Top 10 MLB players benefiting from coronavirus layoff, ranked

Though it may be hard to see anything good coming of these difficult times, these 10 MLB players are set to benefit the most from the coronavirus layoff.

You couldn’t make the current state of the world up if you wanted to. In the span of two, maybe three weeks, the novel coronavirus has resulted in the United States going dark. Now, all major sports, including baseball, have shut their doors.

It’s not all bad, however. Some MLB players are really benefitting from the current coronavirus layoff, which brings us here.

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Before we break down the which players have gained the most from baseball’s hiatus, let’s talk about the only team in baseball who could not have asked for a better time from the regular, run of the mill action: the Houston Astros, who I’m ranking 10th on this list.

This offseason will forever be remembered as the one that took down one of these most dominating teams in decades. A team that in three consecutive seasons has won 100 or more games, has two AL pennant titles, and one World Series championship.

Now, all of that is in question after a die-hard fan revealed the intricate way the Astros stole-signs in real-time during the 2017 season. Then, an investigation led by MLB corroborated that fan’s findings and issued its suspensions.

As a result, Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow lost their jobs. What’s more, New York Mets manager Carlos Beltran and Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora lost their jobs too.

You could argue that the Astros should be ranked #1 on this list because they most certainly have the most to gain from the coronavirus layoff, but I myself cheated in including them in this list when you consider that they’re not a single player.

How could I not list them though?

For more information about the novel coronavirus, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.

Top 10 MLB players benefiting from hiatus

Alex Verdugo (Career: 2.1 fWAR | 3.2 bWAR)

In a normal world, Alex Verdugo would be carrying the weight of the world this offseason. What with being the return the Boston Red Sox got for giving away David Price and Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the current state of baseball, he gets to walk around chumming it up with legends like David Ortiz (pictured above). Now, that’s not to say that Verdugo doesn’t carry any pressure entering the 2020 MLB season — if there ever is one.

Given that the Red Sox aren’t completely tearing the team down, there must be a tinge of hope that they can compete this season. If Verdugo doesn’t factor into that equation in a big way, he’ll be to the Red Sox what someone like Jacoby Ellsbury is to the Yankees: a figure of disdain.

If that happens, Verdugo could kiss his promising career goodbye.

The good news for “Dugie,” as the Dodgers affectionately called him, is that he’ll be turning just 24-years-old by the time the season – hopefully – kicks off. What’s more, given how 2019 played out for the young outfielder, he looks to continue to be on the rise while also being years away from his prime.

Though he was slated to possibly miss Opening Day before the coronavirus forced us all to lock ourselves indoors, which would have started Verdugo off on a bad foot, now he’s on track to take the field whenever baseball finally opens its doors.

Top 10 MLB players benefiting from hiatus

Michael Conforto (Career: 14.0 fWAR | 12.8 bWAR)

Before the United States locked down and baseball was slated to start on time, Michael Conforto was ruled out with a grade 1 oblique strain. Though a grade 1 strain is the mildest of oblique injuries, the team was considering starting him off on the IL with a mid-April, early-May return date.

Now, the New York Mets and Conforto can rest easy(ish) as the 2020 MLB season is slated to possibly see a June or July return date.

The 27-year-old outfielder burst into the scene in 2015, instantly becoming a fan favorite. That season, the Mets made it to the World Series and Conforto was one of the shining lights of the team, hitting .333 with 2 HR in the fall classic.

Since then, Conforto has dealt with some injuries. We’re talking shoulder dislocations and concussions. The types of injuries that will sideline you for an extended period of time, impeding on the potential of a promising young player.

in 2019, Conforto set career highs with 33 HR, 92 RBI, and 271 TB. It gave Mets fans hope for the future of the team with the young slugger at the helm.

A blessing in disguise, the novel coronavirus has spared Conforto the possibility of starting the season off on the injured-list. Now, the kid can focus on raking in 2020.

Top 10 MLB players benefiting from hiatus

Aaron Judge (Career: 17.8 fWAR | 18.6 bWAR)

From the moment it was announced that Aaron Judge was going to miss the start of the season, New York Yankees fans started to feel a sense of disappointment. This is supposed to be the next Yankee captain and he just can’t seem to stay healthy.

After struggling to find what was making Judge feel “discomfort” during batting practice early-on in Spring Training, the team finally determined that he had a stress fracture in his right rib. Most recently, Judge revealed to the media that he also had a collapsed lung.

That was the bad news.

The good news is that the slugger will not require surgery. What’s more, the current hiatus is allowing the 6’7”, 282lb monster to take his time to heal.

Now, Judge can focus on returning healthy and playing a full season since his 2017 campaign, the season he won the AL Rookie of the Year and narrowly missed winning the AL MVP to none other than Jose Altuve.

Hopefully, in 2020 we can focus our attention on how many home runs Judge can hit in a shortened season rather than on how many games he will play.

Top 10 MLB players benefiting from hiatus

Yasiel Puig (Career: 18.0 fWAR | 20.0 bWAR)

One of the more surprising stories this offseason is the lack of interest on behalf of MLB teams for the once highly regarded Cuban player. In fact, at the time of writing this Yasiel Puig remains a free agent and available to any team requiring a better-than-average outfielder.

Puig has gained a bad reputation over the last few seasons. In a game so conservative as baseball, the league doesn’t take to kindly to MLB players that pimp fly balls and lick their bats, even though the recent motto urges teams to “let the kid’s play.”

