9 stars who might be better than ever

Wait, you thought Gerrit Cole couldn’t get even better? This season is proving otherwise. As good as Cole’s 2019 season was -- 326 strikeouts and a 2.50 ERA in 212 1/3 innings -- he’s at least as good, and possibly better, in 2020.

He’s far from alone. One of the notable things about the first month of this season is how many established star players are performing at the highest level of their careers.

Yes, we’ve got the smaller sample size thing and all. Still, the numbers for a bunch of guys could not be more impressive. That’s true of some relatively young players as well as 40-year-old Nelson Cruz.

Here are nine familiar faces who may be better than ever:

1) Gerrit Cole, RHP, Yankees
Fresh off winning a strikeout and AL ERA title with the Astros, Cole’s first season with the Yankees is even better in some areas. His 0.889 WHIP is slightly better than last season’s microscopic 0.895. He prides himself on pitching deep into games and is doing that again, having finished at least six innings in four of his past five starts.

2) Jacob deGrom, RHP, Mets
Having just put together two of the most dominant seasons in years, deGrom may be even better in 2020. His 0.893 WHIP would be the lowest of his career if it holds, and his 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings would tie his career high (set in 2019). He has allowed six earned runs in five starts, and the Mets are 4-1 in his games.

3) Nelson Cruz, DH, Twins
We normally would cast this season as a six-time All-Star putting the finishing touches on a Hall of Fame career. Only thing is, he seems to have plenty more left in the tank. His 1.082 OPS would be the highest of his 16-season career, and while he won’t crack the 40-homer threshold for the fifth time in seven seasons due to the abbreviated schedule, he’s a big reason the Twins would surprise no one by winning the World Series.

4) Charlie Blackmon, OF, Rockies
He entered the weekend with a .424 batting average and an NL-leading 42 hits. His 1.069 OPS would be the highest of his career and is 129 points higher than a very respectable .940 in 2019. If he has lost a step physically at 34, it’s not apparent, and the insight gained from 1,085 games would offset it anyway.

5) Anthony Rendon, 3B, Angels
Here’s a strange one: Tony Two Bags has only four doubles in 22 games, which used to be a good week. Instead, he’s putting together a great season another way: career-highs in both OBP (.449) and OPS (1.028). Matt Chapman and Nolan Arenado are the gold standards for defensive play at third, but Rendon is close behind.

6) Yu Darvish, RHP, Cubs
The four-time All-Star entered the weekend with a 1.80 ERA, which would be by far the best of his career, topping the 2.83 mark of his second season in 2013. He has allowed just three earned runs in his past four starts and thrown into at least the seventh inning every time.

7) J.T. Realmuto, C, Phillies
His .630 slugging percentage and .959 OPS would both be career highs. His hard-hit percentage (47.1) and expected slugging percentage (.595) and on-base averages (.390) are the highest of his career. At 29, he is arguably the top free agent available this winter.

8) Bryce Harper, RF, Phillies
Speaking of Phillies … The six-time All-Star entered the weekend with a 1.147 OPS, which would be higher than any of his eight other seasons. That’s also true of his .338 batting average and .471 on-base percentage. Enjoy the show, Phillies fans.

9) Juan Soto, LF, Nationals
We’re dealing with an incredibly small sample size (13 games), but Soto has improved on two very good seasons with a .500 OBP and a 1.438 OPS this year. We don’t expect those numbers to hold up, but the larger point holds. At 21, he’s very, very good and getting better.