James McCann, Chicago White Sox
Entering this season, McCann had never posted an fWAR above 1.0, a wRC+ above 95, or an OPS better than .733. Through 113 plate appearances, those numbers are currently 1.2, 147, and .918. It’s also accompanied by a .340/.381/.538 line with four home runs and 12 RBI.
His soft-hit rate has improved by nearly five percentage points, but not much else has changed in his batted-ball profile. In fact, his ground-ball rate is up at 42.5%, the highest it’s been since 2015 (49.8%). So what’s the difference?
Well, he’s just annihilated four-seam fastballs. In 2018, he slashed .204/.278/.328 against them, which yielded a 79 wRC+. Those numbers look quite different through two months of this season, as he’s hitting .433/.469/.667 with a 213 wRC+. This has come with an obscene 65.0% line-drive rate, which is quite a difference when compared to last year’s 27.5% mark.
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