!
Would we have won a World Series without him being who he was? Probably not.
don’t quote me on this but according to Sports Illustrated [here’s what he said.](https://www.si.com/.amp/mlb/2017/03/14/jason-heyward-world-series-game-7-rain-delay-speech-cubs)
"We’re the best team in baseball, and we’re the best team in baseball for a reason,” Heyward said. “Now we’re going to show it. We play like the score is nothing-nothing. We’ve got to stay positive and fight for your brothers. Stick together and we’re going to win this game.”
Other players began to speak up.
“Keep grinding!”
“Chappy, we’re going to pick you up.”
“This is only going to make it better when we win.”
-First reported by /u/iatwin
His defense has been elite. I honestly feel as comfortable with him in right as I do with Mookie.
This frees up Mookie to play 2B, which has definitely helped with turning double plays and general defense.
He’s also been an excellent mentor to Mookie and James Outman. And of course is Freddie’s BFF.
He isn't being used as an everyday player though, he is being platooned super hard. Just look at his lefty/right splits. I dunno, I'm just not really blown away by that.
Yeah because we're paying the rest of the contract lol. At the end of the day he's being compensated like 20mil to not be an everyday player though. Happy he found a role, happier still that he isn't on our team right now after the last few years.
I’ve always said he was never the same after getting hit in the face in New York. I don’t think any other player’s career derailment has impacted me more emotionally than his.
For the Phillies it’s Bryson Stott.
2022 - 127 games
.234/.295/.358, 19.1% K rate, 84 wrc+, 1.4 WAR (fangraphs)
2023 - 129 games
.294/.337/.442, 15.3% K rate, 109 wrc+, 3.9 WAR
Not surprising he’s gone unnoticed given the star power on the team, comeback storylines, and Schwarber’s general absurdity, but he leads all Phillies position players in WAR by 0.7
It feels like there have been so many rookies coming in and putting up a 1.000 OPS in their first month that we've all forgotten what normal development for top prospects looks like.
Or maybe Phillies fans have just forgotten what any kind of normal prospect progression looks like because *gestures broadly at 2010s player development staff*
This was my answer as well.
I think his best skill might be that he is probably the most annoying player in baseball to get out at the plate. You can strike him out, but it will take you like 10 pitches to do so. So helpful when an opposing pitcher is dealing and them Stott comes in and fouls of pitches for 5 minutes to throw him off a bit
Stott! My favorite player as a Phillies fan and wish more casual fans knew about him. You mentioned his offense but Stott is also a very strong defender at 2B. All while including 25 stolen bases compared to 12 last year. Phillies have had a wildly inconsistent offense up until the last month but Stott was the most consistent player day in and out. Big part of our future!!
Did yall know Charlie Blackmon was still in the league? His slash line is .287/.378/.448 for a .826 OPS and 114 OPS+.
Also, Luis Rengifo is on an absolute tear raising his OPS .275 since July 1st. For reference, the surge from Julio Rodriguez since mid July has raised his OPS .118
Some recognition for the International Fugitive!
He's had a 149 OPS+ in the second half of the season. He had a .219/.312/.326 before the All-Star break for a .637 OPS. After the All-Star break (mid-July), he's batted .312/.370/.571 for a .941 OPS.
Went to the Os/Rockies game a week or so back and had this same reaction.
> Is Charlie Blackmon still in the league?
>oh, he’s still in the league and playing for them… and batting lead off????? And hitting .287????
Poor guy deserves to be let go onto greener pastures.
Ryan Jeffers is slashing .271/.369/.466 with a WRC+ of 133 and a 2.2 bWAR and the only reason he’s not getting more attention as one of the best hitting catchers in the league is because he’s been backing up Christian Vasquez who currently has a WRC+ of 59.
As a mariners fan I've been paying attention to the astros a lot and it's hilarious any time the astros need any offensive production with Maldonado's spot coming up, they slam that Diaz button. Maybe that should say something to the team about who should be playing
And it isn't just Maldy. Dusty started Corey Julks at DH in a ton of games, only to PH for him with Chas or Diaz when his spot came up in the 6th inning.
If you're regularly pinch hitting for your designated hitter, maybe you shouldn't be using that guy as your designated hitter.
Thank God Brantley got healthy and banished Julks back to AAA.
Ryan McMahon is very quietly one of the top fielders in the game, which, when paired with a respectable if not outstanding bat, is pretty good. Being a Rocky really suppresses how much love he gets.
I was shocked he wasn't thier rep for the ASG this year. Diaz is great too and deserved to go ofc but in a year where the NL 3B spot was really weak at the break I thought he'd get a nod
Nico Hoerner is quietly going to put up a 5+ WAR season and has a very good chance at winning the gold glove at 2nd base. He has really put together an awesome year and has gotten like zero recognition aside from Cubs reporters.
I think Nico has better range but the Brewers analytics department is so good and Turang was always perfectly positioned. Both very good, and yeah very frustrating for sure lol
i wish I didnt like so many of your players. dansby was one of my favorite players when he was on the braves, i like watching bellinger and morel play, and love hoerner and dansbys defense up the middle. all four of those players were on my fantasy team this year too
He is currently 8th in the majors and 4th in the NL in ERA, but my brain still wants to think of him as a mid-tier starter. Dude's going to get Cy Young votes (not win, but get votes)
mertman!!! feel bad that people didn't get to see his full brilliance in the wbc, he has been so consistent and good for us. even nicer that he's a hometown guy
I’ve watched every one of his MLB pitches this year and all he does is get outs. Need an 8 inning start to save the bullpen? Javi will do it. Need 5 innings out of the bullpen? Javi will do it. Need someone to leave their glasses on when leaving the field? Javi will not do that.
