Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres
Jurickson Profar has always had promise and potential ever since breaking into the league in 2012 with the Texas Rangers. For whatever reason, he has had trouble fulfilling that potential during his first 10 years in the majors. He's always good enough to play at the big league level, but not enough to break out as an elite player, perhaps until now.
Having turned 31 entering the 2024 MLB season, Profar has put together the best year of his career thus far with the San Diego Padres. In 80 games, he's batting a stellar .319 with a .897 OPS, along with 43 runs scored, 15 doubles, 10 home runs and 48 RBI while displaying great plate discipline by maintaining close to a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His .319 batting average is currently second-best in the majors, behind Shohei Ohtani.
He may not be a perennial Gold Glover, but he can hold his own in the field, with only one error committed this year, and sporting a .984 career fielding percentage.
If the Padres end up falling out of contention, look for Profar to be on the move, as his contract is set to expire at the end of the season. At that point, it should be a no-brainer for the Phillies to jump in and acquire his potent bat as the final piece of their contending puzzle.