The St. Louis Cardinals are finally back on the field and will have a very intense schedule. However, some Reds players tested positive and the games between the Reds and Pirates were postponed. The 2020 season is truly full of unexpected things. In the shortened season, it is possible that we could see something happen.
There are three players who hit above .400 thus far. Colorado Rockies’ outfielder Charlie Blackmon, 4-time NL All-Star, had a 15-time hitting streak from July 26 to August 11. Back on August 11, his batting average was .500. However, he failed to have a hit on August 12 and on August 14. But, he collected 3 hits in the next two games against the Rangers. Blackmon also leads the majors in hits.
DJ LeMahieu, the 2016 NL batting title winner, now leads the American League in batting average. In 19 games played this season, he hit safely in 16 games.
Donovan Solano is surely a surprise in the Giants lineup. In 19 games played, he hit safely in 17 games, but he went 0-for-5 in the series finale against the Athletics on August 16.
There are still approximately 40 games remaining for these three players. It will certainly be a very tough challenge for a player to hit above .400. Solano and Blackmon will still have to face the Dodgers, the team leads in team ERA. LeMahieu is currently on the injured list due to the left thumb sprain. Hall of Famer George Brett and Tony Gywnn did not finish a season with a .400 BA. In this shortened season, it will be really interesting to see if someone could reach this benchmark.
Do we forget Bryce Harper? The 2015 NL MVP has hit safely in the last 8 games. In 2015, his OBP was .460. In this season, Harper reaches base safely in all 17 games played so far. He's still very dangerous and he's still only 27.
We all know that Charlie Blackmon can hit and it’s also really hard to get him out. His OBP is slightly behind Harper.
Jesse Winker is starting to heat up, hitting 5 home runs in the last 5 games. His on-base percentage is .484 so far. Nevertheless, since the games between the Reds and Pirates were postponed, it will be worth watching if Winker can stay hot after the Reds are cleared to play.
When was the last time that a player had an OBP over .500? In 2004, Barry Bonds had a sensational .609 OBP, which is the MLB record. In Bonds’ career, he had 4 seasons with an OBP over. 500. Last season, Mike Trout led in OBP, with a .438 OBP.
One-third of the season is gone, either hitting over .400 or having an over .500 on-base percentage is certainly not easy. But it surely gives us something to watch and discuss in this pandemic-impacted season. Even though there are only 60 games in the 2020 season, reaching one of these two benchmarks will still be truly huge and unforgettable.
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