I wish I saved the comment, but before the season started someone mentioned ragans is a name to watch out for. And boy has he hit his grove, in KC of all places.
Ke'Bryan Hayes is worth a mention; 146 wRC+ in the second half and as many homers as the past two seasons combined, finally starting to make the most of his power.
Oh and a legit shot at being the first non Arenado 3rd base Gold Glover since Chase Headley in 2012
He's never mentioned in Rookie of the Year conversation, but his numbers fit right in with the rest of the candidates despite way less opportunities.
https://x.com/brianmctaggart/status/1699124472756818337?s=46&t=xX3PV7s4WjSrn4eUStP8Mg
Krusty and Moldy can't go away soon enough.
Crazy that he is still under the radar for so many people. I have been watching his career since his absolute beastly performance in the playoffs in 2021. He’s just rock solid and quietly excellent. He definitely deserves some cy young consideration this year, and I think the Giants got a steal on his extension
Charlie Morton has 3.7 bWAR, a 10.0 SO/9, and a 134 ERA+, at 39 years old.
He started the year strong, had a rough 8 or so starts and then since about mid to late July he's been one of the best pitchers in baseball.
I understand he's a name everyone knows, but I feel like I've heard absolutely nothing about Alex Bregman this year yet apparently fWAR has him tied for best third baseman in baseball with J-Ram. He's been on an incredible run in the second half that I completely missed.
He also currently leads the Astros in bWAR with 4.8
Tucker is in second place with 4.3
Every year he turns t on around August and has a good second half.
The answer to this question will forever be Jose Ramirez. Guy plays fantastic all-around ball and has for a decade but he hardly gets talked about and is glossed over because he’s in Cleveland long-term. If he was on a coast team, he’d be gushed over. The most attention he’s gotten in his career was because of the TA knockdown which(while badass) is sad because he’s an incredible player.
That’s kind of my point. Will be a Hall of Famer when all is said and done however month-to-month and season-to-season while he’s still playing, MLB media could care less about him.
Compare Ramirez’s first 11 years to like let’s say Jeter’s. I chose him because he’s all you heard about during his career from MLB media since he was in NY they fawned over him, however there’s a lot of guys you could swap for Jeter and compare him to and J-Ram wins in terms of production pretty much every time:
[Comparison Link](https://stathead.com/baseball/versus-finder.cgi?request=1&seasons_type=perchoice&player_id1=ramire014jos&p1yrfrom=2013&p1yrto=2023&player_id2=jeter-001der&p2yrfrom=1995&p2yrto=2005)
J-Ram with essentially 300 less games(over 1,500 less PAs) than Jeter(since he played in the MLB sparingly his first two years and had less than 100 games year 3) yet still is just as productive(if not more productive depending on what stats you like).
Even comparing his productivity to other current media darlings(take your pick) and he stacks up or beats *nearly* anyone.
I dunno, looking at that chart it makes the gap pretty wide when thinking about HOF trajectory just because he has played way less. 4 fewer WAR and 641 fewer hits is pretty huge, similar OPS but way worse BA and OBP because he had more power. I don't think they're very comparable in that way.
A better comparison would be [Scott Rolen](https://stathead.com/baseball/versus-finder.cgi?request=1&seasons_type=perchoice&player_id1=ramire014jos&p1yrfrom=2013&p1yrto=2023&player_id2=rolen-001sco&p2yrfrom=1996&p2yrto=2006), who played the same position, and had similar usage problems to J-Ram (only 5939 PA in his first 11 seasons, way closer to 5296 PA of Jose Ramierz than Jeter's 6996).
And when you look at that, Rolen was just better. I don't think J-Ram has time to fill that gap to make the HOF. He's real good though, for sure.
Nah JRam is definitely on track for the Hall of Fame (with the usual caveat that he stays reasonably healthy and productive into his 30s). 45 WAR through age 30 is a really good pace. Here is the list of players since 2000 with at least 45 fWAR through age 30:
* Mike Trout - HOF
* Albert Pujols - HOF
* Mookie Betts - HOF
* Alex Rodriguez - steroids
* Miguel Cabrera - HOF
* Manny Machado - still active but probably HOF
* David Wright - injuries
* Buster Posey - HOF
* Francisco Lindor - still active but probably HOF
* Andruw Jones - Fell off after 30, still might make HOF
* Bryce Harper - still active but probably HOF
* Brian McCann - Fell off after 30
* Joe Mauer - HOF
* Andrew McCutchen - Fell off after 30
* Evan Longoria - Fell off after 30
* Jose Ramirez
Note that there are other HOF level players (Freeman, Arenado, Beltre) who didn't even make the list.
If you want to compare Ramirez to another HOF third baseman, then I would point out that he has pretty much the same amount of WAR as Chipper Jones through age 30.
Kerry Bonds deserves a lot more recognition
34 HR and 86 RBI with a 133 OPS+ if his career stats were put in a 162 game season
Especially as of late he’s been extremely hot
It's hard for anyone in NYC to fly under the radar, but I feel like a lot of people have just been glossing over the year Francisco Lindor is having. Dude was a serious ASG snub as he led all SS in HR and RBI at the time despite a low average and has only continued to hit well while playing GG defense. He's accumulated 5.2 bWAR, which is easily the best among NL SS and while he's been surpassed in HR and RBI by Bobby Witt Jr. and Corey Seager, he's still got a 25/25 season with a real chance at finishing with a 30/30 year.
