As we approach the Memorial Day benchmark of the regular season, many of the game’s top players are fulfilling their greatness. But what makes each year intriguing are the unexpected performances – the players that confound the experts by rising to stardom (however briefly that may be).
Who knows how these ten surprises will fare going forward. For now, they’ve more than exceeded expectations.
10. Danny Salazar
No, Cleveland’s pitching ace is not former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber. Instead, it’s the 26-year old from Venezuela. Building on his 14-win season of a year ago, Salazar’s 4-3 record shows he hasn’t received the greatest run support. Nonetheless, his 2.8 WAR is the second-best among AL pitchers. Over nine starts, he’s posted a 2.32 ERA (ranked fifth in the league) and has allowed just 5.8 hits per nine innings. Only a shaky outing against hot-hitting Boston last Sunday (eight hits and four earned runs over 4.1 IP) prevented those numbers from being even better.
9. Marcus Semien
The Oakland shortstop made a marked improvement in 2015 — thanks to 15 home runs and seven triples. His 35 errors, however, were quite troubling. Those fielding woes may be going away. So far, he has just three errors in 215 chances. Additionally, his power numbers are continuing to improve. When Semien went deep against the Texas Rangers on May 16 at the cavernous Coliseum, it was No. 10 for the season. Now if he could just improve on that .219 batting average.
8. Travis Shaw
All headlines in Boston have belonged to the retiring David Ortiz and, most recently, the streaking Jackie Bradley, Jr. But for consistency’s sake, Shaw is truly a steady hand. This 26-year-old (who batted just .261 in the minor leagues) has quickly made Red Sox fans forget about the man he replaced, Pablo Sandoval. With a near-.300 average and playing superb defense at third base, Shaw is proving to be a solid upgrade a major reason why the Sox are in contention again.
7. Dan Straily
Don’t let the 2-2 record fool you…the first year in Cincinnati for Straily — whose only other productive year came in his rookie campaign of 2013 — been a success (even if his team isn’t). The Reds’ pitching staff’s collective ERA stands at 5.46. If not for the 27-year-old right-hander, it could be a whole lot worse. No surprise, Straily leads the team at 2.98. He also tops Cinci in strikeouts (58). Eleven of them came on May 25 at Dodger Stadium — even though it was in a loss.
6. Nick Castellanos
The Tigers lineup is filled with sluggers: Cabrera, Upton, and Martinez. Those three familiar names are also joined by an unlikely threat. Castellanos went into this season with 26 career home runs in 313 games. He’s already added nine more – along with driving in 31 runs, hitting .337 and slugging .589. Most of his production is coming on the road (six homers and 22 RBIs away from Comerica Park) and a bulk of that power is being displayed during the month of May. With that, he’s well on pace to exceed career highs in nearly every offensive category.
5. Trevor Story
April’s revelation is no longer raking at the same rate he did last month (how could he?). At the same time, Story has yet to fall off the map. After an amazing first week, which saw him hit seven home runs in seven games, he’s upped that total to 12. His four triples are a league-high, while his 104 total bases are second among National League players. The name nobody knew at the conclusion of spring training is now a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year.
4. Aledmys Diaz
Like Story, most thought Diaz would fade away following an April in which he was leading the league in batting average. Daniel Murphy has taken the leadership in that category now, but the Cardinal rookie continues to amaze — still hovering around the .330 mark while belting seven home runs and having the best offensive WAR on the club. The Cardinals are known for taking relatively unknown minor league prospects and turning them into unsung heroes. Diaz may fit the bill.
3. Jeanmar Gomez
When talking about the most surprising team up to this point, it’s definitely the Philadelphia Phillies. As for the most surprising contributor to their unexpectedly solid start? That would be the closer. It was a role Gomez inherited before the start of this season. And now, it’s highly doubtful that with a MLB-leading 17 saves (in 18 chances), he’ll be relinquishing it anytime soon. In fact, he’s left opposing clubs hitless in five of his previous six outings.
2. Drew Pomeranz
He made nine starts and several more appearances out of the bullpen for Oakland in 2015. When the Padres acquired him in the off-season via trade, they did so with the intention of placing him back in the rotation. Although San Diego is falling on hard times, Pomeranz is thriving as a Padre. With more help from his home park than the run support he’s received from his offense, the lefty leads all of baseball in batting average against (.164) — better than Jake Arrieta. His impressive 1.70 ERA ranks second. Who’s he behind? Just some guy named Clayton Kershaw.
Per STATS, Drew Pomeranz’s 1.70 ERA is 3rd-lowest for a Padre pitcher through first nine starts of a season. Lowest: Randy Jones’ 1.54 (’75)
— Dennis Lin (@sdutdennislin) May 24, 2016
1. Rich Hill
It wasn’t too long ago (less than a year, in fact) when Rich was taking the hill for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. This coming some eight years after starting an NLDS game as a member of the Chicago Cubs. Hill’s decline reached its nadir in 2013 — when he posted a 6.28 ERA for Cleveland which eventually led him out of the big leagues. Now, though, it seems he’s regained traction in the majors. After four solid outings with the Red Sox late last season, Hill (at age 36) leads the Oakland A’s pitching staff with seven victories and an AL-best 2.18 ERA. Quite the turnaround in 15 months.
