Gio Urshela, New York Yankees
There seriously aren’t many better individual player stories out there right now in baseball than what Urshela is doing in the Bronx. Through parts of three seasons with the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays, he accumulated -0.7 fWAR and eight homers in 499 plate appearances.
Through 381 plate appearances with New York, he’s produced a 3.0 fWAR with 18 dingers. Some may point to the juiced ball argument to explain such a dramatic rise in homers. But still, this is a guy who is hitting .338 on the year after never finishing a season with a batting average higher than .233. His .952 OPS is more than 300 points higher than his previous personal best for a single season, and his 147 wRC+ is more than double anything he’s done before in his short MLB career.
Either way, it looks like the 27-year-old has found himself in the right place at the right time and exactly the right situation. His first half of play was impressive enough (115 wRC+), but Urshela has taken things up a notch since the midsummer classic (206 wRC+). While there’s a lot to be said about Yankee Stadium being hitter friendly, the third baseman has actually been better on the road with regard to his ISO (.198 at home, .274 away) and overall production (142 wRC+ at home, 152 away).
Just about every number you look at is ridiculous when compared to the past, but Urshela has really tattooed four-seam fastballs. After struggling to a 47 wRC+ and .000 ISO in limited time last year, those numbers are up at 187 and .296, respectively, this year.
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