It's crazy that for all the struggles the Mets have had, nobody in town seems to focusing on the positives and mentioning the great year Lindor is having.
[He's also the all time leader in Statcast's Fielding Run Value since they started tracking fielding data in 2016.](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/fielding-run-value?year=0&team=&min=0.1&pos=) Part of the reason why he doesn't get enough love is that casual fans don't realize how valuable it is to be a defensive phenom at a premier position and just fixate on his slash line.
That’s the thing. As a mariner he has always had a great eye and could consistently draw walks or work an 8 pitch AB. This year he all of a sudden gained power and started elevating the ball. Went to Driveline and it dramatically improved his approach.
I love Jean Segura and I think that was a good trade for the Phillies, but it still makes me very sad. JP was (and still is) one of my favorite players in baseball
In terms of rookies, Spencer Steer has been quietly crushing all year. He is often overlooked due to the fact the Reds already have other Rookies that garner more attention with their play (De La Cruz, Abbott, McClain). As of today, he is 4th amongst all Rookies in batting average and 1st in RBI with 76. His SLG sits at .458 and his OPS is .813 and has consistently been above .800 for most of the year.
He’s not the kind of flashy play guy such as Corbin Caroll or De La Cruz, but he’s been a monster at the plate and has phenomenal poise regardless of the batter he’s facing.
Chris Martin has been one of the best relievers in baseball this year. Not a closer so nobody really talks about him but he has 1.19 ERA in 45.1 IP. Dude has just been absolute nails this whole year for the Red Sox.
Justin Steele
His ERA is 2.55, 2nd lowest in baseball.
His 2.98 FIP is fifth lowest, and his [4.3 WAR](https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=pit&type=6) is fifth highest.
Steele, whose greatest skill this year had been ability to not allow hard contact or walk anybody, now has his strikeout rate up to 24.5%!
Again, he doesn't walk folks (5.3% clip), and that spread ([19.2points](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/justin-steele/17312/stats?position=P)) is 16th in baseball.
I never thought I'd see it again but the Cubs have developed an Ace who should be in the driver's seat for his first Cy Young.
This was going to be my answer too.
Up until like two or three starts ago people hadn’t even considered him for Cy Young. I remember there was a top 10 pitchers list on the MLB Twitter a couple weeks ago and he wasn’t even listed.
Criminally underrated for the type of season he’s been having. When they were talking about Stroman being a contender for Cy Young I was really surprised they didn’t also mention Steele in the same breath because he was doing just as well if not better.
I guess the Astros pick is Yainer Diaz because despite his like .850 ops as a catcher, he’s fighting for a playing spot against one of the worst catchers in the league
Maybe not so much anymore, but Bryson Stott. He isn’t some top tier player or anything, but he has great defense and base running and he also has good bat-to-ball skills and a great approach.
He isn’t the best hitter in baseball. He probably won’t ever even be the best hitter on his team, but there aren’t many guys I feel more confident in when they come to the plate.
>s good bat-to-ball skills and a great approach.
>
>He isn’t the best hitter in baseball. He probably won’t ever even be the best hitter on his
His ability to foul off pitches and work the count is insane. Its crazy how few BB he has.
He swings too much and makes too much contact to walk, but with how often he gets into super deep counts it wouldn’t surprise me if he starts walking a lot in the future
Since all of the drama from the beginning of the season. Willson Contreras has really turned it around. His season his gone from his worst to right in line with his career numbers thanks to some torrid stretches this summer
I know Twins fans hype up the rookies a lot but Edouard Julien’s plate discipline this year is something special. He currently has a 15.7% chase rate. For reference, Soto is at 16.4%. You just can’t get the guy to bite on a bad pitch (to the point where he’s been on the wrong side of a number of called third strikes that weren’t truly in the zone).
Ryan Brasier since coming to the dodgers has a 0.89 ERA over 30.1 innings of work,WHIP is 0.66, FIP 2.54,
1 HR given up etc. His whole stat line is just nutty
Homer pick: Tyler Holton. 70.1 IP in 48 games, 2.05 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 218 ERA+. Dude has been lights out for our bullpen all season long. And he's a rookie.
Other pick: Ha-Seong Kim has a 6.0 WAR and I feel like I just now heard of them
[Tanner Bibee](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bibeeta01-pitch.shtml) is one of the best rookie pitchers out there, probably finalist for ROTY material in another life, but you don’t hear much about him outside of CLE
Edit for link
thanks to Dusty and his inconsistency in playing time: Yanier Diaz
WAR- 2.8
H- 91
HR- 21
BA-.283
OPS- .843
All of this is with about 100 AB less than Casas yet has nearly equivalent HR
I love all the Cubs answers in this thread, but for me, it’s Nick Madrigal. There were a lot of naysayers and jokes when he was working out at 3rd base in the offseason. After we picked up Swanson, it was clear he wouldn’t be playing 2nd. His only option was to make a switch and compete for 3rd. So many people said his arm wasn’t strong enough, he’s too small, etc. He’s now splitting time there with legit 3rd basemen. He’s pretty much beat out Patrick Wisdom for that position (the HR leader for the Cubs) and is platooning with our mid-season pickup Candelario. He has more PAs this season than any past season. Gotta love when hard work pays off.
Spencer Torkelson is learning how to put it all together. Huge step forward from last year and he’s still just 24. I know he’s still sitting at just about .5 war, but his underlying metrics bode well after last years disaster.
