MLB
5 MLB Hitters Quietly Having a Tremendous Start to the Second Half
Oakland A's third baseman Matt Chapman may not grab as many headlines as baseball's biggest names, but the numbers tell us he's one of several players starting the second half just as well -- or better -- than most of them.

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.


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.

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