The fact of the matter is that Puig is a super-competent hitter with an elite glove in the outfield. This is a guy who will put 20-25 balls in the stands while getting on-base at a .350 clip in any given season. He’s also one a player who since arriving in 2013 ranks 11th among all outfielders with 28 DRS.

What’s more, last season he made just $9.7M while producing more like a Josh Reddick who made $13M.

The good news for Puig, however, is that this hiatus will allow him more time to find a new team to call his home. Perhaps the New York Yankees, who can’t seem to escape the injury bug or the San Francisco Giants, who are still in need of a competent outfielder. Somebody will bite, it’s a matter of when not if.

Top 10 MLB players benefiting from hiatus

Blake Snell (Career: 11.0 fWAR | 10.8 bWAR)

After winning the 2018 AL Cy Young award, Blake Snell followed up with a disappointing 2019 season. In all, Snell only managed to start 23 games last year as he battled multiple injuries.

First, it was a fractured right toe that sidelined him for about a month, then he was diagnosed with loose bodies in his left elbow, which shut him down for almost 2-months.

What’s worse, when he did make his starts, they weren’t all that impressive. In fact, for the 2019 season, Snell posted a career-worse 4.29 ERA and gave up a career-high 1.2 HR per 9-innings.

Then, after an offseason of rest, the wheels came off when Snell had to miss a Spring Training start with a lingering elbow issue.

Now the good news — at least for Snell. The novel coronavirus outbreak has given Snell the breathing room he needed to finally get himself right. Now, the most recent report from the Tampa Bay Times has Snell convinced that he’ll be ready for the start of the 2020 MLB season.

Can he return to his 2018 form? Only time will tell. One thing’s for sure, he and his time sure think so.

Top 10 MLB players benefiting from hiatus

Mike Clevinger (Career: 11.0 fWAR | 12.6 bWAR)

After the Cleveland Indians traded away their 2018 AL Cy Young award candidate in Trevor Bauer to the Cincinnati Reds last season, and then 2x AL Young Award winner Corey Kluber this offseason, the Tribe were putting all their eggs in Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber‘s basket.

Then, Spring Training kicked off to a bad start for Clevinger after it was announced that the righty underwent surgery to repair a partial tear of the medial meniscus in his left knee. This injury has a return date of 6-8 weeks according to Indians beat reporter Mandy Bell.

Now, at the time that the surgery was announced, 6-8 weeks would have Clevinger returning sometime in mid-April, after Opening Day. However, with the coronavirus throwing a wrench in the works, it’s looking like Clevinger will be ready whenever the season starts.

That’s good news for the Indians, who were looking already looking at a potentially bad 2020 season. At the very least, fans will have the opportunity to watch the man with the luscious locks hurling fastballs in the mid-to-high 90s from for an entire season this year.

Now, if the team can somehow prove to ownership that they can compete, they might help Francisco Lindor‘s chances of staying in Cleveland. Fans can only hope.

Top 10 MLB players benefiting from hiatus

Cole Hamels (Career: 51.6 fWAR | 59.6 bWAR)

This offseason, Cole Hamels received a generous 1-year contract from the Atlanta Braves. This would mark Hamels’ return to the NL East, the place he won a World Series MVP as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Then, it was announced in early February that the veteran lefty had “irritated” his shoulder in offseason workouts, followed by news that he wouldn’t be ready for opening day.

The most recent reports, a tweet by Braves reporter for The Athletic David O’Brien has it that Hamels hasn’t resumed throwing and there was “no timetable for his return.”

However, given the current hiatus, Hamels will have plenty of time to resume throwing and get ready for the start of the season — whenever that will be. What’s more, the fact that this season will likely be shortened could mean that he won’t have to put too much strain on his arm, making him potentially dangerous come the postseason.

In what could be the 36-year-old veteran lefty’s final big league season, you don’t want to see him walk away limping. Given the opportunity to go out on top, he’ll likely chomp at the bit.

Top 10 MLB players benefiting from hiatus

Justin Verlander (Career: 72.0 fWAR | 70.9 bWAR)

What better way to bookend this piece than by using the mouthiest member of the Houston Astros. In the beginning, I admittedly cheated by listing a team as the 10th ranked “player” that benefits the most from the layoff, but now I’m ready to make things right.

Earlier this year, I wrote about how Justin Verlander would start to see a decline in 2020. Days later, he suffered a lat strain that would threaten his ability to start Opening Day for the Astros.

And then the novel coronavirus arrived and shut everything down. Now, the veteran righty is taking full advantage, opting to have right grown surgery.

This injury has a timetable for return of about 8-weeks. Given his decision to have it in mid-March, he should be ready to kick things back into gear by mid-May, which is plenty of time for the Benjamin Button of baseball.

Now, not only will Verlander be able to rest his lat injury, he deals with an apparent groin injury, and suddenly he’s 100% come whenever Opening Day is.

What’s more, given how this coronavirus layoff is benefitting his team, it’s plausible that Veraldner can compete for another Cy Young award and be celebrated for his contributions to the game, even if he was a member of a team that blatantly cheated to win a World Series.

If I sound like a bratty fan who is just whining, I am. You would be too if your team was eliminated by Verlander’s team TWICE during the Champion Series.

So there you have it, the top 10 MB players benefitting the most from the current layoff. Disagree? Leave us a comment! let’s have a powwow.