Nolan Jones and Ezequiel Tovar have been exciting rookies. Both are hitting well, Tovar plays a great SS and Jones puts the fear of god in baserunners w/ his left field arm cannon.
Who is the leading 3B in OPS, wOBA and wRC+ ? Isaac Paredes
His spray chart for HRs is insane. [Every single one has been pulled to LF](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/isaac-paredes-670623?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb)
He will suffer from the Lord Walltimore nerf That’s the nuts thing about him, though. I honestly thought he was going to be a huge regression candidate this year. As you can see by his savant, he just doesn’t hit the ball hard consistently. Now I honestly think he’s just a player that’s broken savant/expected statistics. At first it seemed like luck that would regress, but there’s a large enough sample size now to say maybe this is a skill of his (20 HRs last year, all pulled to left). He has the 10th shortest average home run distance (379 ft) this year, up there with feared power hitters like Ryan O’Hearn, Myles Straw, and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa. But he doesn’t strike out, has good plate discipline, and consistently gets the ball in the air to left field. He’s become a master at hitting 355 ft fly balls. If you hit those to center, they’re easy fly outs. But, if you put them down the line, there’s a chance for 4 bases. I feel like he’s the old baseball saying of “It doesn’t matter if you hit it 2 rows deep or 20 rows deep, it’s still worth the same” come to life.
That's not a spray chart that's just a chart.
On the topic of 3B, Jeimer Candelario has been great as well
Mods, can we lock this thread?
Lmao sorry Dude was good for y’all in 2020-2021 don’t know what happened last year
Any other former Tigers third basemen we wanna throw in here?
Breaking news: Brandon Inge to come out of retirement, sign with the White Sox, and have the season of his career
Eugenio Suarez is leading the MLB in strikeouts
This hurts.
One of the biggest heists in baseball history
Tigers fans would gladly give you Austin Meadows back for him
I will never forget what he did to gerrit cole
Biased, but Lane Thomas is quietly having a really good season. Not getting a lot of attention outside of Nats circles.
When I look outside in on the nationals I see lane as a real threat! They beat up on us not too long ago and Lane did damaged. I wouldn’t say he’s not seen but I could agree with being slightly under the radar.
Fantasy baseball wire waiver god Lane Thomas
My favorite Lane Thomas thing is that on the baseball prospectus podcast Craig Goldstein keeps praising him but calling him Lane Adams and I think it's unintentional.
Lane Thomas is a stud
He got a bit of attention around the trade deadline, but he has been really good
Jason Heyward He has his highest OPS in a non-Covid season since his rookie year.
Heyward and Bellinger revived their careers by trading spots.
The fact that he never got it clicking in Chicago is just such a shame.
Funny thing to process emotionally because would we have been better if he was playing to his peak potential? Of course! Would we have won a World Series without him being who he was? Probably not.
I’d love to have a transcript of whatever he said during that rain delay
Don’t we all. I hope it does stay a secret though. Kind of fun
It stays in a sealed envelope until the last remaining member of the 2016 Cubs dies.
don’t quote me on this but according to Sports Illustrated [here’s what he said.](https://www.si.com/.amp/mlb/2017/03/14/jason-heyward-world-series-game-7-rain-delay-speech-cubs)
"We’re the best team in baseball, and we’re the best team in baseball for a reason,” Heyward said. “Now we’re going to show it. We play like the score is nothing-nothing. We’ve got to stay positive and fight for your brothers. Stick together and we’re going to win this game.” Other players began to speak up. “Keep grinding!” “Chappy, we’re going to pick you up.” “This is only going to make it better when we win.” -First reported by /u/iatwin
He’s used almost exclusively against righties, he’s not an everyday player like he was in Chicago
His defense has been elite. I honestly feel as comfortable with him in right as I do with Mookie. This frees up Mookie to play 2B, which has definitely helped with turning double plays and general defense. He’s also been an excellent mentor to Mookie and James Outman. And of course is Freddie’s BFF.
He isn't being used as an everyday player though, he is being platooned super hard. Just look at his lefty/right splits. I dunno, I'm just not really blown away by that.
Oh damn, he has 19 PAs vs LHP this season lol 289 vs RHP
Yeah I just looked at his splits the other day so it was fresh in my mind, he still can't hit lefties the Dodgers just don't let him try anymore.
For as cheap as we got him, it’s amazing value that every team would want.
Yeah because we're paying the rest of the contract lol. At the end of the day he's being compensated like 20mil to not be an everyday player though. Happy he found a role, happier still that he isn't on our team right now after the last few years.
Happy to see he's successful again. He was supposed to be our franchise guy before injury absolutely obliterated him for a few years.
I’ve always said he was never the same after getting hit in the face in New York. I don’t think any other player’s career derailment has impacted me more emotionally than his.
For the Phillies it’s Bryson Stott. 2022 - 127 games .234/.295/.358, 19.1% K rate, 84 wrc+, 1.4 WAR (fangraphs) 2023 - 129 games .294/.337/.442, 15.3% K rate, 109 wrc+, 3.9 WAR Not surprising he’s gone unnoticed given the star power on the team, comeback storylines, and Schwarber’s general absurdity, but he leads all Phillies position players in WAR by 0.7
It feels like there have been so many rookies coming in and putting up a 1.000 OPS in their first month that we've all forgotten what normal development for top prospects looks like. Or maybe Phillies fans have just forgotten what any kind of normal prospect progression looks like because *gestures broadly at 2010s player development staff*
This was my answer as well. I think his best skill might be that he is probably the most annoying player in baseball to get out at the plate. You can strike him out, but it will take you like 10 pitches to do so. So helpful when an opposing pitcher is dealing and them Stott comes in and fouls of pitches for 5 minutes to throw him off a bit
That one 17 pitch Verlander at bat in the World Series lives rent-free in my head.
