Brewers: Travis Shaw

What a difference a year can make. Last season, Shaw came into August as a nondescript third baseman with the Red Sox, then lost his job after a brutal month and was dealt over the winter in a deal for reliever Tyler Thornburg. But while Thornburg has yet to throw a pitch in Boston due to injury, Shaw has exploded onto the scene in Milwaukee, leading the Brewers in home runs (24), on-base percentage (.370), slugging percentage (.586), OPS+ (142) and WAR (3.8). He won’t be this good forever, but he’s turned into a building block for Milwaukee’s rebuild and a big part of why the Brewers are competing ahead of schedule.