(Denny Medley, USA TODAY Sports)
Steve Gardner got a chance to talk to a number of All-Stars in San Diego. Here’s an excerpt of what he found out and wrote about for his latest column in USA TODAY Sports Weekly.
The All-Star Game is filled with players enjoying breakout seasons, such as the ones these players have given their fantasy owners in 2016. What’s helped them take their games to the next level?
OF Jackie Bradley Jr., Boston Red Sox
Bradley, 26, hit below .200 his first two seasons in the majors and just .249 in 2015. However, the momentum from a strong second half of last season seems to have carried over.
He changed his approach at the plate — and it has made a world of difference.
“I think just being aggressive with balls in the strike zone, stop being so passive,” he said of the key to his turnaround. “Be aggressive with pitches in the zone and attack the pitchers as they are attacking you.”
Bradley had a 29-game hitting streak earlier this season and entered the week with a .299 average and 14 home runs.
SS Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
Bogaerts entered the week third in the AL in hitting with a .322 average. That’s not a huge surprise since he was the runner-up to Miguel Cabrera in last year’s batting race.
However, the problem fantasy owners had with Bogaerts was that he didn’t hit for enough power. But that’s starting to change at age 23.
“I can feel it,” he said. “I’m kinda pulling the ball a little bit more, which is unusual for me.”
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Bogaerts hit 10 home runs in the first half and added No. 11 in the first game back from the break.
“It’s not that I want to pull, it’s just that they start pitching me in, in, in that it’s become a habit now, and I can’t go the other way on a regular basis as I would want to.”
While the extra base hits are nice, he’d rather be able to string together base hits on a regular basis. But if pitchers are going to challenge him inside, he has been able to make them pay.
C Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals
The difference between this season and last is like night and day — because Ramos is able to see much better. He had eye surgery in the offseason, and that has made a tremendous difference in the way he has been able to pick up the ball.
“Last year and the year before, I was swinging at a lot of bad pitches out of the zone,” he said. “Right now, I’ve got my plan. I know what I want to do when I’m hitting. The surgery helped me to recognize the pitch really well, so I’m very happy for that.”
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The results have been amazing. After hitting .229 with a .258 on-base percentage in 128 games a year ago, Ramos entered the week with a .327 average and .380 OBP. He was on pace to obliterate his career highs in home runs, RBI and runs. Those numbers made him the most valuable catcher in fantasy over the first half of the season.
Ramos’ .352 average on balls in play indicate he probably won’t continue to challenge for the National League batting title, but his improved strikeout and walk rates validate his assertion that he’s seeing the ball much better.
OF Mark Trumbo, Baltimore Orioles
The majors’ leading home run hitter has been valuable to fantasy owners not just for his ability to hit for power, but also for average.
His 28 homers entering the week were just six short of his career best, and his .287 average was nearly 20 points higher than he has ever hit for a season.
Trumbo credits working with Edgar Martinez last year in Seattle with the Mariners and hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh of the Orioles for helping him become a more complete hitter.
“Ideally I’d like to strike out a little bit less, but generally I think you’ll find that when guys are bigger power hitters, there are more strikeouts that go along with it … and more walks,” he said.
While he plays his home games in hitter-friendly Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Trumbo has been just as prolific on the road. His 28 home runs have been split evenly, home and away.
For more of All-Star observations and conversations, check out Steve Gardner’s full column in the July 20 issue of USA TODAY Sports Weekly.