Under the Radar Players to Keep an Eye on

Yermin Mercedes

Not many baseball fans had heard of Yermin Mercedes prior to this season, and that includes White Sox diehards. It's only been a week and a half of baseball, but Mercedes is proving to be a real asset to a White Sox team still reeling from the loss of Eloy Jimenez. Mercedes has not only picked up the slack of Jimenez, but eliminated question marks surrounding the once vacant designated hitter spot. Mercedes is leading the league in batting average, top 3 in OPS, and top 10 in WAR.

2021 Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GsxwetEzaM

Ryan McMahon

It must be the thin air of Colorado because the Rockies continue to produce the best infielders in baseball. Ryan McMahon is the latest in a long line of great Rockies infielders. He is currently tied for the league lead in home runs. That stat may be a bit deceiving considering he hit three of them in one game against the Diamondbacks. Do I believe he'll be among the league leaders in home runs at the end of the season? No, but he should continue to produce at a high level. Here are some names of great Colorado Rockies infielders throughout the years: D.J. LeMahieu, Troy Tulowitzki, Vinny Castilla, Todd Helton, Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado, Eric Young, and Andrés Galarraga.

2021 Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM9bGL8Z6T8

Corbin Burnes

Milwaukee doesn't exactly get a ton of publicity, and if they do it's typically a brief highlight of what Christian Yelich did. Due to that, not many people are aware of how good Corbin Burnes has been. Burnes started his career coming out of the bullpen, but transitioned into a full time starter last season. He proceeded to finish the year with a 2.11 ERA and finished sixth in the NL Cy Young Award Voting. Burnes has pitched in two games this season and has a .73 ERA. Obviously, it's a small sample size, but his 20 strikeouts to 0 walks and league leading .16 WHIP (minimum of 10 IP) are all stats that bode well for the future.

Burnes Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG4liXNJw08

Cedric Mullins

Before doing any research, I would not have been able to tell you a thing about Cedric Mullins. A lot of that has to do with him being on the Baltimore Orioles. However, his strong start has people taking notice. The last great center fielder in the organization was Adam Jones. Mullins is a great defender like Jones, but a completely different player on offense. He's not a hulking slugger, rather a slap style hitter. He's among the league leaders in batting average and could end the season amdist the leaders for stolen bases. In an all but tank season for Baltimore, Mullins is a guy to keep an eye on for the Orioles.

Mullins Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FENmmW6iqAs

Zach McKinstry

The Dodgers embarrassment of riches continues. They draft and sign great players, but it's their development through the minor leagues that continues to churn out star players. It's difficult to crack the starting lineup for the Dodgers, but the losses of Enrique Hernandez and Joc Pederson created a roster spot for Zach McKinstry this season. Ironically, McKinstry is the perfect blend between Pederson and Cody Bellinger. He not only looks like the two, but his style of play is almost indistinguishable from them. McKinstry has taken advantage of his opportunity with Bellinger and Mookie Betts out due to injury. It'll be interesting to see how Dave Roberts manages the situation when everyone is healthy. McKinstry could be the starting left fielder by the time the season is over.

McKinstry Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw61fe6wr78

*GLOSSARY*

OPS = On-Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage

WAR = Wins Above Replacement

ERA = Earned Run Average

WHIP = Walks And Hits Per Inning Pitched

IP = Innings Pitched