MLB Midseason Stat Leaders

Michael Ginnitti
Michael Ginnitti, Managing Editor & NFL/MLB ExpertJuly 10, 2023
© USA TODAY Sports

With the All Star Break upon us, our look at the current & future financial statuses for MLB's midseason stat leaders.

HITS, ON BASE PERCENTAGE, BATTING AVERAGE
Luis Arraez (2B, MIA)

2023 Salary: $6,100,000
Arraez was flirting with .400 for much of the first half, but dipped down to .383 at the midpoint (still 50 points more than any player in the game -  Acuna Jr., .331). His 126 hits at the midway point matches his overall total from back in 2021, and just 47 below last year’s outstanding campaign. He’s a serious 200 hit candidate this year. The 26 year old is in Year 2 of 4 arbitration seasons, setting up a 2026 free agency stint.

SLUGGING ON BASE + SLUGGING, TRIPLES, HOME RUNS, TOTAL BASES, ISO
Shohei Ohtani (DH, LAA)

2023 Salary:  $30,000,000
First off, anyone leading MLB in Homers & Triples at any point in time is already doing something special. Factor in all the rest here PLUS the unmentioned pitching numbers, and it’s plain as day why Ohtani is headed toward the most unique free agent scenario in league history this winter. His leading numbers: (SLG: .663, OPS: 1.050, OPS+: 182, 3B: 6, HR: 32, TB: 226, ISO: .361)

BATTING WAR, RUNS CREATED, POWER/SPEED
Ronald Acuna Jr. (OF, ATL)

2023 Salary: $17,000,000

A healthy Acuna Jr. is about as dangerous a player the game can have. He’s 2nd to Shohei Ohtani in almost every power category, while also currently sitting 2nd in batting average and stolen bases. Acuna Jr. also leads all batters with a whopping 5.0 WAR, nearlying surpassing his career high (5.1, 2019) at the midway point. The do-it-all star is owed $85M from 2024-2028. He’s worth double that.

RUNS BATTED IN
Adolis Garcia (OF, TEX)

2023 Salary: $747,760
Garcia has been filling up the stat board within a potent Rangers’ offense, hitting the midway point with 20 doubles, 23 homers, and a league leading 75 RBIs. The late bloomer won’t start arbitration until next season, despite hitting age 31 at that point in time.

STOLEN BASES
Esteury Ruiz (OF, OAK)

2023 Salary: $720,000
The 24-year-old hits the midway point with 43 steals, despite 40 less plate appearances than 2nd place Ronald Acuna Jr. (41). He’s got 7 years of team control ahead of him still.

INNINGS PITCHED
Logan Webb (SP, SF)

2023 Salary: $4,600,000
The 26-year-old is averaging 6 ? innings per start this season. Factor in a near 3 ERA and over 9 strikeouts per 9 innings, and it’s easy to justify San Francisco’s recent $90M extension for their ace. He’s locked in through the 2028 season.

ERA+, EV, HARD HIT %
Justin Steele (SP, CHC)

2023 Salary: $740,000
Steele’s 172 ERA+ (ERA when adjusted specifically for ballparks played) just barely noses out Clayton Kershaw’s 171 figure at the midway point. One of his biggest reasons for efficiency success? Steele also leads the league in lowest average Exit Velocity (85.1) and lowest percent (30.8%) of balls hit with an exit velocity of 95 MPH+. The 27-year-old is on a near minimum salary this year, with 4 seasons of arbitration still ahead of him.

FIP
Kevin Gausman (SP, TOR)

2023 Salary: $21,000,000
Quickly becoming one of the more popular pitching stats, FIP tracks the overall effectiveness of a pitcher when excluding factors that are out of his control (bad bounces on a grounder to 2nd, etc…). Gausman (2.45) is the only pitcher with a sub 2.5 FIP at the midway point, a stat he led the league in (2.38) in 2022.

WHIP
Tyler Wells (SP, BAL)

2023 Salary: $732,400
After an average 2022 rookie campaign, Wells has rounded into form for his sophomore season, leading all of baseball with a 0.927 WHIP (Walks + Hits / Innings Pitched) at the midway point.

BATTING AVERAGE AGAINST
Shohei Ohtani (SP, LAA)

2023 Salary:  $30,000,000
Opposing batters are hitting just .189 against Ohtani this season, with an average exit velocity of just 86.5MPH (5th). All the more reason to inflate that blockbuster contract coming this winter.

SLUGGING & OPS AGAINST
Marcus Stroman (SP, CHC)

2023 Salary: $25,000,000
Something about expiring contracts gets Marcus Stroman a little extra dialed in on the mound. The 32 year old signed a 3 year, $71M free agent contract in Chicago December 2021, but can opt out of the remaining $21M after this coming season. He’s posting a career year across the board, including a league best .284 slugging against, .566 OPS against at the midway point.

STRIKEOUTS
Spencer Strider (SP, ATL)

2023 Salary: $1,000,000

The Braves saw enough of Strider in 20 starts last season to lock him up to a $75M extension in October. His overall efficiency has dipped a bit, but he’s still striking out batters at an impressive rate, with 166 total Ks in 104 innings pitched (14.3 per 9).

SAVES
Alexis Diaz (CIN), Camilo Doval (SF), Jordan Romano (TOR)

These three relievers hit the midway point with 26 saves for their respective teams. Diaz & Doval are operating on near minimum pre-arbitration salaries, while Romano is playing out his first year of arbitration in Toronto on a $4.5M figure. Diaz carries the best total resume into the break, with nearly 14 strikeouts per 9, a 236 ERA+ and only 1 home run given up in 40 innings of work.

PITCHING WAR
Gerrit Cole (SP, NYY)

2023 Salary: $36,000,000
It’s rare to be able to sit back and say that one of the highest paid players in a sport is 100% worth every penny, but that’s exactly where Gerrit Cole stands as the Yankees’ SP1. The 32-year-old hits the midway point with a league leading 3.8 WAR, accounting for a Runs Allowed per 9 rate of exactly 3 runs. He’s owed $180M through 2028.


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