Award season is here, and there’s an All-MLB name that’ll make you double-take if you bleed green and blue. Former Mariner Ty France, yeah, *that* Ty France, just wrapped up a surprising, career-best year for the Padres at 31. He’s a nominee for first base, battling the best in the league. It’s wild to see him perform like this for another squad, but the facts don’t lie.
Our Guy Ty France in the First Base Freak Show
The main first base nominee from the Brewers is Jake Bauers, and holy moly, did this dude have a year. He finished second in the National League for wRC+. We’re talking 26 dingers, 86 RBI, and he locked up the second-best on-base percentage in the entire NL, thanks to a Soto-ian 16.3 walk percentage. This was his best season by far. He totally stands out among the nominees, but the competition? It’s brutal. You’ve got Pete Alonso, who led the AL in homers with 43 and RBI with 113. Alec Burleson led baseball with 116 RBI! Then there’s Willson Contreras, who hit a career-high 27 homers and put up a career-best 153 OPS+. Seeing Ty France in that mix? A guy who played in our Emerald City? It just hits different when one of our former players is out there having a “surprising career-best year” for another team, getting this kind of recognition.
Brewers’ Other Stars Shining Bright for All-MLB
Now, let’s look at some other Brewers making waves. Over at second base, Brice Turang should absolutely be the heavy favorite. This dude finished his season with a 124 OPS+, an insane 37 doubles, 21 homers, 100 RBI, and 19 stolen bases. Oh, and his defense? Gold Glove-caliber. His 7.3 WAR season, according to Baseball Reference, is getting dangerously close to MVP territory. He’s a force! His primary competition is Pittsburgh’s Brandon Lowe, who mashed 35 homers and played some of the best defense of his entire career, and then St. Louis rookie JJ Wetherholt, who flashed incredible defense despite an above-average offensive season.
Behind the plate, William Contreras is right in the thick of it among a really strong group of catchers. This is after a brutal offensive slump for much of the summer! He came alive when it counted, finishing with a .270/.341/.417 batting line, a 108 OPS+, 27 doubles, 18 homers, and 94 RBI. By WAR, this was his worst season as a Brewer, so he’s probably not the favorite this time around. That honor should go to Arizona’s Gabriel Moreno, who put up a 143 OPS+ and a 6.7 bWAR, plus he led the entire NL in batting average at .311. Seriously impressive! But Moreno’s got competition from Hunter Goodman with 41 homers, Detroit’s Dillon Dingler with 4.9 fWAR and 27 homers, and Atlanta’s Drake Baldwin’s .284/.358/.459 line with 25 dingers.
Want to see some of these studs get love, or even nod to a former Mariner? Get those votes in! In the meantime, let’s celebrate a Mariners victory! Our M’s just shut down the Los Angeles Angels at T-Mobile Park, taking a 7-3 win. Great to see our guys handling business as the regular season winds down. Keep that momentum rolling, Seattle!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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