Player of the Week: Kyle Isbel

Scoring runs, doing defense, just ballin’ out

Center field in Kauffman Stadium is a roomy place, and Kyle Isbel has patrolled the outfield well in five seasons with the Royals. This year has been a bit of a breakout year for him, and his solid performance recently earns him player of the week honors.

Over the last 7 days, Isbel has put up a triple slash of .375/.353/.563, good for a wRC+ of 143. And no, that’s not a typo; his batting average is higher than his on base percentage since he hasn’t drawn a walk.

If this series was just a simple instance of the performer with the best overall batting line, it would have been Maikel Garcia, who had a .455/.480/.545 triple slash. But I think a little context is important here: Isbel’s primary value is in his defense, and for him to contribute offensively like he has recently is huge for the team—especially in the ninth batting spot, which has been Isbel’s all year.

In addition to his overall triple slash, he’s been very involved with the offense over the last week. In just 18 plate appearances, Isbel has driven in a run or scored a run five times.

I think Isbel is often maligned for being a player that he’s not. An elite defensive center fielder with exceptional small ball bunting skills is roster worthy on any team in the league. It is not Isbel’s fault that the hitters in the lineup whose jobs are to hit—corner outfielders, first base, the DH, etc.—aren’t hitting. But this year, with a 97 wRC+, Isbel is on pace for a 2.5 WAR to 3 WAR season, per Fangraphs. That’s a nice player to have just overall. Props to Isbel for playing well and stepping up, and let’s hope he can continue doing well.