{"id":119010,"date":"2026-04-15T15:30:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T19:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=119010"},"modified":"2026-04-15T15:30:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T19:30:19","slug":"let-me-check-that-stat-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/04\/15\/let-me-check-that-stat-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Let Me Check That Stat Again"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Three weeks into the 2026 Major League Baseball season, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/stats\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">if you scan the stat leaders for each league<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you\u2019ll find some names that are unfamiliar to you unless you are a devout baseball fan. They may not be there at the end of September, but they are there in mid-April. Yes, you\u2019ll see some of the veteran staples listed as well, but today let\u2019s put the spotlight on the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ve-never-heard-of-him<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> guys. In fact, some of these players may make you say \u2026 let me check that stat again.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Give Me Some Pop<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the National League, two guys from the NL Central you might not know are currently leading the Senior Circuit in home runs.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/walkejo02.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jordan Walker<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has blasted eight long balls so far to lead the NL. In only 17 games, he is already halfway to his career high of 16 set in 2023. He also has a league-best .734 slugging %. Once a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can\u2019t-miss<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals, maybe <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/03\/13\/2026-boom-or-bust-season-cardinals-outfielder-jordan-walker\/\" target=\"_self\">this is the year to fly for this Redbird<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acquired via trade in the winter, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lowebr01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brandon Lowe\u2019s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> seven homers are right behind the NL leader. This second baseman for the Pirates was overshadowed in the top-heavy American League East for years, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/br-blog\/2025\/02\/top-5-leaders-in-home-runs-for-the-tampa-bay-rays\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but he is actually one of the all-time leaders in home runs for the Rays<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. So, this power display by Bamm-Bamm isn\u2019t a huge shocker.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBblMW1Bzb\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 5700px; aspect-ratio: 5700\/3800;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>Not Homer or Bart<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Simpson family member is currently the only man in MLB with a .400+ batting average. It\u2019s not Homer or Bart either: his name is <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/simpsch01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chandler Simpson<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This speedster for the Tampa Bay Rays is <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/05\/25\/rays-chandler-simpson-provides-hitting-plus-speed\/\" target=\"_self\">hitting at a .407 clip<\/a>; that includes an AL-best 24 hits. With his penchant for infield hits and bunt singles, this dude may be able to sustain a .300+ average for the season and possibly win a batting title in the AL.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Some More Rice Please<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outside of the Bronx, many baseball fans don\u2019t know <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/ricebe01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ben Rice<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/01\/03\/rice-is-key-for-yankees-next-season\/\" target=\"_self\">they are finding out in 2026<\/a>. Major League Baseball pitchers are also finding out. This first baseman for the Yankees currently leads all of baseball in OBP (.500), slugging % (.745), and OPS (1.245). It\u2019s too early to call Rice the second coming of <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gehrilo01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Iron Horse<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mattido01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Donnie Baseball<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but he is providing some needed protection for <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/j\/judgeaa01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aaron Judge<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the Bombers\u2019 lineup.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"a61405551f80e72f675225f083759bb9\" image-id=\"fwuQV76f4MH8\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 3900px; aspect-ratio: 3900\/2700;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>The Angel on the Mound<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here is a trivia question I doubt even the most ardent followers of the MLB would nail \u2026 what pitcher currently leads the American League in WAR (1.8), wins (four), ERA (.33), strikeouts (31), and WHIP (.667)? If you guessed <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/soriajo02.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jose Soriano<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you get an <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all-expenses-paid<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> trip to Anaheim. This Opening Day starter for the Angels has been practically flawless in his four outings. That includes back-to-back games with 10 K\u2019s. A once marginal pitcher is developing into a Halo ace.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit:<span>\u00a0Jeff Curry-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three weeks into the 2026 Major League Baseball season, if you scan the stat leaders for each league, you\u2019ll find some names that are unfamiliar to you unless you are a devout baseball fan. They may not be there at the end of September, but they are there in mid-April. Yes, you\u2019ll see some of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5735,"featured_media":119042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,1071,35],"tags":[501,28591,2447,6383,28695],"class_list":["post-119010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-mlb","category-news","tag-aaron-judge","tag-ben-rice","tag-brandon-lowe","tag-jordan-walker","tag-jose-soriano"],"modified_by":"Augustus Oswald, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5735"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119010"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119045,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119010\/revisions\/119045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}