From April 4 - April 26, a span of 87 plate appearances, Anthony Rendon was slashing a putrid .231/.310/.256. His nadir came in the penultimate series of the month, a four-game swing in Coors Field. If you recall, the Nationals scored 46 runs in those four games. Rendon played in three of those games, scored only two runs and didn’t drive in a single run. It was maddening.

And then came The Awakening.

On April 30, Rendon had one of the most prolific games in history, going 6-for-6, hitting three home runs, driving in 10 and scoring five times. He finally joined the 2017 season. Since that big game, Rendon has been the best hitter in the MLB.

Beginning on April 28, let’s look at his stats and where they rank in baseball (min. 200 PA).

Anthony Rendon since 4/28 Category MLB Rank Category MLB Rank AVG: .347 T-4th of 179 OBP: .455 1st SLG: .708 T-1st HR: 19 T-6th RBI: 58 3rd Runs: 46 T-26th wRC+: 194 1st ISO: .361 2nd BB/K: 1.3 3rd wOBA: .474 1st

All the attention has been going to Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Joey Votto, Carlos Correa and more, but it’s quietly been Rendon who’s been besting them all.

Along with just about everything else, one of the most impressive things is his strikeout to walk ratio. He’s one of only five qualified batters (Votto, Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Anthony Rizzo) that’s walking more than he’s striking out.

Rendon, who just turned 27 last month, has elevated his game in nearly every aspect. He’s at 19 HR already (career high is 21), has added nearly a hundred points to his ISO (.273 to career .174), is walking more and striking out less than ever before and is on pace to shatter his slash line records. He’s headed toward a top 5 MVP finish, finally becoming the elite player many envisioned when the Nationals selected him sixth overall in 2011.

No matter what league you own him in, you’re ecstatic. He’s finally blossomed into a stud for a playoff run in your redraft leagues. And if you own him in keeper and dynasty, his value has shot through the roof.

According to NFBC ADP data, Rendon was drafted on average 94th overall and the ninth third baseman off the board behind the likes of K.Seager, Alex Bregman and Todd Frazier. Suffice to say that next season, barring injury, he’s sliding into the top 50 because these are legitimate gains.

Normally, I try to write posts with a call to action, but this time, I just want us to appreciate one of the best damn hitters in baseball this year.