This article is part of our The Z Files series.
Once in awhile, everyone gets writer's block. When this happens in-season, one of the tricks I've developed is to run player earnings, as that helps identify players to discuss, both good and bad.
After patiently waiting for Wednesday's action to conclude, I did just that. Then it hit me. Why not present the top 20 earners with commentary?
The problem was, some interesting players just missed the cut, so the top 20 became the top 30, then the top 40, before I finally settled on the top 50.
Please keep in mind my valuation system is slightly different than the one utilized on site by RotoWire. It really doesn't matter; as I've discussed, valuation is flawed regardless of the process. Doing this gives me a chance to dig deep on a few fast or slow starters with an eye on the rest of the season.
It worked out that a home run is worth a little under a buck, while a steal earns around $1.60. These are estimates since value over replacement is used, but these numbers are close enough to make the following point: two steals equates to around $3 in earnings. As you'll soon see, $3 separates #31 from #50. As such, try not to get bogged down by the raw rankings. Once you're out of the top 10, adjacent players are almost the same.
Rank | Player | TM | $Earned | BA | HR | R | RBI | SB |
| 1 | Fernando Tatis | SD | $65 | 0.312 | 12 | 26 | 29 | 6 |
| Hey, his BABIP | ||||||||
Once in awhile, everyone gets writer's block. When this happens in-season, one of the tricks I've developed is to run player earnings, as that helps identify players to discuss, both good and bad.
After patiently waiting for Wednesday's action to conclude, I did just that. Then it hit me. Why not present the top 20 earners with commentary?
The problem was, some interesting players just missed the cut, so the top 20 became the top 30, then the top 40, before I finally settled on the top 50.
Please keep in mind my valuation system is slightly different than the one utilized on site by RotoWire. It really doesn't matter; as I've discussed, valuation is flawed regardless of the process. Doing this gives me a chance to dig deep on a few fast or slow starters with an eye on the rest of the season.
It worked out that a home run is worth a little under a buck, while a steal earns around $1.60. These are estimates since value over replacement is used, but these numbers are close enough to make the following point: two steals equates to around $3 in earnings. As you'll soon see, $3 separates #31 from #50. As such, try not to get bogged down by the raw rankings. Once you're out of the top 10, adjacent players are almost the same.
Rank | Player | TM | $Earned | BA | HR | R | RBI | SB |
| 1 | Fernando Tatis | SD | $65 | 0.312 | 12 | 26 | 29 | 6 |
| Hey, his BABIP has indeed regressed… to .355. HR/FB elevated, but fully supported by exit velocity and average fly ball distance. | ||||||||
| 2 | Mookie Betts | LAD | $42 | 0.294 | 9 | 21 | 21 | 3 |
| No letting up after signing huge deal. | ||||||||
| 3 | Charlie Blackmon | COL | $40 | 0.424 | 3 | 19 | 24 | 0 |
| Run at .400 obviously impressive, but where is the power? Average fly ball distance (302 feet) is silly low, especially for Coors Field | ||||||||
| 4 | Nelson Cruz | MIN | $40 | 0.333 | 9 | 19 | 25 | 0 |
| Apparently, 2020 isn't "one year too late". | ||||||||
| 5 | Brandon Lowe | TB | $39 | 0.330 | 8 | 22 | 23 | 0 |
| Increase in HR/FB and FB% driving early power. | ||||||||
| 6 | Trevor Story | COL | $38 | 0.291 | 7 | 23 | 15 | 4 |
| Quietly doing his thing. | ||||||||
| 7 | Anthony Santander | BAL | $38 | 0.297 | 9 | 20 | 25 | 0 |
| Increase in contact very good sign, but power spike not fully supported by average fly ball distance | ||||||||