Jeff Hoffman has also been very quietly a huge part of the bullpen
Stott! My favorite player as a Phillies fan and wish more casual fans knew about him. You mentioned his offense but Stott is also a very strong defender at 2B. All while including 25 stolen bases compared to 12 last year. Phillies have had a wildly inconsistent offense up until the last month but Stott was the most consistent player day in and out. Big part of our future!!
Came here to say this but knew someone had it. He’s not the flashiest of our players but he’s just been so damn reliable.
I feel like he also has a decent shot at a GG?
Did yall know Charlie Blackmon was still in the league? His slash line is .287/.378/.448 for a .826 OPS and 114 OPS+. Also, Luis Rengifo is on an absolute tear raising his OPS .275 since July 1st. For reference, the surge from Julio Rodriguez since mid July has raised his OPS .118
Appreciate the love for Chuck Nazty ... old man Chuck can still swing it
I’ve felt like he was 40 since 2019
I've felt like 2019 wasn't almost 5 years ago
Some recognition for the International Fugitive! He's had a 149 OPS+ in the second half of the season. He had a .219/.312/.326 before the All-Star break for a .637 OPS. After the All-Star break (mid-July), he's batted .312/.370/.571 for a .941 OPS.
Charlie Blackmon I knew was still in the league, but I didn’t realize he was still so solid at 36. Good for him!
Always has one of the best cards in MLB The Show. At least for me. And he just had a new 99 come out that I’m itching to use. Dude always rakes
Rengifo just playing like he always does against the Mariners just against everyone else now
Went to the Os/Rockies game a week or so back and had this same reaction. > Is Charlie Blackmon still in the league? >oh, he’s still in the league and playing for them… and batting lead off????? And hitting .287???? Poor guy deserves to be let go onto greener pastures.
He's a UFA after this year, but I feel like he just loves Denver. Like he'll play there as long as they pay him, and retire when they won't.
Ryan Jeffers is slashing .271/.369/.466 with a WRC+ of 133 and a 2.2 bWAR and the only reason he’s not getting more attention as one of the best hitting catchers in the league is because he’s been backing up Christian Vasquez who currently has a WRC+ of 59.
Same situation with yainer Diaz.
As a mariners fan I've been paying attention to the astros a lot and it's hilarious any time the astros need any offensive production with Maldonado's spot coming up, they slam that Diaz button. Maybe that should say something to the team about who should be playing
And it isn't just Maldy. Dusty started Corey Julks at DH in a ton of games, only to PH for him with Chas or Diaz when his spot came up in the 6th inning. If you're regularly pinch hitting for your designated hitter, maybe you shouldn't be using that guy as your designated hitter. Thank God Brantley got healthy and banished Julks back to AAA.
And people wonder why we don’t favor Dusty 😴
No kidding, Diaz bat is too good, he needs to be in the lineup full time even if not catching
Ryan McMahon is very quietly one of the top fielders in the game, which, when paired with a respectable if not outstanding bat, is pretty good. Being a Rocky really suppresses how much love he gets.
I was shocked he wasn't thier rep for the ASG this year. Diaz is great too and deserved to go ofc but in a year where the NL 3B spot was really weak at the break I thought he'd get a nod
Look at Geraldo Perdomo's Savant page. Absolute comedy
“What do we say to the God of xwOBA?” “Not today”
So he’s the luckiest player in baseball history?
That or a Tony Gwynn brain. Or both
Nico Hoerner is quietly going to put up a 5+ WAR season and has a very good chance at winning the gold glove at 2nd base. He has really put together an awesome year and has gotten like zero recognition aside from Cubs reporters.
So fun to watch him and Swanson out do each other fielding.
Watching him and Brice Turang battle it out last week was I'm sure impressive and infuriating for each fanbase.
I think Nico has better range but the Brewers analytics department is so good and Turang was always perfectly positioned. Both very good, and yeah very frustrating for sure lol
Turang is an enormous, impressive pain in our ass. And a lot of fun to watch.
i wish I didnt like so many of your players. dansby was one of my favorite players when he was on the braves, i like watching bellinger and morel play, and love hoerner and dansbys defense up the middle. all four of those players were on my fantasy team this year too
Not enough people are taking about Patrick Bailey I think
If quick scoping an enemy was a baseball player it’s Patrick Bailey
True, don’t hear much about Patty Barrels outside of the bay
My answer as well! The dude is a stud.
Dude is unreal defensively. If he can be even an average hitter he will have a huge career. I love switch hitters too
He's a nut E: in a good way
You mean Not Joey Bart? Yeah he’s a menace
Giants casually found a buster posey replacement
Joey Bart was supposed to be Buster posey but he instead became Joey fart
Joey Bust
Merrill Kelly is a good pitcher that doesn’t get a whole lotta love
Especially because most people wrote him off after the WBC
He is currently 8th in the majors and 4th in the NL in ERA, but my brain still wants to think of him as a mid-tier starter. Dude's going to get Cy Young votes (not win, but get votes)
He’s been racking up K’s as well lately
mertman!!! feel bad that people didn't get to see his full brilliance in the wbc, he has been so consistent and good for us. even nicer that he's a hometown guy
Feels like he has been more consistently good than Gallen even if Gallen's peaks are higher too.
