5 MLB Hitters Quietly Having a Tremendous Start to the Second Half
Odubel Herrera, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
If there's one thing Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera loves more than anything, it's bat flips. Even when he flies out.
The Phillies' Odubel Herrera is probably regretting that bat flip.
(📹: @astros) pic.twitter.com/4qXHJFg5QD
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) July 25, 2017
He's managed to have plenty of balls drop in for base hits since the official start of the second half, too. Through 47 plate appearances, Herrera is slashing .400/.489/.800, which is good for a .525 wOBA and 225 wRC+. And for a player who's watched his walk rate decline from 9.6% in 2016 to his current 5.9% mark, it's encouraging to see that he's walking as much as he's striking out right now (14.9%).
After a slow couple months, he's done an about-face with his production, and it's rather clear to see the changes he made in his batted-ball profile. The below table shows how his line-drive rate (LD%), ground-ball rate (GB%), fly-ball rate (FB%), hard-hit rate (Hard%), and wRC+ changed throughout the year.
| Time Period | LD% | GB% | FB% | Hard% | wRC+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Through May 31st | 17.5% | 49.7% | 32.9% | 28.7% | 49 |
| Since June 1st | 27.6% | 40.3% | 32.1% | 37.0% | 141 |
Now, if he can keep himself out of the manager's doghouse by hustling when it's necessary, then he'll be in business.
