Unsung Hitters Over the Last Month

Looking over the last 30 days, I toured the diamond for a standout at every position who could be available and continue to produce over the final month of the season.

C: Omar Narvaez, CWS | 148 wRC+, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 12 R, 0 SB in 73 PA

The 26-year old backstop was supposed to be a backup, but then Welington Castillo was suspended 80 games for PEDs. Narvaez has made the most of his opportunity with a 127 wRC+ for the season. He’s more than just the last month of time, too, as he’s hitting .349/.433/.544 in 172 PA since June 1st after a paltry .169/.273/.234 line through May. Castillo’s suspension is done, but now he’s on the DL with shoulder inflammation. Narvaez is a solid C2 even when Castillo returns.

1B: Tyler White, HOU | 171 wRC+, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 12 R, 0 SB in 86 PA

White got an extended look when a rash of injuries ran through the Astros offense and now he’s forcing his way into the lineup even as they get healthy. White destroyed Triple-A with a 166 wRC+ and more walks (15%) than strikeouts (13%) in 313 PA. While the 26% HR/FB rate might smooth out a bit, he’s got a healthy power profile.

2B: Adam Frazier, PIT | 157 wRC+, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 13 R, 0 SB in 79 PA

Frazier has been a solid utilityman over the last couple years and this year he’s experienced a nice little power surge. Well, this month, really. He had a .130 ISO coming into August before pop 11 extra-base hits in 78 PA since August 1st. He has boosted his flyball rate a bit, but it’s really the surge in hard contact (season-high 48%) and HR/FB rate (22%) driving his mini-breakout. Frazier is playing regularly and if Josh Harrison is dealt (he did clear waivers), there’s an even clearer path to playing time.

SS: Willy Adames, TB | 158 wRC+, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 17 R, 5 SB in 96 PA

The #11 prospect coming into the season didn’t reach the majors until late-May and was only up for a series before heading back down. Through July, he had just a .200/.256/.296 line with a 35% K rate in 125 PA. Things have clicked for the 22-year old in August. He’s cut his strikeout rate to 24% with plate discipline improvements across the board. He’s also hitting the ball a lot harder and more often to the pull field, generating a good bit of power. Adames has been key in the Rays surge and he is their starting shortstop the rest of the way (and should be locked in for the next several seasons, to be honest).

3B: Johan Camargo, ATL | 114 wRC+, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 11 R, 0 SB in 114 PA

I could’ve slotted Jedd Gyorko here (159 wRC+, 4 HR), but I wanted to give Camargo some burn. His OBP and SLG have been solid for most of the year despite toting a low-.200s AVG as late as June 16th (.219). He’s hitting .297 since then (240 PA) and even a little better in the 30 day sample we’re looking at here with a .299 mark. He’s only a deep league option because he doesn’t add much else to the AVG, but he’s one of those solid glue guys you can bounce between 3B and SS while getting low double digit dollar production by season’s end.

OF: Greg Allen, CLE | 107 wRC+, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 13 R, 7 SB in 75 PA

Teammate Melky Cabrera was a real consideration here (140 wRC+, 5 HR), too, but I chose to highlight Allen for his big speed component. Allen impressed me in the AFL back in 2016 and I was hoping he could make a real impact for Cleveland this year, but the bat just hadn’t been there until recently. The biggest difference from his minor league profile is that he managed a 10% BB rate in 1981 PA coming up, but has just a 4% mark this year. The hits have started to drop over this last month with a .329 AVG and he’s running well with 7 SBs in 8 tries. A rash OF injuries and Allen’s recent surge should keep him in the lineup consistently.

UT: Marwin Gonzalez, HOU | 176 wRC+, 8 HR, 20 RBI, 19 R, 0 SB in 107 PA

Like White, Gonzalez did his best to keep Houston afloat offensively when they lost star after star to injury. I think everyone expected some pullback from his career season last year, but I thought he’d maintain some of the gains. Through August 5th, he was still sporting a sub-.700 OPS, but a 20-game run during which he has a .333/.388/.603 line and 5 HR now has his OPS at .747 and his wRC+ at an above average 107. He’s still bouncing around the diamond with 22+ games at 1B, 2B, SS, and LF so getting in the lineup shouldn’t be any trouble.