The Five Biggest Surprise Players in the MLB this Year

Through roughly 66 games this MLB season we are starting to get a feel for who is the real deal this season. Some people are meeting expectations, some falling to meet expectations. Then we get to those who are exceeding expectations and surprising us all. Here are the five players that I believe are the biggest surprises this season.

1. Adolis García

While García has had a quiet past two weeks, he was electric in the month of May. García batted a .312 with 11 home runs, 27 RBIs, and a .981 OPS. To add on to that great month, he added the AL Rookie of the Month award for the month of May. Overall on the season, García is batting a .274 with 16 home runs, 46 RBIs, an .824, and a 124 OPS+. Why is he a big surprise this season? García was traded to the Rangers after a poor stint with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was cut by the Rangers four months ago but was then invited back as a non-roster invitee. After Ronald Guzmán was injured, García was called up and has been raking ever since. It’s nice to see the Rangers adding a bright spot to their roster

2. Jesse Winker

Winker is having a fantastic season so far. Through 60 games this season, Winker is batting a .340 with 17 home runs, 41 RBIs, an OPS of 1.036, and an OPS+ of 168. My goodness. The lefty showed flashes of his power during the shortened season last year hitting 12 home runs in 54 games. With an extra 5 games played, he is well on his way to hitting 30+ home runs this season. The only knocks on him are hitting ability to hit against lefties and defense. Winker is batting .255 with only 1 home run against lefties. In the field, he has a -6 Rdrs. As Winker gets more reps through the season, I’m sure his defense will pick up and so will his eye against left-handed pitching.

3. Cedric Mullins

Adding on to an already solid Orioles outfield, Mullins is enjoying himself a nice breakout year. Mullins is batting a .320 with 9 home runs, 19 RBIs and an OPS of .931. In his first 12 games of June, he is batting a .435 with a 1.279 OPS. He was already having a great first 2 months of baseball but it looks like he is heating up even more. He is hitting the ball harder than he even has before with a 38.1% hard-hit rate Not to mention he also brings solid defense to center field as well. Mullins is looking like he will represent the O’s at the All-star game.

4. Shohei Ohtani

Ohtani is getting the attention of every sports fan this season and there is good reason for that. Ohtani signed with the Angels just before the start of the 2018 season. After tearing up the NPB, the dual-threat made his way into the MLB. Being able to pitch and hit with high efficiency is something you do not see today. Through the first 63 games of the season, Ohtani is dominating both hitting and pitching. Ohtani is chasing Vlad Jr in the home run race with 19 home runs so far. Ohtani’s career-high is 22 home runs. As far as pitching is concerned, he is 3-1 in 53.1 innings pitched with a 2.70 ERA and a 12.3 K/9. If he can remain healthy, the sky is the limit for Ohtani.

5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vladdy Jr was due for a breakout year and it is here. Guerrero Jr is not only having a breakout year, he is in the triple crown race. He leads the AL in home runs and RBIs with 22 and 56 respectively. He is batting a .342 on the year and is tied with Michael Brantley. This month he is popping off. Through 14 games, Guerrero Jr. has a .435 batting average with 11 home runs! The Blue Jays may only be 33-33 but, behind his hot bat in the month of June, the Blue Jays are going to be a force.