August is the time to get hot
ALL SEASON, you’ve been looking for Mr. Right. You looked for players who were atop the leaderboards in a variety of categories and for those who weren’t, Name recognition was enough to inspire hope of an impending breakout. Now roughly two weeks into August, you can forget about Mr. Right and find yourself Mr. Right-Now.
You shouldn’t be looking at seasonlong data anymore. You need to start refining your search and see which players are hottest here in the month of August. If you don’t, you’re going to miss out on quite a number of underthe-radar players.
While many are looking at catchers like J.T Realmuto and Willson Contreras, you may want to see if the Padres’ Austin Hedges is available. With a .333 average, three homers, six RBIs and a pair of stolen bases heading into the weekend, he has been the most valuable backstop here in August.
Everyone wants to own Freddie Freeman, but when was the last time you looked at Steve Pearce’s numbers? People tend to overlook him because he works out of a platoon for the Red Sox, but with five home runs and nine RBIs over 30 August plate appearances, he is providing top-10 production at the position for a fraction of the cost.
If speed is your need, then look no further than the Royals’ Adalberto Mondesi at second base. He barely hit .250 over the first two months of his call-up, but with seven stolen bases over just 12 games this month, he is winning you a category all on his own.
Miguel Andujar is experiencing a bit of a resurgence with six August dingers after a couple of quiet months, and the Padres’ Freddy Galvis suddenly is offering some shortstop love with five home runs and a pair of stolen bases.
In the outfield, unheralded players like the Diamondbacks’ David Peralta, the Braves’ Charlie Culberson and the Padres’ Travis Jankowski are all lighting it up for you — some with power and some with speed, as the three have combined for nine home runs, 15 RBIs and six steals over the past two weeks.
Think Janet Jackson. What have you done for me lately? If they don’t have an answer rich in statistics, it’s time to move on.