MLB surprises on May 8th
We are now six weeks into the season and some huge surprises continue to dominate the baseball landscape.
You would have to be living under a baseball rock to not know that Ryan Zimmerman has emerged from his three-year cocoon to become the spring butterfly of 2017 major league baseball. Zimmerman has a ton of fun stats but the coolest stat might be that on May 8th, 2017 he already has more WAR 2.3 than his three previous seasons combined which were 1.2 / .6 / -1.3 respectively.
My other favorite Zimmerman stat is that he leads the league in both doubles and home runs with 12 and 13. I think Albert Belle was the last player to lead the major leagues in doubles (50) and home runs (52) back in 1995.
Everyone knows what Aaron Judge and Eric Thames are doing but how about the potent Red duo of Eugenio Suarez and Zach Cosart? The best offensive SS in baseball per Fangraphs is Zach Cosart, not Cory Seager or Carlos Correa. Hey, did you see Tim Beckham on this list. You did, and he belongs. His exit velocity has been outstanding in 2017.
| Name | wOBA | wRC+ | PA | ISO | Team |
| Zack Cozart | 0.434 | 166 | 112 | 0.245 | Reds |
| Francisco Lindor | 0.381 | 147 | 135 | 0.297 | Indians |
| Corey Seager | 0.372 | 132 | 131 | 0.196 | Dodgers |
| Xander Bogaerts | 0.358 | 126 | 112 | 0.078 | Red Sox |
| Tim Beckham | 0.336 | 119 | 113 | 0.236 | Rays |
| Elvis Andrus | 0.344 | 118 | 130 | 0.195 | Rangers |
| Chris Owings | 0.358 | 114 | 117 | 0.191 | Diamondbacks |
| Carlos Correa | 0.325 | 111 | 128 | 0.149 | Astros |
| Asdrubal Cabrera | 0.32 | 99 | 116 | 0.125 | Mets |
| Andrelton Simmons | 0.3 | 96 | 132 | 0.093 | Angels |
Third base is loaded but Suarez is holding his own with the best players in baseball. Rangers haven’t missed Beltre yet with Gallo doing his own Chris Davis interpretation.
| Name | wRC+ | wOBA | PA | ISO | Team |
| Miguel Sano | 192 | 0.445 | 123 | 0.34 | Twins |
| Eugenio Suarez | 166 | 0.435 | 121 | 0.283 | Reds |
| Justin Turner | 162 | 0.419 | 122 | 0.132 | Dodgers |
| Jose Ramirez | 150 | 0.386 | 127 | 0.236 | Indians |
| Kris Bryant | 148 | 0.403 | 150 | 0.238 | Cubs |
| Josh Harrison | 133 | 0.376 | 118 | 0.19 | Pirates |
| Chase Headley | 129 | 0.355 | 123 | 0.167 | Yankees |
| Joey Gallo | 128 | 0.359 | 119 | 0.346 | Rangers |
| Manny Machado | 126 | 0.353 | 133 | 0.254 | Orioles |
| Nolan Arenado | 124 | 0.392 | 133 | 0.3 | Rockies |
On the pitching side, this is the current WAR leaderboard:
| Name | Team | WAR | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | GB% |
| Chris Sale | Red Sox | 2.4 | 51.2 | 12.72 | 1.92 | 39.60% |
| James Paxton | Mariners | 1.7 | 37.2 | 10.75 | 2.63 | 39.80% |
| Jason Vargas | Royals | 1.4 | 37.2 | 8.36 | 1.67 | 41.70% |
| Ivan Nova | Pirates | 1.3 | 42 | 5.79 | 0.21 | 50.40% |
| Stephen Strasburg | Nationals | 1.2 | 40.2 | 7.97 | 2.43 | 52.60% |
| Mike Leake | Cardinals | 1.2 | 40.1 | 6.02 | 1.56 | 53.30% |
| Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | 1.2 | 48.2 | 9.8 | 1.29 | 46.80% |
| Dylan Bundy | Orioles | 1.1 | 45.2 | 5.52 | 2.17 | 31.30% |
| Zack Greinke | Diamondbacks | 1.1 | 43.2 | 9.69 | 1.65 | 45.10% |
| Chase Anderson | Brewers | 1.1 | 34.2 | 7.79 | 3.12 | 40.90% |
Yup, that is Jason Vargas and Ivan Nova. Many felt Paxton had the stuff to be an elite pitcher so not quite the surprise of the long time journeyman Vargas. Nova had a remarkable resurgence after being traded to the Pirates, and it looks to be holding. So when people say that Rich Hill was the best pitching FA available, they may want to change that tune.
Nice to see Zack Greinke coming back.
I guess that package for Sale was worth it. He’s at full value right now.
- Posted in: 2017 Baseball ♦ Uncategorized
- Tagged: Aaron Judge, Albert Belle, Eric Thames, Eugenio Suarez, Ivan Nova, Jason Vargas, Ryan Zimmerman, Tim Beckham, Zack Cosart
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