For the majority of this 2019 MLB season, two players have come to define excellence in the National League: Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger.
What Yelich and Bellinger have done thus far has made them clear-cut frontrunners for the MVP award, and they have dominated headlines in the process.
But in a league as competitive as the NL looks to be this year, there are a number of other players that have made tremendous contributions to their clubs in pursuit of division titles. Yelich and Bellinger may be the definitive stars, but these guys should not be overlooked.
Here are the five most overshadowed players in the National League:
1. Mike Moustakas
Moustakas is proving to be one of the biggest bargains of this past winter. After being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers last season, Moustakas elected to come back to Milwaukee on a one-year, $10 million deal. Combining that money with what he made in 2018, he is actually below the value he would have received had he taken the qualifying offer from the Royals following the 2017 season.
And yet, Moustakas has been one of the best players in the Brewers lineup. Last year, Moustakas hit 28 homers and racked up 2.4 fWAR for the entire season. In 2019, he has already equaled that WAR total while clubbing 20 homers (as of June 12).
His 138 wRC+ would be a career high, by far, and his .314 isolated power average is 65 points higher than his previous career. Not to mention, he has been extremely valuable splitting time between second base and the hot corner, rating as an above-average fielder at both positions.
Moustakas has been a pivotal source of protection for Yelich in the Brewers lineup. Jesus Aguilar was bound to regress after a career year in 2018, and Lorenzo Cain has been disappointing at the leadoff spot after a stellar 2018 in his own right. But with Moustakas serving as a major run-producer, opposing pitchers have no choice but to try to attack Yelich in the zone.
With Moustakas having one of the finest seasons of his career, the Brewers have become immensely more balanced from the right and left side of the dish, and they remain a potent offense even in the midst of tough seasons from guys like Aguilar, Cain and Travis Shaw.
2. Yasmani Grandal
Speaking of balance, Grandal has been an immensely important two-way player for Milwaukee. Grandal had quietly proven to be one of the best catchers in the league in his final three years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he has reached new heights with the Brewers.
Before play began on June 12, Grandal was slashing .282/.381/.544 with 14 homers. His strikeout rate is the lowest it has been since he became a starting backstop and–like Moustakas–he is averaging career highs in terms of wRC+ (138) and isolated power average (.303).
According to FanGraphs, Grandal's line drive and hard-hit percentages are both well up above his career averages. Most importantly, Grandal is finally beginning to excel from the left side of the dish. Most switch-hitters with power tend to struggle at one side of the plate–see Ozzie Albies, for example–but Grandal is making things happen in the box against both right- and left-handed pitching.
Then of course, there is Grandal's sensational framing ability. After ranking as the best catcher in baseball in terms of framing in 2018, Grandal is fourth in 2019, according to Baseball Prospectus.
Is it really a coincidence that the soft-throwing Zach Davies is suddenly having the best year of his career? Of course not. Grandal's knack for stealing strikes is tremendous.
To top it all off, Grandal ranks first among catchers in terms of fWAR (2.6), continuously proving to be one of the very best at his position.
3. Eduardo Escobar
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been one of the surprises of the National League this year thanks in part to guys like Escobar, whom the DBacks acquired from the Minnesota Twins last season.
Entering play on June 12, Escobar had a .941 OPS to go along with 17 homers and 55 RBIs. Last season, Escobar ranked second in baseball with 48 doubles. And this year, he ranks tops in the NL with five triples. Last year was a career year for Escobar, but he already is running a much higher wRC+ (139) than he posted last season (117).
Unlike Grandal, Escobar is certainly much stronger from one side of the box. That said, he absolutely destroys left-handed pitching, slashing .392/.410/.755 with eight homers.
Of course, Escobar is not necessarily overshadowed by anyone on his own team, although Zack Greinke and David Perlata probably have more star power. But with Bellinger dominating for the NL West leaders, there has hardly been any talk of a rather potent Arizona lineup.
Escobar is quickly becoming one of the better slugging threats in the league. If he can develop as a left-handed hitter and cut his strikeouts down (especially given his low walk rate), he could be a real star out in the desert.
4. David Dahl
When you play on the same team as Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story, you are bound to be overshadowed, particularly if you have a history of injuries.
Yet Dahl has been as instrumental as anyone else in the Colorado lineup in helping to get the Rockies right back on track in the NL West. Aside from a minor stint on the Injured List, he has stayed mostly healthy. And the results have been very good.
As of June 12, Dahl was slashing .324/.372/.524, and he leads the Rockies with 18 doubles. Like Escobar, he is certainly a strikeout candidate, but he also hits ropes. According to FanGraphs, nearly 30 percent of Dahl's batted balls were line drives, which is easily his best mark as a pro so far.
This could be a breakout year for Dahl if he is healthy, which is tremendous news for a Rockies team that desperately needs to stay within striking distance of the Dodgers.
Arenado got the big contract and is one of the best players in baseball, but Dahl has looked like one of the very best pure hitters in the game thus far. And given his speed and plus defense, he should not go unnoticed as a major part of Colorado's future.
5. David Bote
Cubs fans were enthralled with David Bote after he got off to a scorching start in the majors while filling it for Kris Bryant in the summer of 2018. But Bote–and the Cubs–collapsed down the stretch, repeatedly getting beaten on fastballs up in the zone.
Still, Chicago saw enough in him to offer Bote a five-year, $15 million contract extension. And the 26-year-old has responded with a tremendous start to 2019.
Despite playing in more of a utility role, Bote has already clubbed eight homers and is running a 124 wRC+ in his first 187 plate appearances. In the last four weeks alone, Bote is slashing .368/.419/.719 with five homers, mashing almost everything in sight and hitting the ball to all fields.
Bote has also adjusted very well to playing second base, racking up four Defensive Runs Saved and running a positive UZR.
The Cubs already have a plethora of young positional talent, but Bote is proving that he deserves to stick around for the long haul. And given Ben Zobrist's uncertain future in the game, his contributions have been just as valuable as the likes of Bryant, Anthony Rizzo or Javier Baez.
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