MLB

5 MLB Hitters Quietly Having a Tremendous Start to the Second Half

Oakland A's third baseman Matt Chapman may not grab as many headlines as baseball's biggest names, but the numbers tell us he's one of several players starting the second half just as well -- or better -- than most of them.

When we look at the MLB leaderboards for just about anything, it's natural to gravitate towards the most familiar names. After all, it's hard to look past guys like Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, and a few others whenever they make us question whether they're actually human or machines.

One of the most interesting things about baseball is that just about anyone can get hot enough and unexpectedly find themselves on a leaderboard or two. Now that we're a couple weeks removed from the 2017 All-Star Game and the second half is officially rolling, there are quite a few hitters who are enjoying tremendously hot starts -- they're just not the kinds of players that normally grab a ton of headlines along the way.

That's why we're here, though -- to shed some light on guys who are playing out of their mind right now and deserve a little credit for it. Entering action on Wednesday, each of the following five hitters rank within the top-10 in all of baseball with regard to wRC+ since the second half got underway, rubbing elbows with guys like Harper, Charlie Blackmon, Anthony Rendon, and Jose Altuve.