For those of us who work at home, Summer is the worst. You’re now responsible for 3 meals a day instead of just two, so your grocery bill is up about 40%. The kids get home from Summer School at noon, and you have to manage work, fights, and snacks, and it’s just all awful. That being said, my thoughts are turning to Tim Salmon.
Tim Salmon put up over 40 WAR over his entire career, but he never made an All-Star Game. He was a notoriously slow starter, where his OPS+ in March/April was 88, but didn’t have an OPS+ below 109 in any other month. Salmon was the guy who heated up with the weather, and that’s what I am going to look at today. Let’s see which older guys are heating up and are worth making a move on.
Bo Bichette: The Mets are an abject 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 of why not to sign free agents, ever. June has been the exact opposite. Bo knows June, and his bat has awoken. 6 bombs, 17 RBI (already passing his totals from the previous two months), hitting .346, and a .951 OPS, rewarding those who stuck with him so far. This would not be me, but he’s making people Bolieve again.
Bryson Stott: If you’re looking for a new Tim Salmon, Stott is your guy. Stott has never had an OPS+ over 88 in either April or May, and never an OPS+ below 108 in June, July, or August. This year is no exception. Stott has risen with a .304 average and rediscovered walks, leading to an .848 OPS. For some reason, the homers dipped down, but he’s scored more runs already in June. He’s contributing and is definitely a guy who should be on your roster through August.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.: Not every category has to hit for a guy to have a good month. Jazz is only hitting .203 in June. However, he has 6 bombs, 13 RBI, 9SB, and scored 16 Runs. He just keeps chugging along to almost an All-Star level with the dearth of talent that is at 2B.
Fernando Tatis Jr: Tatis had 1 homer through two months. He has 2 this month, but that’s not what’s making him a contributor. He’s hitting .337 this month on 28 hits, 10 for extra bases, is still running, and scoring 13 Runs so far. Once he discovers the loft, he’ll be a top 2 round player again.
Now let’s take a look at two Anti-Salmons
Brice Turang: Turang has been horrific the last two weeks. He’s hitting .234, one bomb, with a .234 average and a .623 OPS. His first week hitting in Coors and Vegas have made his month look very good. It is a minor hiccup in his elite season.
Xavier Edwards: There’s that cliff we’ve been expecting. X gon’ give it to ya in June (it being a horrible month). He has 17 total bases this month, good for a .224 average and a .558 OPS, with only 3 SB and 1 extra base hit. A couple more weeks like this, and he will not be rosterable.
And a guy to keep an eye on.
Franklin Arias: The Red Sox middle infielder is tearing up AA. He’s hit .321 with 14 bombs and 37 RBI. He’s due for a promotion to AAA, and the Sox just promoted Anthony Siegler to take over 2nd. As a guy who watched Anthony Siegler in Milwaukee last year, he’s not a roadblock. Arias just needs to continue in AAA and will skyrocket to Boston after the All-Star break.