| 8 | Bryce Harper | PHI | $37 | 0.338 | 6 | 21 | 16 | 4 |
| Some luck with .346 BABIP, but career best 15.1% strikeout rate bodes well for a soft landing | ||||||||
| 9 | Mike Yastrzemski | SF | $36 | 0.313 | 6 | 23 | 21 | 1 |
| Making Grandpa proud, but underlying metrics suggest he's playing over his skis | ||||||||
| 10 | Mike Trout | LAA | $34 | 0.284 | 10 | 17 | 20 | 1 |
| Just 5-for-27 the last week. SeLl wHiLe yoU cAN. | ||||||||
| 11 | Tim Anderson | CWS | $34 | 0.379 | 6 | 22 | 9 | 3 |
| 92nd percentile exit velocity, 96th percentile Hard Hit%, 90th percentile Barrel%, 90th percentile Sprint Speed -- everyone should be so lucky | ||||||||
| 12 | Kyle Lewis | SEA | $34 | 0.351 | 5 | 17 | 17 | 2 |
| Unfortunately, underlying metric scream regression (28th percentile exit velocity, 18th percentile Hard Hit%), though 25% K rate more in line with expected after 39% last season. | ||||||||
| 13 | Whit Merrifield | KC | $33 | 0.302 | 5 | 18 | 17 | 4 |
| Good to see Merrifield running after he stopped in 2H last season and hinted he may not run much this season. | ||||||||
| 14 | Luke Voit | NYY | $32 | 0.311 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 0 |
| Huge spike in fly ball rate (46%) and HR/FB (43.5%) driving power uptick, but both unsustainable | ||||||||
| 15 | Kyle Seager | SEA | $32 | 0.301 | 5 | 15 | 22 | 3 |
| Three steals could be the most impressive aspect of resurgence | ||||||||
| 16 | Jose Ramirez | CLE | $30 | 0.242 | 5 | 19 | 18 | 5 |
| Low average but steals are buoying earnings | ||||||||
| 17 | Dansby Swanson | ATL | $30 | 0.303 | 3 | 21 | 16 | 3 |
| Carrying over 2H surge from last season | ||||||||
| 18 | Juan Soto | WSH | $29 | 0.417 | 7 | 15 | 16 | 1 |
| All this in only 56 PA - by contrast, Tatis has 122. | ||||||||
| 19 | Dylan Moore | SEA | $28 | 0.282 | 5 | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| May not sustain current level, but it's fully supported via 89th percentile exit velocity, 88th percentile Hard Hit% and 90th percentile Barrel% - plus six bags | ||||||||
| 20 | Aaron Judge | NYY | $28 | 0.290 | 9 | 16 | 20 | 0 |
| Set to hold court again over the weekend | ||||||||
| 21 | Teoscar Hernandez | TOR | $28 | 0.289 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 2 |
| Like Moore, crushing it, but for how long? 99th percentile exit velocity, 99th percentile Hard Hit% and 83rd percentile Barrel% | ||||||||
| 22 | Nick Castellanos | CIN | $27 | 0.259 | 9 | 17 | 20 | 0 |
| Power there, but run production low as Reds are 20th in runs per game | ||||||||
| 23 | Bo Bichette | TOR | $26 | 0.361 | 5 | 11 | 13 | 4 |
| Hoping to come back in September, will be tough to match start but a .353 xBA suggests it was supported. | ||||||||
| 24 | Matt Chapman | OAK | $26 | 0.248 | 8 | 18 | 20 | 0 |
| Numbers don't look great, but 38 runs produced tied for eighth highest in the league. Still, crushing the ball but fanning at elevated 32% clip | ||||||||
| 25 | Michael Conforto | NYM | $25 | 0.312 | 4 | 17 | 13 | 2 |
| Drop in fly balls helping average but hurting power. | ||||||||
| 26 | Jose Abreu | CWS | $24 | 0.292 | 5 | 16 | 19 | 0 |
| Steady as always | ||||||||
| 27 | Cavan Biggio | TOR | $24 | 0.244 | 6 | 18 | 13 | 3 |
| 17-for-17 in steals since last season, could run more | ||||||||
| 28 | Starling Marte | ARI | $24 | 0.337 | 2 | 16 | 11 | 3 |
| .284 xBA, 28th percentile exit velocity and ninth percentile Hard Hit% portend huge regression, needs to add power and speed to help mitigate | ||||||||
| 29 | Luis Robert | CWS | $24 | 0.276 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 4 |
| The rookie is playing as advertised, including 34% strikeout rate, usually a harbinger of a cold spell | ||||||||
