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George Springer
George Springer has gone from one of the most underrated centerfielders in baseball to an MVP candidate in the span of 83 games.
He is second in baseball, behind New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge, with 27 home runs, is first with 76 runs scored, is fourth with a .613 slugging percentage and is fifth with a .993 OPS.
The crazy thing is that this is all as a lead off hitter.
He currently is the record holder for home runs from the No. 1 spot in the lineup. To put that in perspective, Charlie Blackmon, the Colorado Rockies centerfielder and 2017 Home Run Derby participant, is second this season with 20 home runs in the lead off spot.
Part of the success Springer is having is his aggressive approach in the batter’s box. With a career low walk percentage of nine percent, he has hit nine home runs in the first inning this season, hitting .324 with a 1.196 OPS.
Next: Astros trio of prospects shine at the All-Star Futures Game
With Judge becoming the midseason AL MVP candidate, Springer may be able to give him a run for his money if he keeps putting up numbers like he has been. That will be a battle to watch for the rest of the season.
***Stats provided by MLB.com and FanGraphs***