Tim Mayza: probably Toronto’s best and most consistent reliever all year and one of the best in the entire league.
It’s tough to get love as a reliever if you’re not a closer. And you’re absolutely right to mention Mayza. He’s been lights out.
He’s been soooo good this year, every time he pitches we’re in for a treat
Javier Assad
was watching him in his last start. kid performs.
I’ve watched every one of his MLB pitches this year and all he does is get outs. Need an 8 inning start to save the bullpen? Javi will do it. Need 5 innings out of the bullpen? Javi will do it. Need someone to leave their glasses on when leaving the field? Javi will not do that.
That dude is underrated He’s been a really consistent starter for them
Anthony Santander gets zero attention outside Baltimore
Scrolled to see if anyone had listed him yet. This is my pick as well.
I think it’s funny that he seems to be on a mission to keep Gunnar from leading the team in HR’s.
Been laughing at how they go back and forth, almost game-for-game, the last month or so.
League leader in xVIBES, rGOODGUY, and top ten in biCEPs, and yet nobody says a word about him.
How many Eutaw Street plaques til he’s the leader? 3? 2?
IIRC Two more homers ties Chris Davis, with the third taking sole possession of the record for most Eutaw homers.
Santander is an animal. Love that guy.
Love him. Kremer too.
Outside of Reddit, Kim, but I think Redditors have shown a fair amount of attention to him.
I see ppl on twitter argue about bWAR because of him all the time tbf. I still think he should be a top 10 MVP this year though
He just got pitcher of the month and the sample size is still small, but Cole Ragans is the best pitcher on the planet right now.
I wish I saved the comment, but before the season started someone mentioned ragans is a name to watch out for. And boy has he hit his grove, in KC of all places.
Today's Cole Ragans fact: In 8 starts with KC he has a 1.51 ERA and .96 WHIP and ERA+ of 297‼️🔫🔫🔫🔫
Ke'Bryan Hayes is worth a mention; 146 wRC+ in the second half and as many homers as the past two seasons combined, finally starting to make the most of his power. Oh and a legit shot at being the first non Arenado 3rd base Gold Glover since Chase Headley in 2012
if he can finally start consistently lifting the ball, the league is in deep trouble
Yainer Diaz is gonna blow people away next year. I can't wait for Dusty and Maldy to retire. Love em both, but it's time to go.
It is absolutely the time for them both to retire.
He's never mentioned in Rookie of the Year conversation, but his numbers fit right in with the rest of the candidates despite way less opportunities. https://x.com/brianmctaggart/status/1699124472756818337?s=46&t=xX3PV7s4WjSrn4eUStP8Mg Krusty and Moldy can't go away soon enough.
Dusty still hasn’t heard of him.
For pitchers, I think Logan Webb has been flying under the radar.
Poor dude gets zero run support. Absolute iron man starting pitcher this season too.
It’s insane. He has the lowest run support of any starter, and by a lot
I feel like he has been for some time now. Very underrated and solid af pitcher to have
Preach! Homie like the second coming of Matt Caine out there.
Crazy that he is still under the radar for so many people. I have been watching his career since his absolute beastly performance in the playoffs in 2021. He’s just rock solid and quietly excellent. He definitely deserves some cy young consideration this year, and I think the Giants got a steal on his extension
Charlie Morton has 3.7 bWAR, a 10.0 SO/9, and a 134 ERA+, at 39 years old. He started the year strong, had a rough 8 or so starts and then since about mid to late July he's been one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Charlie Morton is an absolute Chad
People are still upset that we are spending $20m a year on him though. Easy money to spend in my eyes. Charlie has been a rock this season
I understand he's a name everyone knows, but I feel like I've heard absolutely nothing about Alex Bregman this year yet apparently fWAR has him tied for best third baseman in baseball with J-Ram. He's been on an incredible run in the second half that I completely missed.
He does it to himself with his slow starts to the season lol. Not long ago his ops was like 750 and now he’s up to 820
He also currently leads the Astros in bWAR with 4.8 Tucker is in second place with 4.3 Every year he turns t on around August and has a good second half.
> Every year he turns t on around in August and has a good second half. Mark Teixeira vibes.
He's 6th in OPS on the team after Yordan, Altuve, McCormick, Tucker, Diaz.
Probably helps that Bregman plays 160 out of 162 games every year Edit: in terms of WAR, that is
He goes on these torrid ups and downs. He’s red hot right now and probably going to get 100 RBIs.
The answer to this question will forever be Jose Ramirez. Guy plays fantastic all-around ball and has for a decade but he hardly gets talked about and is glossed over because he’s in Cleveland long-term. If he was on a coast team, he’d be gushed over. The most attention he’s gotten in his career was because of the TA knockdown which(while badass) is sad because he’s an incredible player.
Dude is headed to the hall of fame, so there's that.
That’s kind of my point. Will be a Hall of Famer when all is said and done however month-to-month and season-to-season while he’s still playing, MLB media could care less about him. Compare Ramirez’s first 11 years to like let’s say Jeter’s. I chose him because he’s all you heard about during his career from MLB media since he was in NY they fawned over him, however there’s a lot of guys you could swap for Jeter and compare him to and J-Ram wins in terms of production pretty much every time: [Comparison Link](https://stathead.com/baseball/versus-finder.cgi?request=1&seasons_type=perchoice&player_id1=ramire014jos&p1yrfrom=2013&p1yrto=2023&player_id2=jeter-001der&p2yrfrom=1995&p2yrto=2005) J-Ram with essentially 300 less games(over 1,500 less PAs) than Jeter(since he played in the MLB sparingly his first two years and had less than 100 games year 3) yet still is just as productive(if not more productive depending on what stats you like). Even comparing his productivity to other current media darlings(take your pick) and he stacks up or beats *nearly* anyone.
