The San Diego Padres have taken the lead in the National League West from the Los Angeles Dodgers. While their trade deadline pickups, in Mason Miller, Ramon Laureano, Ryan O'Hearn, and Freddy Fermin, are big contributors, there's another player who's been a huge factor behind the Padres' recent dominance.
As Dennis Lin of The Athletic pointed out, the resurgence of Xander Bogaerts lately has been a huge reason for the Padres taking the lead from the Dodgers in the NL West. Ironically, his resurgence came after a loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
"Bogaerts has since been one of the most productive players in baseball." Lin writes. "His 2.3 WAR over the past eight weeks is fifth most among major-league hitters - one spot ahead of Shohei Ohtani, the NL home run leader."
Between his solid defense and his offensive resurgence over the last eight weeks, only four players in baseball have been more valuable than him by WAR. Bogaerts has been integral to the Padres' recent success, and his statistics back up such a story.
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Since June 19th, Bogaerts is hitting .326 with a .908 OPS. In that 47-game span, the Padres $280 million shortstop has 58 hits, 27 runs scored, 14 doubles, seven home runs, 16 RBIs, six stolen bases, 18 walks, and 25 strikeouts.
In the year, his numbers don't look incredible thanks to Bogaerts starting the first 72 games of the year, hitting .227 with a .617 OPS. The four-time All-Star is back to being a force for the Padres, a great development after his disappointing 2024 season.
The 32-year-old shortstop is signed through the 2033 season, so his offensive production returning to form lately is a great sign that his huge deal might not become a burden, like it had been looking like the last year and a half.
For the first time since 2010, the Padres have the lead in the NL West this late in the year. With a hot lineup, led by Bogaerts amid his resurgence offensively, and a dominant bullpen, the Padres look well situated to win the NL West over the Dodgers.
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