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Young targets, 2024 mid-season
Jul 1 2024
Let's continue our mid-season look at the most skilled young players in the game by moving on to hitters.
These bats age 26 and under have posted the highest levels of production so far in 2024 (min 50 PA):
| Name | Lg | Tm | Age | bb% | ct% | Eye | EV | LA | Brl% | OPS |
| Royce Lewis | AL | MIN | 25 | 10% | 82% | 0.60 | 88.1 | 15.1 | 15.9% | 1.054 |
| Juan Soto | AL | NYY | 25 | 19% | 79% | 1.15 | 94.4 | 9.3 | 18.7% | 1.005 |
| Gunnar Henderson | AL | BAL | 23 | 13% | 74% | 0.55 | 94.0 | 10.1 | 13.3% | 1.000 |
| Steven Kwan | AL | CLE | 26 | 8% | 92% | 1.11 | 86.2 | 13.9 | 1.9% | .969 |
| Spencer Horwitz | AL | TOR | 26 | 17% | 85% | 1.38 | 88.3 | 15.2 | 11.4% | .950 |
| Mark Vientos | NL | NYM | 24 | 9% | 75% | 0.38 | 90.2 | 7.0 | 15.5% | .933 |
| Kerry Carpenter | AL | DET | 26 | 7% | 74% | 0.29 | 88.6 | 17.1 | 16.2% | .914 |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | AL | KC | 24 | 7% | 81% | 0.43 | 92.6 | 14.9 | 14.6% | .884 |
| Francisco Alvarez | NL | NYM | 22 | 10% | 78% | 0.52 | 90.8 | 8.9 | 7.4% | .876 |
| Triston Casas | AL | BOS | 24 | 13% | 67% | 0.46 | 89.9 | 10.6 | 11.5% | .857 |
| Heliot Ramos | NL | SF | 24 | 11% | 69% | 0.39 | 92.3 | 7.9 | 16.4% | .857 |
| CJ Abrams | NL | WAS | 23 | 7% | 79% | 0.34 | 89.3 | 15.7 | 7.1% | .853 |
| Jordan Westburg | AL | BAL | 25 | 6% | 76% | 0.25 | 91.8 | 13.4 | 10.7% | .849 |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | AL | TOR | 25 | 11% | 82% | 0.66 | 94.5 | 5.6 | 13.7% | .844 |
| Michael Massey | AL | KC | 26 | 3% | 82% | 0.14 | 88.2 | 15.1 | 7.0% | .843 |
| Name | Lg | Tm | Age | bb% | ct% | Eye | EV | LA | Brl% | OPS |
| Riley Greene | AL | DET | 23 | 13% | 70% | 0.48 | 91.0 | 10.7 | 13.3% | .841 |
| Joey Ortiz | NL | MIL | 25 | 14% | 81% | 0.85 | 87.8 | 10.8 | 6.4% | .835 |
| Josh Smith | AL | TEX | 26 | 9% | 78% | 0.48 | 87.0 | 16.5 | 3.0% | .834 |
| Adley Rutschman | AL | BAL | 26 | 8% | 80% | 0.45 | 89.5 | 17.5 | 8.9% | .831 |
| Eguy Rosario | NL | SD | 24 | 4% | 62% | 0.10 | 89.5 | 13.3 | 15.2% | .829 |
| Jose Miranda | AL | MIN | 26 | 6% | 84% | 0.38 | 89.8 | 15.8 | 8.0% | .824 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | NL | SD | 25 | 9% | 77% | 0.42 | 93.2 | 11.0 | 13.9% | .821 |
| Elly De La Cruz | NL | CIN | 22 | 11% | 65% | 0.35 | 91.5 | 10.1 | 12.4% | .820 |
| Michael Busch | NL | CHC | 26 | 13% | 61% | 0.38 | 88.7 | 18.3 | 12.2% | .809 |
| Isaac Paredes | AL | TAM | 25 | 10% | 81% | 0.58 | 84.7 | 23.7 | 4.3% | .804 |
| Kyle McCann | AL | OAK | 26 | 13% | 63% | 0.41 | 88.1 | 11.2 | 16.0% | .804 |
| Logan O'Hoppe | AL | LAA | 24 | 6% | 72% | 0.24 | 90.7 | 14.1 | 11.2% | .802 |