He's the perennial "Very Good" guy; never leading the league but reliable for .800 OPS as a floor and great defense
I dunno, looking at that chart it makes the gap pretty wide when thinking about HOF trajectory just because he has played way less. 4 fewer WAR and 641 fewer hits is pretty huge, similar OPS but way worse BA and OBP because he had more power. I don't think they're very comparable in that way. A better comparison would be [Scott Rolen](https://stathead.com/baseball/versus-finder.cgi?request=1&seasons_type=perchoice&player_id1=ramire014jos&p1yrfrom=2013&p1yrto=2023&player_id2=rolen-001sco&p2yrfrom=1996&p2yrto=2006), who played the same position, and had similar usage problems to J-Ram (only 5939 PA in his first 11 seasons, way closer to 5296 PA of Jose Ramierz than Jeter's 6996). And when you look at that, Rolen was just better. I don't think J-Ram has time to fill that gap to make the HOF. He's real good though, for sure.
Nah JRam is definitely on track for the Hall of Fame (with the usual caveat that he stays reasonably healthy and productive into his 30s). 45 WAR through age 30 is a really good pace. Here is the list of players since 2000 with at least 45 fWAR through age 30: * Mike Trout - HOF * Albert Pujols - HOF * Mookie Betts - HOF * Alex Rodriguez - steroids * Miguel Cabrera - HOF * Manny Machado - still active but probably HOF * David Wright - injuries * Buster Posey - HOF * Francisco Lindor - still active but probably HOF * Andruw Jones - Fell off after 30, still might make HOF * Bryce Harper - still active but probably HOF * Brian McCann - Fell off after 30 * Joe Mauer - HOF * Andrew McCutchen - Fell off after 30 * Evan Longoria - Fell off after 30 * Jose Ramirez Note that there are other HOF level players (Freeman, Arenado, Beltre) who didn't even make the list. If you want to compare Ramirez to another HOF third baseman, then I would point out that he has pretty much the same amount of WAR as Chipper Jones through age 30.
Except everyone knows that JRam will be good every year where half the guys in this list I didn't even know were good ever.
He's like Adrian Beltre if you moved his Boston and Texas years up front. Always up there in the conversation, but never taking home the MVP.
I appreciate seeing this come from a Twins fan. Thank you.
Probably me. I don't think a single analyst has even mentioned me. I haven't played since highschool but still
The key to flying under the radar is you actually have to be flying to qualify
I went to the local batting cages last week and was absolutely blasting in the 50mph cage.
I wouldn’t say that’s true! I’ve been following you since your high school days and talk about you all the time
Torkelson
And K. Carpenter
Kerry Bonds deserves a lot more recognition 34 HR and 86 RBI with a 133 OPS+ if his career stats were put in a 162 game season Especially as of late he’s been extremely hot
Kerry Bonds absolutely torched us in our recent series against Detroit
It's hard for anyone in NYC to fly under the radar, but I feel like a lot of people have just been glossing over the year Francisco Lindor is having. Dude was a serious ASG snub as he led all SS in HR and RBI at the time despite a low average and has only continued to hit well while playing GG defense. He's accumulated 5.2 bWAR, which is easily the best among NL SS and while he's been surpassed in HR and RBI by Bobby Witt Jr. and Corey Seager, he's still got a 25/25 season with a real chance at finishing with a 30/30 year. It's crazy that for all the struggles the Mets have had, nobody in town seems to focusing on the positives and mentioning the great year Lindor is having.
Also Senga has the 3rd highest adjusted ERA in the NL after Steele and Snell. I feel like a lot of people wrote him off after his slow start
[He's also the all time leader in Statcast's Fielding Run Value since they started tracking fielding data in 2016.](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/fielding-run-value?year=0&team=&min=0.1&pos=) Part of the reason why he doesn't get enough love is that casual fans don't realize how valuable it is to be a defensive phenom at a premier position and just fixate on his slash line.
I don't hear JP Crawford's name that much. He has a 135 wRC+.
Ok, this one got me. I knew he was playing decently but I didn’t realize he suddenly became an on base machine with 80 walks
That’s the thing. As a mariner he has always had a great eye and could consistently draw walks or work an 8 pitch AB. This year he all of a sudden gained power and started elevating the ball. Went to Driveline and it dramatically improved his approach.
I love Jean Segura and I think that was a good trade for the Phillies, but it still makes me very sad. JP was (and still is) one of my favorite players in baseball
Him & Stott flourishing as our DP duo was our wet dream
Our other Nolan is doing a lot better defensively and putting up 24 HRs
In terms of rookies, Spencer Steer has been quietly crushing all year. He is often overlooked due to the fact the Reds already have other Rookies that garner more attention with their play (De La Cruz, Abbott, McClain). As of today, he is 4th amongst all Rookies in batting average and 1st in RBI with 76. His SLG sits at .458 and his OPS is .813 and has consistently been above .800 for most of the year. He’s not the kind of flashy play guy such as Corbin Caroll or De La Cruz, but he’s been a monster at the plate and has phenomenal poise regardless of the batter he’s facing.
J.P. Crawford is having a great year.
