Chas Kane McCormick

Yes, that is his real full name. Yes, he is one of the 3 best CFers in the game right now. Yes, I have been saying since 2021 that this was his full potential if Dusty would give him everyday playing time. Yes, the Astros' analytics department should hire me for knowing better than them re: Chas and Meyers 2+ years ago.

As of 7/17, Chas now has:

— The 14th-best wRC+, 15th-best wOBA, and 17th-best OPS, in the entire major leagues, for all positions.

— The single-best wRC+, single-best wOBA, and 2nd-highest OPS among CFers.

— Is still a top-10 CFer defensively, with a 9th-best UZR/150 and tied for 4th in Defensive Runs Saved (which is cumulative, and he has played by far the least innings of anyone ahead of him in that category.)

— Already has a higher fWAR than he did last year in half the plate appearances.

His season is exceeding even my expectations, and I've been the annoying resident Chas homer on this sub since he came into the league.

Last thing to note is that using UZR/150, there are 8 guys you could reasonably say are better than him defensively in CF (though a few are tossups). Those 8 guys ahead of him are Kyle Isbel, Kevin Kiermaier, Brenton Doyle, Mike Yastrzemski, Joey Wiemer, Harrison Bader, Jake Meyers, Michael Harris II. Notice a common thread? They are all average-to-bad hitters. Among CFers, you are almost always either a good hitter and bad defender, or a bad defender and a good hitter. It is extremely rare for a CFer to be able to do both.

NOBODY has a better combination of defense and bat in CF this year than Chas Motherfucking McCormick. Only Luis Robert and Bellinger come close and Chas has them beat in every category, all while costing less than $1,000,000 and under team control. People saying we should trade him for anyone under any circumstances should have their heads checked, unless it's for a verifiable ace under contract for multiple seasons.