There’s a generation of oldsters, let’s call them the Topps Generation, who enhanced our math skills by memorizing the backs of baseball cards. Maybe this proficiency with quicky multiplication and conversion from decimals to fractions didn’t aid us in algebra, calculus or architecture, but it was fun.

As I type this 57% of White Sox fans (who still believe they have fighting chance) are figuring out how many of the remaining games the Sox must win to reach some arbitrary number (anywhere from 80-85) because they’ve been sold on the fact that the AL Central is winnable.

Cub fans are no different, but the math should be a little easier as we’re a few games closer to .500. However, the Reds and Brewers have been better than the mediocre Twins. Lost in either of these calculations is that they haven’t figured how badly the other teams must play for this odd math to work out in their favor.

Intrinsic to either uphill battle is that the individuals must perform better. The teams won’t win if the players don’t do better and in some cases outperform lousy first halves. Even if we’re not thinking about division titles, fans naturally project how certain players will perform during a season. And with the season just having passed the halfway mark (81 games), it’s easiest to double a particular offensive stat. Some people will refer to the back of a player’s baseball card without realizing the guy may never reach those numbers again. But, we can hope.

Other fans who I’ll call baseball generalists, look at specific players having great first halves. We then double certain stats and guess whether they will reach them. Of course some players will go crazy and far exceed the mere doubling while others will fail miserably. Others who really may not care for the game, but love the betting action will dispassionately bet on one or more outcomes to occur.

I thought I’d address a few of the players chasing specific numbers with a look to the end of the year.

Let’s be clear, if the season ended today for Shohei Ohtani, his offensive numbers are good enough to make him how ever much money he could shove into an Eldorado trunk. He’s a free agent at the end of this season and has been spectacular on the mound, bases and at the plate. He’s currently leading all of baseball in homers (31), SLG (.664) and tied for triples with 5. Slugging is a sliding number like any average so projection has nothing to do with mere doubling. However, the 31 homers (30 at the actual halfway mark) projects to 60. Is that reasonably given the burden of being a starting pitcher? While leading the league in homers as a P/DH is a first, I can’t imagine a pitcher ever tying for the lead in triples. Will he hit double digit triples? Currently he has 11 stolen bases, he’s in line for 20+. How many players (let alone pitchers) hit 60+ homers, double-digit triples and 20+ stolen bases?

Aside from Shohei, there are less than a handful of players that have 25+ homers who could achieve 50+ if we merely double their current total. The Braves Matt Olson has 28, and the Mets Pete Alonso 25. Does anyone think either will slow down and fall short? The White Sox Luis Robert Jr only has 24, and has been heating up lately. One has to consider whether these sluggers will be pitched around or whether they’ll continue to be challenged.

There’s a longer list of players with numbers in the low-20’s and a few of them have led their leagues in homers, so maybe they can make the needed push. I’ve been told that chicks dig the long ball and fans in general prefer home runs, so I’m guessing people will enjoy following some of these pursuits.

Aside from Ohtani’s pursuits, I think the most interesting case is the Ronald Acuna Jr. The 25-year-old Braves outfielder is the most dynamic player in the game. Unlike all of the other big names, he’s playing on a winner. He’s among the league leaders in several offensive categories. Probably the most important category is games played. No Johnny Kerr curse here. As of this moment, he’s played in 84/84 games. I’ll leave the doubling math to you and just share his current numbers.

His 77 runs scored are tops in baseball, his 113 hits are second in the league, 24 doubles (T-9), 21 HRs (T-6, NL), 54 doubles, 40 stolen bases are second in MLB, and is currently slashing .335avg/.413 on base/.599 slugging.

Depending on which stats you want to focus on, he’s already in a class by himself and is worth watching.

Take a look at your favorite team’s roster and check the stats for everyone. See how many players are underachieving right now and if doubling their stats would be enough to justify all the hype. You might find a couple players have surprisingly good numbers. It’s hard to predict who can sustain first half success. Instinctively, we assume everyone is trending positively, but facts and the backs of baseball cards say otherwise.

In a subsequent post, I’ll address the pitching side of this doubling.