How Good is Martin Prado?

How Good is Martin Prado?

I was going to title this article “Is Martin Prado the Most Underrated Player in Baseball?” However, when a longtime teammate (Eric Hinske) calls you the best player in baseball, you’re on the radar not under it. So the question to be asked is this, just how good is Martin Prado? Casual baseball fans probably don’t know who he is and would then not be able to tell you what team he plays for. Can someone who is that good really be an unknown to the casual fan? Everyone knows the Pujols’, Braun’s, and A-Rod’s of the world because of the stats they put up, but baseball isn’t always about the stats.

Martin Prado, in seven seasons, not including 2013, has hit only 52 home runs so he isn’t exactly on the list of derby invitees but he excels at the little things and the mental aspect of the game. Since comparisons are always the way to go when talking sports, you can’t help but evoke the name of Derek Jeter when discussing Prado because of the many similarities between them and their style of play.

Prado gets the edge over Jeter defensively for his ability to play Gold Glove caliber defense at three different positions, and Jeter gets the edge offensively for his ability to hit for more power, but other than that the two may as well be mirror images. Both are right handed with an uncanny ability to hit the ball the opposite way, both are guys you would want up at bat with the game on the line or have the ball hit to with a chance to end it, they both make other players around them better by forcing them to work harder, and mentally both are going to make the right play or the right throw at all times. No two players are better at understanding in game situations. Whether it’s knowing when the double play can be turned or if it’s better to just get out the runner at first, or throwing behind a runner and not allowing a second guy to tag up as opposed to trying to gun down a lead runner, they save their team by using their head by making the right judgment call in that split second.

So getting back to the question at hand of just how good is Martin Prado? Well, the answer is he’s very good. Grit and intangibles cannot be measured accurately but if they could Prado would be among the league leaders every year. He’s a guy that everyone would want to play with and every skipper would want to be able to manage. He may not win the popular vote, but that needs to change quickly. Your worth shouldn’t be measured in home runs and RBI but in the commitment you make to your teammates to do whatever is necessary to win. With Prado’s willingness to already play three different positions in this young season because of injuries and matchups he’s showing just how valuable he is.