Isaac Collins: From Minor League Rule 5 Draftee To Everyday Brewer

Over the first three months of the season, Isaac Collins showed himself to be a solid player, performing well in the field and at the plate. As the calendar flipped to July, the switch-hitting Collins was hitting .252/.358/.384 over 159 at-bats with 12 extra-base hits and eight stolen bases.

In his first game in July, he flipped the switch. The diminutive fly chaser went 4-for-4 with a double and a home run in a 7-2 win over the New York Mets. Collins has started 26 of 28 games so far in July and August and is hitting .357/.447/.520 over 98 at-bats, including five doubles, one triple, and three home runs. In those 28 contests, Collins has collected multiple hits in 11 of them. To reward him for his breakout month, Collins was named the National League Rookie of the Month for July.

The Brewers have won eight of their last nine games, and Collins is playing a key role, going 14-for-33, hitting .424/.525/.636. Among players who have played more than 500 innings in left field this season, Collins ranks sixth in the majors with +5 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). 

On the offensive side of the ledger, Collins has reduced his strikeout rate from 24.7% in mid-June to 22.1%, including 19.2% over the last five weeks. The 5-foot-8 Collins is far better from the left side of the dish, hitting .321/.428/.438 over 196 plate appearances, while scuffling a bit from the right side, hitting only .245/.330/.436 across 106 appearances at the plate. But it all adds up to .292/.392/.436 with a bWAR of 2.8, which ranks third on the Brewers behind Freddy Peralta and Brice Turang. 

Collins looks more comfortable every day and knows he doesn't have to worry about his spot in the lineup, much less his spot on the active roster. His 135 OPS+ ranks first on the team with players with more than 100 at-bats. His two triples rank third on the team, and his 13 steals rank fifth. He is fourth with 39 walks, second in 'qualified' batting average (.292), first in qualified OBP (.392), and first in qualified OPS with .828. (For the sake of argument, 'qualified' here means more than 100 at-bats.)

In June, Brewer Fanatic's Matt Trueblood stated, "By no means is Collins a star, and by no means can he ever become one" in an early-season article.  That might have been true then, but I would argue that while Collins hasn't reached 'star' status yet, he is one of the best players on the team right now with his near-Gold Glove fielding and solid hitting, and may very well become an equal to Turang or Sal Frelick.

BetMGM recently had Collins' chance of winning the National League Rookie of the Year award third-best in the league behind Madison native Drake Baldwin (Atlanta catcher) and Miami Marlins catcher Agustin Ramirez. 

Role player or star, Isaac Collins has put himself high on the list of fan favorites at Uecker Field.

How do you feel about Isaac Collins? Is he a star or will he become one? Let us know in the comments section, and thanks for reading!