Shohei Ohtani, SP/DH, LAA
Ohtani hit his 19th homer and stole his 10th base of the season in Oakland on Wednesday night. The versatile 26-year-old has taken his offensive game to another level so far in 2021. He is just three home runs and two steals shy of his career marks, and it's not even July yet. Ohtani has been hitting the ball in the air more frequently this season, and his power numbers have blossomed as a result. His 38.5% FB% is 7.6% above his career average FB%, and his .347 ISO currently ranks 3rd in baseball.
Jose Abreu, 1B, CHW
Abreu went 1 for 5 with a home run and two RBI on Wednesday night against the Rays. The homer was his 12th of the year and his first since May 29th. The 34-year-old has struggled to make consistent contact this season. Abreu's current 31.0% CSW% and 24.3% K% would both be career-worst percentages. So, his .252/.326/.466 triple-slash line isn't up to his usual standards, but he has still been a tremendous run producer as his 51 RBI currently rank 3rd in baseball.
Xander Bogaerts, SS, BOS
Bogaerts went 3 for 5 with three doubles on Wednesday night in Atlanta. The three doubles give him 20 on the season, which is currently tied for 3rd in baseball. Bogaerts has become an aggressively pull-oriented hitter (55.1% Pull%) this season, which isn't always a great sign, but he has also improved his LD% by 4.0%, which has helped him enjoy a splendid season so far in 2021. He leads all shortstops in average (.325), and his .406 wOBA ranks second.
Aroldis Chapman, RP, NYY
Chapman hurled a scoreless 9th against the Blue Jays to secure his 14th save of the season. He did give up two hits to start the inning but rallied to retire the next three batters to protect the Yankees' one-run lead. Since getting the L in back-to-back outings, Chapman has bounced back with two clean 9th innings against the Jays. The 33-year-old has given up an earned run in just two of his 27 appearances and has a 1.78/1.74 ERA/xFIP on the year.
Matt Olson, 1B, OAK
Olson went 3 for 4 and drove in one run on Wednesday against the Angels. He now has a five-game hitting streak in which he is hitting .550 (11-20) with three homers and eight RBI. Olson has significantly cut down on his strikeouts in 2021 (24.8% K% career, 16.5% in 2021), and it has him on pace for a career year. He is slashing .297/.378/.603 with 18 homers and 49 RBI this season.
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