Last year was tough for everyone. Even if you managed to survive 2020 in the best possible way, you would never classify it as “a good year.” Nobody showed their best version last year. It is normal if some things did not go as we wanted.
There are a decent number of baseball players who had a great 2019 season and then, for a variety of reasons (short campaign, COVID-19 protocols, simple bad luck or a bump), they had a terrible year. You probably wondered, before 2021, was that an anomaly? Or is this the player I am now?
Almost all teams have already passed 70 games in the 2021 campaign, which means that they are above the 60 that were played last year. Here are six players who have definitely shown that their bad 2020 was nothing more than that, a bad year, and they are emerging again as in their best years.
1. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Cardinals
The Cardinals got off to a rocky start and a rough few weeks, but Arenado can’t be blamed. After an injury-plagued 2020, in which he posted the worst numbers of his career (how could he possibly hit .253 at Coors Field?), Arenado has looked more like his usual player this year. His numbers have gotten a bit worse due to a recent losing streak, but it’s the same bad time that is happening all the time in St. Louis right now. Based on OPS +, which adjusts for the effects of each stadium and where 100 represents the league average, Arenado is at 128 this year and finished with 86 in 2020. And he has 14 home runs after hitting eight this season. of 60 games. Arenado looks healthy, active and motivated. His last year in Colorado was the worst of his career. Now, it is closer to the Arenado that we know.
2. Nick Castellanos, OF, Reds
Castellanos was an extremely consistent hitter for Detroit before being traded to the Cubs midway through the 2019 season and becoming an absolute monster, with a 1,002 OPS in 51 games and looking like a man who had found his home in the National League ( he was better at defending than many believe). That led to the Reds signing him as a free agent for what they hoped would be a great 2020. Castellanos showed some power, but had the worst batting average and worst-on-base percentage of his career. It can be safely said that you have turned your situation around. His batting average went from .255 last year to .343 this year, the best in the league. And he also leads the majors in doubles. Nor has he sacrificed his power and could even be chosen by the fans for the All-Star Game.
3. Yuli Gurriel, 1B, Astros
Without making much noise, Cuban Gurriel had been one of the mainstays of the Astros offense for several seasons until things got out of hand in 2020. He hit just .232 and hit just six home runs after hitting 31 on the fly. 2019. Gurriel can forget about that now, however, thanks to a 2021 season in which he has been the best hitter on that Houston offense and one of the best in the major leagues. He’s hitting 100 more points than last year and already has nearly double the number of home runs. Gurriel has gone from being one of the weakest pieces of Houston’s offense to his MVP.
4. Ketel Marte, CF / 2B, D-backs
When the D-backs seemed like a team on the rise, back in 2019, Marte looked like a star who had come to stay, hitting 32 home runs, with a .389 on-base percentage and finishing fourth in the MVP voting. Unfortunately, like everything else with the D-backs that year, it fell apart in 2020. Things haven’t turned out much better for Arizona in 2021, but when it’s been healthy, Mars has looked like Mars again. . Power hasn’t returned, but the versatile player has a .366 batting average. Unfortunately, health has been a problem again: He left Tuesday’s game with a left hamstring injury. But when he’s been in the lineup, he’s looked great.
5. JD Martinez, BD / OF, Red Sox
Of the 142 ranked position players in the FanGraphs WAR lead in 2020, Martinez, the man who had finished fourth in the AL MVP voting just two years ago, was last. The last! The 2020 season was a nightmare for Martinez, but now it seems like that year never existed. (If we could all be that lucky!) Martinez is back over .300 after hitting .213, and he already has double the number of home runs. In addition, in 2020 he played in a sotanero team. Now? He’s playing for a contender.
6. Bryan Reynolds, OF, Pirates
Reynolds finished fourth in the 2019 Rookie of the Year voting and from day one he looked like a professional hitter, so much so that you wondered if he was going to win a batting title one day. He then hit .189 in 2020. Not only is he over .300 again in 2021, but he’s improved his strikeout rate and increased his power. He looks like a man capable of hitting .300 and hitting 30 homers this year. The question now is this: At 26, does he have more value as a Pirates player or as a player than the Pirates will change?
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