8 MLB Hitters Who Are Racking Up Home Runs Despite a Ton of Ground Balls

Trey Mancini, Baltimore Orioles

After hitting three home runs and slashing .357/.400/1.071 through 15 plate appearances at the end of the 2016 season, Trey Mancini has continued impressing the Baltimore Orioles during his rookie campaign. Entering action on Friday, the right-handed hitter has posted a respectable .858 OPS, .227 ISO, and 124 wRC+ to go with 21 homers and 62 RBI though 411 plate appearances.

It gets even more impressive upon taking a peek at his batted-ball profile. Sure, Mancini's 16.7% line-drive rate isn't that high, but it's also not the worst it could be. However, it's awfully difficult to hit 20-plus homers with a 52.7% ground-ball rate and just 30.6% fly-ball rate. Residing in the American League East and playing in some hitter-friendly parks does provide some assistance, though, especially Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

While only 9 of his 21 homers have come at home, his .231 ISO in this situation is just slightly better than what he's produced on the road (.223 ISO).

This kind of profile isn't anything new to Mancini, either. He spent 611 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A in 2016, where he managed 20 homers and a .176 ISO, despite posting a cumulative fly-ball rate that fell well below 30.0% (19.6% in Double-A, 29.4% in Triple-A).