The Future is in Good Hands...Or Should I Say Arms

The Future is in Good Hands…Or Should I Say Arms

The sports world is never in short supply of budding superstars. Whether it’s the guys who are much hyped and actually live up to their potential or unknown players seizing an opportunity and running with it, there is always new blood ready to capture the attention and love of the fans. Baseball is no different in this regard. Whether it’s a speedy outfielder, a corner infielder with power, or the guys we will be discussing today, the young left handed pitchers, there’s always someone emerging into the spotlight.

This season in baseball, a record number of players (12) are on pace to strike out at least 200 times. Never in history has there been more than one player to do so in a season. Now the odds of all 12 actually achieving this historic feat are pretty slim but we should have a new record after the season when more than one does. The reason for this is obviously that pitching is getting better, but what jumps out is the number of young, quality, left handed pitchers.

Leading the pack is perennial Cy Young favorite and young superstar ace Clayton Kershaw. Not only is Kershaw the best left handed pitcher in baseball but many would argue he’s the best pitcher period. At 25 years old he already has 2 All-Star Game appearances and a Cy Young Award, but the scary part is he is only now beginning to reach his potential. He currently leads the league in ERA and innings pitched and is tied for 3^rd in strikeouts. He is one of the few pitchers in baseball who goes out every five days and doesn’t need much run support to ensure a victory.

Madison Bumgarner is another young left handed starter, and he is a guy who doesn’t get nearly enough recognition. Bumgarner is a two time World Series Champion and is younger than Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, and Matt Harvey, all young pitchers who get much more hype. He’s been shaky his last few outings, but overall he is a top line starter for sure with command of all his pitches. He has an 11:3 strikeout to walk ratio and despite two bad starts has managed to keep his ERA at just above 3.00.

Matt Moore of the Tampa Bay Rays burst onto the scene in 2011, making his second career start in Game 1 of the ALDS, pitching 7 scoreless innings shutting down a potent Texas Rangers offense. He entered last season with all the hype and promise in the world but managed an 11-11 record with an ERA in the high 3.00’s. This year however, it’s been a completely different story. Moore leads the league in wins with 8 and has an ERA under 2.30. With David Price not pitching well and being placed on the DL, Moore has stepped up and staked his claim to keep the Cy Young Award in Tampa.

Finally, when it comes to left handed starters, a name that cannot be left out is Patrick Corbin of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Corbin is tied for the National League lead in wins with 7 and has shown tremendous poise and command this season. He is 7-0 with an ERA of 1.44. He is not a dominating strikeout pitcher despite his performance last night where he struck out 10 Rockies but is providing proof that the future of the DBacks pitching staff is bright with an ace in the fold.

Yankee Dominance Continues

Checking in on one of the Best Teams in Baseball and How They’ve Gotten There

We are almost 40 games into the Major League Baseball season, and just like every season before it, we’ve had surprises, disappointments, rising stars, fading stars, etc. Today however, we will be discussing one of the bigger surprises of the season, the New York Yankees. Now you may be saying to yourself, how exactly are they a surprise? They’ve consistently been contenders for years. Well this year isn’t every other year.

The New York Yankees entered this season with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, and Mark Teixeira all having extended stays on the disabled list. Since the season has begun they’ve added Kevin Youkilis, Francisco Cervelli, Ivan Nova, and Joba Chamberlain. So to recap, that’s their starting shortstop, third baseman, centerfielder, first baseman, catcher, replacement at third base, a back end starter, and an important piece from the bullpen. How that doesn’t devastate a team into a tailspin is beyond me. They’ve not only managed to keep their ship afloat, they’re racing ahead of everyone else and watching them get further and further into the distance. So how exactly did we get to this point?

For starters, let’s begin with the starters. The Yankees are in the top 5 of the American League in ERA thanks to a career year from Hiroki Kuroda thus far and a dominant bullpen. Sabathia, Pettitte, Hughes, and Phelps have done admirable work. Pettitte started out well and has slumped as of late and Sabathia started slow but is starting to come on and be the Sabathia Yankee fans love, even if his velocity still isn’t where it should be. Having Mariano Rivera back and as good as ever is a huge deal for this team because now everyone can slip back into the roles they are comfortable with and been successful in. They lead the league in saves thanks to Rivera; they are in the top half of the league in strikeouts, and near the bottom of the league in walks given up. With those stats, they are exactly where teams would like to be, getting outs and not surrendering free passes. Another stat that speaks to the dominance of the bullpen is the Yankees league leading 7-1 record in one run games. They have no trouble keeping a lead once they get it.