This group of young bats is hitting the ball the hardest:
| Name | Lg | Tm | Age | bb% | ct% | Eye | OPS | EV | LA | Brl% |
| Oneil Cruz | NL | PIT | 25 | 7% | 65% | 0.21 | .703 | 95.1 | 11.9 | 17.2% |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | AL | TOR | 25 | 11% | 82% | 0.66 | .844 | 94.5 | 5.6 | 13.7% |
| Juan Soto | AL | NYY | 25 | 19% | 79% | 1.15 | 1.005 | 94.4 | 9.3 | 18.7% |
| Gunnar Henderson | AL | BAL | 23 | 13% | 74% | 0.55 | 1.000 | 94.0 | 10.1 | 13.3% |
| Jesús Sánchez | NL | MIA | 26 | 6% | 74% | 0.25 | .651 | 93.8 | 9.3 | 12.1% |
| Jonathan Aranda | AL | TAM | 26 | 10% | 70% | 0.36 | .608 | 93.7 | 4.4 | 18.2% |
| Tyler Soderstrom | AL | OAK | 22 | 10% | 67% | 0.35 | .763 | 93.4 | 11.8 | 16.3% |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | NL | SD | 25 | 9% | 77% | 0.42 | .821 | 93.2 | 11.0 | 13.9% |
| Cristian Pache | NL | PHI | 25 | 14% | 57% | 0.37 | .558 | 93.0 | 8.9 | 4.2% |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | AL | KC | 24 | 7% | 81% | 0.43 | .884 | 92.6 | 14.9 | 14.6% |
| William Contreras | NL | MIL | 26 | 8% | 79% | 0.44 | .791 | 92.6 | 5.3 | 8.8% |
| Akil Baddoo | AL | DET | 25 | 15% | 64% | 0.50 | .563 | 92.4 | 18.8 | 13.8% |
| Brandon Marsh | NL | PHI | 26 | 12% | 65% | 0.37 | .765 | 92.3 | 11.9 | 8.3% |
| Heliot Ramos | NL | SF | 24 | 11% | 69% | 0.39 | .857 | 92.3 | 7.9 | 16.4% |
| Ronald Acuña Jr. | NL | ATL | 26 | 12% | 72% | 0.51 | .716 | 92.2 | 8.5 | 9.4% |
| Name | Lg | Tm | Age | bb% | ct% | Eye | OPS | EV | LA | Brl% |
| Lars Nootbaar | NL | STL | 26 | 13% | 76% | 0.65 | .742 | 92.1 | 4.6 | 9.3% |
| Patrick Bailey | NL | SF | 25 | 11% | 78% | 0.55 | .775 | 91.9 | 11.9 | 4.6% |
| Jordan Westburg | AL | BAL | 25 | 6% | 76% | 0.25 | .849 | 91.8 | 13.4 | 10.7% |
| Jordan Walker | NL | STL | 22 | 9% | 69% | 0.33 | .497 | 91.7 | 12.8 | 11.9% |
| Colton Cowser | AL | BAL | 24 | 9% | 67% | 0.32 | .764 | 91.6 | 13.4 | 16.0% |
| Elly De La Cruz | NL | CIN | 22 | 11% | 65% | 0.35 | .820 | 91.5 | 10.1 | 12.4% |
| Michael Toglia | NL | COL | 25 | 5% | 63% | 0.16 | .682 | 91.5 | 15.8 | 15.2% |
| Vinnie Pasquantino | AL | KC | 26 | 10% | 84% | 0.71 | .748 | 91.4 | 17.0 | 7.6% |
| Lawrence Butler | AL | OAK | 23 | 10% | 65% | 0.33 | .522 | 91.3 | 12.3 | 6.9% |
| Alex Kirilloff | AL | MIN | 26 | 9% | 70% | 0.32 | .653 | 91.3 | 13.2 | 11.3% |
| Julio Rodríguez | AL | SEA | 23 | 6% | 71% | 0.23 | .628 | 91.2 | 7.1 | 8.5% |
| Shea Langeliers | AL | OAK | 26 | 6% | 70% | 0.22 | .690 | 91.2 | 14.7 | 16.4% |
| MJ Melendez | AL | KC | 25 | 8% | 71% | 0.29 | .602 | 91.1 | 14.4 | 9.8% |
| Maikel García | AL | KC | 24 | 7% | 82% | 0.42 | .628 | 91.0 | 7.7 | 4.6% |
| Riley Greene | AL | DET | 23 | 13% | 70% | 0.48 | .841 | 91.0 | 10.7 | 13.3% |
