For those of us who work from home, summer is the worst. You are now responsible for 3 meals a day instead of just 2, so your grocery bill has increased by about 40%. The kids come home from Summer School at noon, and you have to manage work, fights, and snacks, and it’s terrible. That being said, my thoughts turn to Tim Salmon.
Tim Salmon logged over 40 WAR in his entire career, but never made the All-Star Game. He was a slow starter, where his OPS+ in March/April was 88, but he didn’t have an OPS+ below 109 in any other month. Salmon was a weathered guy, and that’s what I’m going to look at today. Let’s see which old boys are getting hot and should continue.
Bo Bichette: The Mets are a terrible disaster, and Bo was a big part of that. Through May, the $52 Million Dollar Man had an OPS+ of 65. That made him the poster child for why he doesn’t sign free agents, ever. June has been very different. Bo knows June, and her bat is up. 6 bombs, 17 RBI (he already passed his total from two months ago), hitting .346, and a .951 OPS, rewarding those who have stuck with him so far. This would not be me, but you do Bolieve people too.
Bryson Stott: If you’re looking for a new Tim Salmon, Stott is your guy. Stott never had an OPS+ above 88 in April or May, and never had an OPS+ below 108 in June, July, or August. This year is not the same. Stott batted .304 and also had a walk, leading to an .848 OPS. For some reason, the home side was underwhelmed, but he has scored a lot of runs in June. He delivers and is a guy who should be on your list until August.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.: Not all categories have to hit for a guy to have a good month. The Jazz are hitting just .203 in June. However, he has 6 bombs, 13 RBI, 9SB, and scored 16 runs. He just keeps going all the way to All-Star level with a 2B talent deficit.
Fernando Tatis Jr: Tatis had 1 homer in two months. He has a 2 this month, but that’s not what makes him a contributor. He is hitting .337 this month on 28 hits, 10 for extra bases, is still hitting, and has scored 13 runs so far. Once he gets the loft, he will once again be a top 2 round player.
Now let’s look at two Anti-Salmon
Brice Turang: Turang was still terrible two weeks ago. He is hitting .234, one bomb, with a .234 average and a .623 OPS. His first week hitting Coors and Vegas made his month look pretty good. It’s a small hiccup in his elite season.
Xavier Edwards: There is the cliff we were waiting for. UX I will give you in June (it is the worst month). He has 17 total bases this month, good for a .224 average and .558 OPS, with only 3 SB and 1 extra base hit. A few weeks like this, and he can’t plan.
And a boy to keep an eye on.
Franklin Arias: The Red Sox center fielder is going through AA. He hit .321 with 14 home runs and 37 RBI. He should be promoted to AAA, and the Sox recently promoted Anthony Siegler to the 2nd spot. Like the guy who watched Anthony Siegler in Milwaukee last year, he’s not a road blocker. Arias just needs to continue in AAA and will move up to Boston after the All-Star break.
