Drew Storen » Washington Nationals
Storen has been one of the best relievers in baseball in the first half. The right-hander is second in the National League with 27 saves to go along with a 1.89 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 33.1 innings. The Nationals (48-39) are two games up on the New York Mets for first place in the NL East.
Jason Castro » Houston Astros
Castro has played in 64 games at catcher, while hitting .212 with seven home runs and 19 RBI for the most surprising team in baseball. Led by manager A.J. Hinch, ’96, Houston (49-42) is just 0.5 games back of the first-place Los Angeles Angels after entering the season with low expectations.
Jed Lowrie » Houston Astros
Lowrie injured his thumb in late April after playing in 18 games. He was off to a nice start, hitting .300 with four homers and 10 RBI, and could be making his way back to the Astros soon.
Jeremy Guthrie » Kansas City Royals
Guthrie owns a 7-5 record with a 5.36 ERA for the best team in the American League. Kansas City (52-34) has built a 4.5-game lead on Minnesota and a nine-game lead on Detroit thanks in part to Guthrie, who has allowed three or fewer runs in seven of his last eight starts.
Sam Fuld » Oakland Athletics
Fuld is hitting .208 with a homer, 11 doubles and three triples in 76 games for Oakland (41-50). Stanford’s career runs leader has also stolen six bases and walked 20 times for a .288 on-base percentage. The A’s are 8.5 games out of first place despite a run differential of +44, the fourth-best mark in the American League.
John Mayberry, Jr. » New York Mets
Mayberry has served as a backup outfielder for the second-place New York Mets. He is hitting .188 in 96 at-bats over 52 games, while homering three times and driving in nine runs.
Who’s Next?
Mark Appel » Houston Astros » AAA
6-2, 4.58 ERA, 78.2 IP, 60 K, 29 BB*
* - stats include AA and AAA
Stephen Piscotty » St. Louis Cardinals » AAA
.275, 11 HR, 40 RBI
Colin Walsh » Oakland Athletics » AA
.282, 10 HR, 34 RBI
Austin Slater » San Francisco Giants » AA
.289, 3 HR, 35 RBI*
* - stats include A and AA