| Name | Lg | Tm | Age | bb% | ct% | Eye | OPS | EV | LA | Brl% |
| Francisco Alvarez | NL | NYM | 22 | 10% | 78% | 0.52 | .876 | 90.8 | 8.9 | 7.4% |
| Logan O'Hoppe | AL | LAA | 24 | 6% | 72% | 0.24 | .802 | 90.7 | 14.1 | 11.2% |
| Andrew Vaughn | AL | CHW | 26 | 6% | 76% | 0.25 | .678 | 90.7 | 16.4 | 8.4% |
| Luis Robert Jr. | AL | CHW | 26 | 10% | 62% | 0.29 | .789 | 90.5 | 13.9 | 18.8% |
| Alejandro Kirk | AL | TOR | 25 | 11% | 83% | 0.73 | .587 | 90.5 | 13.0 | 5.3% |
| Yainer Diaz | AL | HOU | 25 | 4% | 85% | 0.28 | .716 | 90.4 | 8.6 | 6.8% |
| Alec Burleson | NL | STL | 25 | 4% | 85% | 0.28 | .767 | 90.3 | 16.3 | 7.1% |
| Mark Vientos | NL | NYM | 24 | 9% | 75% | 0.38 | .933 | 90.2 | 7.0 | 15.5% |
| Wilyer Abreu | AL | BOS | 25 | 10% | 71% | 0.36 | .799 | 90.1 | 18.4 | 10.4% |
| Leody Taveras | AL | TEX | 25 | 9% | 79% | 0.47 | .617 | 90.1 | 13.6 | 5.3% |
| Enmanuel Valdez | AL | BOS | 25 | 8% | 73% | 0.33 | .682 | 90.0 | 19.4 | 11.5% |
| Dominic Canzone | AL | SEA | 26 | 10% | 66% | 0.31 | .715 | 90.0 | 9.7 | 11.0% |
Finally, these young hitters are making the most contact:
| Name | Lg | Tm | Age | OPS | EV | LA | Brl% | bb% | ct% | Eye |
| Steven Kwan | AL | CLE | 26 | .969 | 86.2 | 13.9 | 1.9% | 8% | 92% | 1.11 |
| Jung Hoo Lee | NL | SF | 25 | .641 | 89.1 | 9.2 | 4.5% | 6% | 91% | 0.77 |
| Luis Matos | NL | SF | 22 | .646 | 86.6 | 15.1 | 3.0% | 3% | 90% | 0.36 |
| Will Brennan | AL | CLE | 26 | .730 | 87.5 | 12.9 | 7.2% | 7% | 87% | 0.59 |
| Keibert Ruiz | NL | WAS | 25 | .538 | 85.5 | 20.6 | 2.2% | 4% | 86% | 0.28 |
| Luis Campusano | NL | SD | 25 | .653 | 87.0 | 8.5 | 4.0% | 6% | 86% | 0.48 |
| Yainer Diaz | AL | HOU | 25 | .716 | 90.4 | 8.6 | 6.8% | 4% | 85% | 0.28 |
| Alec Burleson | NL | STL | 25 | .767 | 90.3 | 16.3 | 7.1% | 4% | 85% | 0.28 |
| Andrés Giménez | AL | CLE | 25 | .652 | 85.8 | 7.7 | 3.9% | 5% | 85% | 0.33 |
| Spencer Horwitz | AL | TOR | 26 | .950 | 88.3 | 15.2 | 11.4% | 17% | 85% | 1.38 |
| Jose Miranda | AL | MIN | 26 | .824 | 89.8 | 15.8 | 8.0% | 6% | 84% | 0.38 |
| Braden Shewmake | AL | CHW | 26 | .337 | 86.5 | 14.3 | 3.6% | 2% | 84% | 0.10 |
| Vinnie Pasquantino | AL | KC | 26 | .748 | 91.4 | 17.0 | 7.6% | 10% | 84% | 0.71 |
| Geraldo Perdomo | NL | ARI | 24 | .642 | 85.4 | 13.5 | 0.0% | 7% | 84% | 0.45 |
| Alejandro Kirk | AL | TOR | 25 | .587 | 90.5 | 13.0 | 5.3% | 11% | 83% | 0.73 |
| Name | Lg | Tm | Age | OPS | EV | LA | Brl% | bb% | ct% | Eye |
| Jackson Merrill | NL | SD | 21 | .778 | 89.7 | 11.6 | 8.8% | 5% | 83% | 0.29 |
| Otto Lopez | NL | MIA | 25 | .644 | 88.5 | 5.4 | 5.9% | 4% | 83% | 0.22 |
| Luis García Jr. | NL | WAS | 24 | .695 | 88.3 | 7.6 | 7.9% | 4% | 83% | 0.27 |
| Gabriel Moreno | NL | ARI | 24 | .659 | 89.1 | 10.3 | 5.0% | 11% | 83% | 0.70 |