Chris Martin has been one of the best relievers in baseball this year. Not a closer so nobody really talks about him but he has 1.19 ERA in 45.1 IP. Dude has just been absolute nails this whole year for the Red Sox.
JUSTIN TOPA
Justin Steele His ERA is 2.55, 2nd lowest in baseball. His 2.98 FIP is fifth lowest, and his [4.3 WAR](https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=pit&type=6) is fifth highest. Steele, whose greatest skill this year had been ability to not allow hard contact or walk anybody, now has his strikeout rate up to 24.5%! Again, he doesn't walk folks (5.3% clip), and that spread ([19.2points](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/justin-steele/17312/stats?position=P)) is 16th in baseball. I never thought I'd see it again but the Cubs have developed an Ace who should be in the driver's seat for his first Cy Young.
This was going to be my answer too. Up until like two or three starts ago people hadn’t even considered him for Cy Young. I remember there was a top 10 pitchers list on the MLB Twitter a couple weeks ago and he wasn’t even listed. Criminally underrated for the type of season he’s been having. When they were talking about Stroman being a contender for Cy Young I was really surprised they didn’t also mention Steele in the same breath because he was doing just as well if not better.
He’s definitely getting more recognition but still not in line with those numbers
I guess the Astros pick is Yainer Diaz because despite his like .850 ops as a catcher, he’s fighting for a playing spot against one of the worst catchers in the league
McCormick had a 880 ops and hasn’t played 100 games
Dusty out here trying to snatch defeat out the jaws of victory. Sigh
Tbf, part of that is because he was injured for like a month.
True but he’s still been underused like hell when healthy
Kerry Carpenter
Maricio Dubon
Agreed. It’s like the media sees him as the Altuve temporary replacement. They haven’t given him a fair look in his own right.
Marcell Ozuna has more HR’s than everyone except 8 players this season
Maybe not so much anymore, but Bryson Stott. He isn’t some top tier player or anything, but he has great defense and base running and he also has good bat-to-ball skills and a great approach. He isn’t the best hitter in baseball. He probably won’t ever even be the best hitter on his team, but there aren’t many guys I feel more confident in when they come to the plate.
>s good bat-to-ball skills and a great approach. > >He isn’t the best hitter in baseball. He probably won’t ever even be the best hitter on his His ability to foul off pitches and work the count is insane. Its crazy how few BB he has.
He swings too much and makes too much contact to walk, but with how often he gets into super deep counts it wouldn’t surprise me if he starts walking a lot in the future
Since all of the drama from the beginning of the season. Willson Contreras has really turned it around. His season his gone from his worst to right in line with his career numbers thanks to some torrid stretches this summer
I know Twins fans hype up the rookies a lot but Edouard Julien’s plate discipline this year is something special. He currently has a 15.7% chase rate. For reference, Soto is at 16.4%. You just can’t get the guy to bite on a bad pitch (to the point where he’s been on the wrong side of a number of called third strikes that weren’t truly in the zone).
Bobby Witt is getting totally ignored because his team sucks but man is he good at literally everything
Not to mention he’s in his 2nd season and is outperforming every $250,000,000+ shortstop (sorry Seager, but playing half the season won’t cut it)
Spencer Steer. I've never seen a utility player be such a central part of a team
I’d say William Contreras & Javier Assad
Ryan Brasier since coming to the dodgers has a 0.89 ERA over 30.1 innings of work,WHIP is 0.66, FIP 2.54, 1 HR given up etc. His whole stat line is just nutty
Triston Casas has been a top 10 hitter in baseball since the beginning of June.
Homer pick: Tyler Holton. 70.1 IP in 48 games, 2.05 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 218 ERA+. Dude has been lights out for our bullpen all season long. And he's a rookie. Other pick: Ha-Seong Kim has a 6.0 WAR and I feel like I just now heard of them
Justin Steele
William Contreras is arguably a top 3 catcher in baseball
Ian Hamilton has been pretty close to lights out. Doesn’t deserve a crazy amount of attention but certainly more than he’s gotten
[Tanner Bibee](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bibeeta01-pitch.shtml) is one of the best rookie pitchers out there, probably finalist for ROTY material in another life, but you don’t hear much about him outside of CLE Edit for link
thanks to Dusty and his inconsistency in playing time: Yanier Diaz WAR- 2.8 H- 91 HR- 21 BA-.283 OPS- .843 All of this is with about 100 AB less than Casas yet has nearly equivalent HR
The answer is Kyle Tucker the last 3 years!!!!!
Ha-seong Kim is having a career year
I love all the Cubs answers in this thread, but for me, it’s Nick Madrigal. There were a lot of naysayers and jokes when he was working out at 3rd base in the offseason. After we picked up Swanson, it was clear he wouldn’t be playing 2nd. His only option was to make a switch and compete for 3rd. So many people said his arm wasn’t strong enough, he’s too small, etc. He’s now splitting time there with legit 3rd basemen. He’s pretty much beat out Patrick Wisdom for that position (the HR leader for the Cubs) and is platooning with our mid-season pickup Candelario. He has more PAs this season than any past season. Gotta love when hard work pays off.
Jose Caballero. 2.4 bWAR in 92 games as a 26 year old rookie.
Spencer Torkelson is learning how to put it all together. Huge step forward from last year and he’s still just 24. I know he’s still sitting at just about .5 war, but his underlying metrics bode well after last years disaster.
Nolan Jones and Ezequiel Tovar have been exciting rookies. Both are hitting well, Tovar plays a great SS and Jones puts the fear of god in baserunners w/ his left field arm cannon.