| 30 | Manny Machado | SD | $24 | 0.235 | 6 | 18 | 17 | 2 |
| Good example of how low the league-wide average is, top 30 despite a .235 BA | ||||||||
| 31 | Kyle Tucker | HOU | $23 | 0.239 | 3 | 21 | 17 | 3 |
| Should continue to produce with Yordan Alvarez out. More experience should aid plate skills and improve BA | ||||||||
| 32 | J.T. Realmuto | PHI | $23 | 0.274 | 8 | 14 | 21 | 0 |
| Was top 10 until recent 2-for-13 stretch | ||||||||
| 33 | Wilmer Flores | SF | $23 | 0.322 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 0 |
| Playing, and producing vs. RHP, though 32nd percentile exit velocity and 25th percentile Hard Hit% warn of dropoff | ||||||||
| 34 | Dominic Smith | NYM | $23 | 0.323 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 0 |
| Production not a surprise, though 11 runs is low relative to his slash | ||||||||
| 35 | Eloy Jimenez | CWS | $22 | 0.275 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 0 |
| Get used to it, should see this for at least another decade | ||||||||
| 36 | Hanser Alberto | BAL | $22 | 0.321 | 2 | 18 | 13 | 1 |
| Appears to be validating last season's .300 BA, but .261 xBA a concern. | ||||||||
| 37 | Corey Seager | LAD | $22 | 0.296 | 6 | 15 | 17 | 0 |
| Statcast darling with 97th percentile exit velocity, 96th percentile Hard Hit% and 92nd percentile Barrel%, plus career best 11.5% strikeout rate | ||||||||
| 38 | Xander Bogaerts | BOS | $22 | 0.282 | 5 | 14 | 15 | 2 |
| One of few bright spots in Beantown | ||||||||
| 39 | Ian Happ | CHC | $22 | 0.315 | 6 | 13 | 14 | 1 |
| Walking at a 17% clip along with solid Statcast metrics - sneaky goodness in OBP and points leagues. | ||||||||
| 40 | Austin Slater | SF | $21 | 0.347 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Great production for just 58 PA. Nice supporting numbers (.328 xBA) should mean Slater stays in the lineup. | ||||||||
| 41 | Mitch Moreland | BOS | $21 | 0.360 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 0 |
| .342/.432/.895 vs. RHP | ||||||||
| 42 | Max Kepler | MIN | $21 | 0.233 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 3 |
| Across the board production compensating for low BA, which is needed with a dip in exit velocity and Hard Hit% compared to last season | ||||||||
| 43 | DJ LeMahieu | NYY | $21 | 0.411 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 1 |
| Hopes to return in September. | ||||||||
| 44 | Mark Canha | OAK | $20 | 0.279 | 3 | 15 | 17 | 2 |
| .303/.400/.636 last nine games, but also fanned at a 32.5% rate over that span | ||||||||
| 45 | Donovan Solano | SF | $20 | 0.386 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 0 |
| Career .257 guy batting .346 as a Giant since last season. Still, support numbers indicative of closer to a .300 hitter. | ||||||||
| 46 | Eddie Rosario | MIN | $20 | 0.228 | 6 | 16 | 19 | 1 |
| Like teammate Kepler, exit velocity and Hard Hit% down, but good lineup and good park boosting numbers | ||||||||
| 47 | Renato Nunez | BAL | $20 | 0.283 | 5 | 17 | 15 | 0 |
| Camden Yard helps, but underlying numbers across the board are weak | ||||||||
| 48 | Anthony Rendon | LAA | $20 | 0.289 | 6 | 15 | 15 | 0 |
| Still productive, but hurt by park switch and fanning a little more, though walking a ton. | ||||||||
| 49 | Joey Gallo | TEX | $20 | 0.218 | 7 | 14 | 16 | 2 |
| .258 xBA (his highest in Statcast era) hints at a rise in BA, could be worth seeing if he's available | ||||||||
| 50 | Wil Myers | SD | $20 | 0.267 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 1 |
| Rebounding from last season, and then some. Best part is Statcast says it's real, despite a high 33% strikeout rate. | ||||||||