| Trey Lipscomb | NL | WAS | 24 | .582 | 84.9 | 0.2 | 1.0% | 9% | 82% | 0.52 |
| Tyler Freeman | AL | CLE | 25 | .633 | 87.9 | 13.3 | 4.3% | 8% | 82% | 0.50 |
| Jeremy Peña | AL | HOU | 26 | .707 | 88.8 | 8.8 | 3.5% | 5% | 82% | 0.29 |
| Royce Lewis | AL | MIN | 25 | 1.054 | 88.1 | 15.1 | 15.9% | 10% | 82% | 0.60 |
| Johan Rojas | NL | PHI | 23 | .571 | 84.5 | 6.4 | 3.2% | 4% | 82% | 0.24 |
| Michael Massey | AL | KC | 26 | .843 | 88.2 | 15.1 | 7.0% | 3% | 82% | 0.14 |
| Maikel García | AL | KC | 24 | .628 | 91.0 | 7.7 | 4.6% | 7% | 82% | 0.42 |
| Bo Bichette | AL | TOR | 26 | .621 | 89.9 | 7.5 | 4.4% | 6% | 82% | 0.36 |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | AL | TOR | 25 | .844 | 94.5 | 5.6 | 13.7% | 11% | 82% | 0.66 |
| Bryson Stott | NL | PHI | 26 | .700 | 86.4 | 14.0 | 3.8% | 12% | 81% | 0.77 |
| Nick Loftin | AL | KC | 25 | .589 | 84.1 | 11.6 | 3.3% | 14% | 81% | 0.85 |
| Name | Lg | Tm | Age | OPS | EV | LA | Brl% | bb% | ct% | Eye |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | AL | KC | 24 | .884 | 92.6 | 14.9 | 14.6% | 7% | 81% | 0.43 |
| Colt Keith | AL | DET | 22 | .595 | 87.8 | 12.8 | 6.5% | 5% | 81% | 0.30 |
| Isaac Paredes | AL | TAM | 25 | .804 | 84.7 | 23.7 | 4.3% | 10% | 81% | 0.58 |
| Joey Ortiz | NL | MIL | 25 | .835 | 87.8 | 10.8 | 6.4% | 14% | 81% | 0.85 |
| Brice Turang | NL | MIL | 24 | .760 | 88.7 | 6.5 | 3.0% | 9% | 81% | 0.51 |
| Nolan Schanuel | AL | LAA | 22 | .656 | 85.9 | 7.2 | 3.6% | 9% | 81% | 0.52 |
| Adley Rutschman | AL | BAL | 26 | .831 | 89.5 | 17.5 | 8.9% | 8% | 80% | 0.45 |
| Corbin Carroll | NL | ARI | 23 | .615 | 87.6 | 11.0 | 4.1% | 11% | 80% | 0.59 |
| Vidal Bruján | NL | MIA | 26 | .648 | 86.0 | 8.0 | 1.8% | 7% | 80% | 0.38 |
| Sal Frelick | NL | MIL | 24 | .677 | 84.8 | 6.8 | 1.5% | 9% | 80% | 0.47 |
Let's take a closer look at a bunch of highly skilled pre-peak performers.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Lawrence Butler (RF, OAK) is fighting to carve out a regular role in the young OAK lineup. While his production has been poor in his limited opportunities (.522 OPS), his 91.3 mph EV and 12.3 LA suggest it could be due for a surge. His .247 BABIP is almost 40 points below the average BABIP of batters aged 26 and under. He could have some value in deep leagues in the second half.
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Gunnar Henderson (SS, BAL) is on track for a 40-HR breakout season due to elite exit velocity (94.0 mph EV) and an additional few points of overall contact from last season (74% ct%). Even more remarkable has been his pitch recognition. His subpar 26.5% Chase Rate from 2023 has turned into a good 20.9% Chase Rate this season. He has cemented himself as a cornerstone bat.
