As the baseball season roars on and we head into the second half, one of the most exciting parts of baseball is watching all of the great hitters put on incredible displays. Day after day we see home runs from Jose Abreu, Dee Gordon swiping bags with ease and get to hear that “crack” off the sound of the bat.
Momentum is a big thing for athletes—when you are on a hot streak, the breaks just seem to go your way. That ground ball finds a hole, the deep fly ball goes over the fence or that diving catch is missed and the ball rolls through. Here are some of the hottest hitters entering the week and going forward.
5) Jimmy Rollins, Shortstop, Philadelphia Phillies
Last 15 Days: 46 At-Bats, 5 Home Runs, .240 Average, 13 RBI’s, 11 Runs, 3 Stolen Bases
Rollins has spent his entire 14-year career with the Phillies—manning the shortstop position for over a decade providing strong defense and a great power stroke. Now at the age of 35, while Rollins’ athleticism and contact rate might be on the decline, the power and knack for driving in runs is still thriving.
Ideally, the Phillies would love to take advantage of Rollins’ hot streak and trade him while the iron is hot. But Rollins is committed to finishing his career in Philadelphia and that’s just fine as long as he keeps driving in runs.
While Rollins .240 average over the past two weeks leaves plenty to be desired, he is bringing it with the power and driving in runs. Most importantly, the production is coming from the very thin shortstop position.
4) Jacoby Ellsbury, Center Fielder, New York Yankees
Last 15 Days: 47 At-Bats, 3 Home Runs, .383 Average, 7 RBI’s, 6 Runs, 5 Stolen Bases
When the Yankees signed Ellsbury in the offseason, they had grand plans of a balanced lineup and strong rotation that would lead them to the American League East crown. Unfortunately, most of the rotation is now on the disabled list and the lineup has been a major disappointment.
Ellsbury had been a disappointment since signing his seven-year, $153 million deal with New York. But he has been on fire since May, hitting .324 in June and .311 in July. With three home runs in the past 15 days, raising his total to eight dingers on the season. With 63 games left on the season, Ellsbury is well on his way to surpassing double-digit home runs for the second time in his career.
While Ellsbury won’t match the 52 bags he stole last season, he is getting on base more and starting to boost his stolen base totals. He sits at 27 on the season and five in two weeks, a number that will only grow as he keeps reaching base.
3) Neil Walker< Second Baseman, Pittsburgh Pirates
Last 15 Days: 43 At-Bats, 4 Home Runs, .349 Average, 10 RBI’s, 12 Runs
One of the most unappreciated breakout stars this season has been Walker—the 28-year-old second baseman has been a mainstay in the Pirates lineup for years, providing 12-plus home runs each of the past four seasons and a .330-plus on-base percentage over that time.
Walker is coming through for the rejuvenated Pirates once again, just one home run shy of passing his career total from last season (16). With 62 games left into the season, Walker is also set to surpass last season’s RBI total (53), while cutting down on his strikeouts and increasing his OPS by nearly 100 points. WIth an improved surrounding lineup and guys like Gregory Polanco and Andrew McCutchen, Walker has plenty of opportunties for RBI’s and runs.
Going forward there is no reason to believe Walker can’t keep riding this hot streak into the second half of the season. While his second-half average might sink below the .349 line he has slashed over the past two weeks, he can still be a .300 hitter over the final 62 games.
2) Anthony Rizzo, First Baseman, Chicago Cubs
Last 15 Days: 43 At-Bats, 7 Home Runs, .349 Average, 8 RBI’s, 11 Runs
Just two years ago, the Cubs traded away Andrew Cashner for a first base prospect who profiled as an outstanding power hitter, but his numbers were not translating in Petco Park. The Cubs were willing to pay the price. Rizzo was promoted later on in the 2012 season and hit 15 dingers in 87 games.
Last season, Chicago saw even more of that power that the franchise was hoping for when they acquired him. He hit 23 home runs over the full season with the Cubs and nearly doubled his RBI total to 80. He was 23 and the potential that scouts were raving about while he was in the Padres’ farm system, was putting it all together.
Now the time has arrived—everything has “clicked” for Rizzo and we’ve seen it this season with 25 home runs in 97 games and a 14/2 AB/HR ratio. Rizzo’s made his adjustments to Wrigley Field. 25 home runs is a great number, but he could reach 35-plus if his hot streak continues. Rizzo has a 8.6 AB/HR ratio and eight home runs in July. Rizzo also has five home runs in the past seven days, including two multi-homer games. The time has come, Rizzo is establishing himself as one of the best sluggers in baseball.
1) Mike Trout, Center Fielder, Los Angeles Angels
Last 15 Days: 50 At-Bats, 4 Home Runs, .340 Average, 12 RBI’s, 11 Runs
Of course the best player in baseball is at the top spot in this list, not just because he is a great hitter but he has continued to impress all season. The All-Star Game MVP pounded the baseball in the first half of the season and that’s only going to continue with a healthy Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton.
While Trout’s .309 average is disappointing considering his .323 mark last season, it’s on the way back up from a “bad” May when he hit .263. Over the past two weeks however, the 22-year-old centerfielder has been on a tear with four home runs, 12 RBI’s and a .340 average.
Trout should raise his average as the season goes on but the biggest asset he is bringing this year is the increased home run totals. He currently sits at 24 bombs on the season, just six short of surpassing the career-record 30 home runs he put up in 2012. Of all the hitters on this list, Trout is the best chance of keeping up his splits over the rest of the season, as they correlate much better to his career numbers than the other four.