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(*) BATTERS: BPV leaders, July 2022
Aug 8 2022
Let's continue our look back at the players who posted the best skills during the previous month.
These were the most skilled batters in July:
Here is a closer look at several skilled batters in each league whose top skills from July should warrant your attention.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Matt Carpenter (2B/DH/RF, NYY) was an electric bat in July (.356 BA, 1.269 OPS in 73 AB). He was able to barrel the ball at an extremely high rate (15.1% Brl%), a skill confirmed by his top-tier 170 xPX. The extreme uppercut in his swing (22/25/53 G/L/F) and his best contact rate (73% ct%) since 2017 give hope that he can continue his mid-season surge down the stretch.
Aledmys Díaz (3B/SS/2B/LF, HOU) was one of the game's biggest surprises in July. He produced both batting average and power (.321 BA, 6 HR in 78 AB). His plate approach was good, too (9% bb%, 82% ct%, 0.57 Eye). Diaz's batted ball quality supported his surge (91.0 mph EV, 11.5% Brl%). He has some appeal as your MI in deep leagues.
Jose Miranda (1B/3B, MIN) looked like an everyday bat in July. He had a .362 BA and 1.030 OPS that month. An elevated 38% h% certainly helped. That said, his 83% ct% helped to fuel his strong .285 xBA. Miranda's batted ball quality (89.0 mph EV, 8.9% Brl%) gives him above-average production potential.
Jorge Polanco (2B/SS, MIN) also thrived in July due to his ability to barrel the baseball. His .892 OPS was backed by a 14.8% Brl% and 183 xPX; he also drew tons of walks (21% bb%). Furthermore, check out his monthly BPV trend from April to July (0, 24, 72, 97 BPV). Polanco is primed for a strong final two months.
Adley Rutschman (C/DH, BAL) flashed his cornerstone catcher upside with the bat in July. He had a .315 BA and .966 OPS in 73 AB, and he didn't hack his way to get there (17% bb%, 78% ct%, 1.00 Eye). In addition, Rutschman's 159 xPX was one of the best in the game. He'll need to hit the ball harder on average to sustain his July flash (85.7 mph EV), but there's a lot to like here.
Carlos Santana (1B/DH, SEA) seemingly has not been able to awaken his bat, since his stats in July continued to be subpar (.192 BA, .715 OPS in 78 AB). On the plus side, his 117 xPX supported more production. His batted ball quality slowly is improving as well (89.3 mph EV, 9.2% Brl% in July).
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Alec Bohm (3B, PHI) owns one of the best combinations of contact and average exit velocity in the game. He had an 87% ct% and 91.2 mph EV in July. Those attributes have given him a Statcast .298 xBA, a mark that ranks in MLB's 97th percentile. There's still room for growth here if he can ramp up his marginal barrel rate. If his monthly flyball rate trend continues (26%, 24%, 30%, 33%, 56% FB%), Bohm's power could blossom. He'll enter 2023 as a premium age-26 breakout target.
Randal Grichuk (CF, COL) turned into a high-contact bat in July (78% ct%), and he didn't sacrifice his batted ball quality in the process (92.0 mph EV, 7.2% Brl%). His foundational power (107 xPX) is the highest it has been since 2018, but his steadily increasing groundball rate suggests he's more likely to hang on to a .250 BA than eclipse 20 HR again.
Austin Riley (3B, ATL) was the most skilled bat in the game during July, and his production was firmly elite (1.323 OPS in 100 AB). He combined plenty of contact (82% ct%) and power (223 xPX), and his batted ball characteristics left no doubt that his bat is legit (94.6 mph EV, 23.8% Brl%).
Bryson Stott (2B/SS, PHI) did not deliver much on the surface during July (.225 BA, .683 OPS in 80 AB), but a look under the hood reveals some reasons for optimism. For one, he showed some of the best plate discipline in the game (9% bb%, 93% ct%, 1.33 Eye). That contact wasn't of the soft variety, either (90.5 mph EV). He's a great candidate to improve his batting average down the stretch.
Trayce Thompson (RF, LA) posted the highest average exit velocity in the National League during July (94.9 mph EV). He also barreled balls at a really high rate (18.4% Brl%). Sure, he's far from an everyday player given his deep struggles against southpaws (.551 OPS, 54% ct% vL), but his growth against RHers gives him some sneaky stretch-run appeal as your fifth outfielder.
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