Spencer Horwitz (2B/1B, TOR) has quietly produced some good value when given the chance (.327 BA, .797 OPS in 66 PA). He has paired elite plate skills (17% bb%, 85% ct%, 1.38 Eye) with a good loft in his swing (15.2 LA), creating some extra-base output. Improving his so-so 88.3 mph EV would allow him to sustain his production surges.
Royce Lewis (3B/DH, MIN) has been the most productive young batter in the game in 2024 (1.054 OPS in 93 PA) due to his ability to find the barrel of the bat (15.9% Brl%) and make frequent contact (82% ct%). There's still more upside here too, since his average exit velocity in 2024 (88.1 mph EV) is two points below the levels he showed in 2022 and 2023.
Tyler Soderstrom (1B, OAK) has taken a bigger step forward in 2024 than you might realize. Underneath his low .225 BA and modest 7 HR and 18 RBI in 137 PA has been firmly elite batted ball quality: 93.4 mph EV, 11.8 LA, 16.3% Brl%. That elite production foundation has emerged without any erosion in contact from 2023 (65% ct%) to 2024 (67% ct%). He could be primed for a big second half.
Jordan Westburg (2B/3B, BAL) sometimes gets lost among all of the young talent in the BAL lineup, but he has been no slouch halfway through 2024 (.285 BA, 13 HR, 48 RBI, 6 SB in 316 PA). Those numbers have been backed by upper-tier batted ball characteristics (91.8 mph EV, 13.4 LA, 10.7% Brl%) and an above-average level of overall contact (76% ct%). Finding the same stroke against southpaws that he showed in 2023 (.284 BA, .786 OPS vL) would allow him to make further gains.
Bobby Witt Jr. (SS, KC) has increased his batting average significantly over his first three seasons in the majors: .254, .276, .307 BA. Credit a two-point bump in average exit velocity for the latest increase (90.7 to 92.6 mph EV). That jump also enabled him to increase his barrel rate again in 2024 (8.7%, 11.5%, 14.6% Brl%). He has duplicated his 80%+ ct% in the process.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Alec Burleson (RF/DH, STL) has looked like an impact bat during the past month (.259 BA, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 3 SB in 117 PA). His growth comes from pairing his high-contact approach (85% ct%) with another big uptick in launch angle (16.3 LA). That higher swing plane has allowed him to unlock more power when paired with his high level of hard contact (90.3 mph EV).
CJ Abrams (SS, WAS) is another young bat whose launch angle is steadily climbing upward (6.8, 13.5, 15.7 LA). In addition, his level of hard contact has surged over the same period (86.5, 87.4, 89.3 mph EV). That growth has come without any erosion in his bat-to-ball acumen (79% ct%). He hasn't reached his ceiling yet.
Elly De La Cruz (SS, CIN) continues to battle peaks and troughs due to his high strikeout volume (64% ct%). Still, that mark has improved over the past month (66% ct%). More importantly, De La Cruz has nearly tripled his launch angle from 2023 (3.6 LA) to 2024 (10.1 LA), which has allowed his barrel rate to jump by 50% (8.5% to 12.4% Brl%). He also has shaved nearly eight points from his Chase Rate (32.8% to 25.0%), which has helped him add two points to his walk rate (9% to 11%). He's trending towards a consensus top-5 pick in 2025 drafts.
Luis Matos (CF, SF) is a young bat (age 22) who does not own noteworthy stats (.243 BA, .645 OPS in 116 PA). But, digging deeper, Matos has the third-highest contact rate (90% ct%) among bats aged 26 and under. He is also trying to unlock his raw power by nearly tripling his launch angle from 2023 (6.3 LA) to 2024 (15.1 LA). Hitting the ball harder on average (86.6 mph EV) would allow him to take a big step forward.
Heliot Ramos (CF, SF) owns some solid batted ball characteristics, including an elite level of hard contact (92.3 mph EV) and barrels (16.4% Brl%). Finding more of an uppercut in his swing (7.9 LA) would allow him to become a more consistent power source. At age 24, he's an undervalued investment among young bats.
Mark Vientos (3B, NYM) also is an up-arrow young bat. He hits the ball hard (90.2 mph EV) and finds the barrel (15.5% Brl%). He still hits too many ground balls (55% GB%, 7.0 LA). Finding more loft in his swing would allow him to unlock his 30-HR upside, especially given his near 10-point jump in contact rate from 2023 (66% ct%) to 2024 (75% ct%).
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