Another huge reason for the success of this team is GM Brian Cashman’s continued ability to find guys on the scrap heap or guys not getting the playing time with their team and bringing them on board, and they just put up numbers. Travis Hafner, Lyle Overbay, and Vernon Wells are this year’s examples. When Hafner was signed Cashman saw a power hitter who could succeed with the short porch in right field, and knowing Hafner’s injury history, told him don’t even bring a glove because we will not have you play the field. Hafner also doesn’t get many starts against left handed pitching, so he’s being put in a situation where it is almost impossible to fail. Lyle Overbay was cut by the Red Sox and quickly scooped up by Cashman for his ability to hit balls into the gap and a defensive prowess that, while it isn’t on the level of Teixeira, there is not a huge dropoff. Overbay thus far has hit 8 doubles, 6 home runs, and driven in 22 runs. Considering the early season slumps that Mark Teixeira is known for Overbay may actually be producing at a higher clip than Teixeira would have thus far. Finally, there is Vernon Wells. Wells doesn’t come cheap as the Yankees are paying 14 million to him this year and next, even after the Angels agreed to pay the majority of his salary just to rid themselves of another outfield option they would really have no use for. With Trout, Trumbo, Bourjos, and Hamilton they knew Wells would hardly ever play so when the Yankees came calling the Angels were willing to part ways with Wells, and boy has it paid off. Wells has done nothing short of resurrect his career since donning the pinstripes. Hitting just under .300 with 9 home runs and 22 RBI, Wells has been the Yankees second best offensive player behind perennial MVP candidate Robinson Cano. Speaking of Cano, he could very well win that MVP Award this year as his numbers are where they usually are, and he is the rock and anchor of this team with all the injuries. New York has enjoyed a stellar run so far this year with the Knicks and Rangers both playing into the second round of the playoffs, and with the success of the Yankees to date with reinforcements on the way, there’s no reason for that to change.

Baseball Bonanza

Baseball Bonanza: Tripleheader Running Diary on a Rainy Wednesday

Welcome back everyone to a marathon day of games here on a rainy Wednesday in New York City. Starting off the day will be the Seattle Mariners visiting the Pittsburgh Pirates. We have an ace vs ace showdown as King Felix will be dueling with A.J. Burnett. Expect a lot of strikeouts and not too many runs.

-A.J. Burnett was 4-0 in interleague play last season joining Justin Verlander and Stephen Strasburg as the only pitchers to accomplish that feat

-Starling Marte is having a phenomenal season so far. He’s not the prototypical leadoff hitter, he doesn’t see many pitches and doesn’t draw walks, but thus far he’s been hitting the ball well.

-Andrew McCutchen who needs to pick up the slack, drives in Marte to get the Pirates on the board first. The Pirates are 10-5 when scoring 1^st.

-King Felix is not looking sharp so far but gets the double play to end the inning.

-A.J. Burnett on the other hand is looking nasty with great movement on his pitches.

-Burnett is perfect through 3 innings and has 5 strikeouts on the day.

-King Felix gets McCutchen swinging on a nasty slider. He may be coming on late with the movement and command. He’s not going to overpower anyone with velocity so the key to his starts is his ability to confuse hitters.

-Burnett with back to back walks to start the top of the 4^th to bring up Kyle Seager. If I were to ask you who led the league in RBIs on the road last year, you would probably guess Miguel Cabrera, and you would be right because let’s face it, the answer is always Miguel Cabrera. However, if I asked you who finished second, you would never guess Kyle Seager. Seager had 60 road RBIs last year, but can’t come through this time.

-Kendrys Morales, who leads the league in double plays grounded into comes up and predictably hits one on the ground towards first base. Garrett Jones couldn’t get a good grip on the ball to try and turn the double play so only the out at first is made. Will this come back to cost the Pirates? 2^nd and 3^rd two outs.

-Michael Saunders scores on a wild pitch by Burnett that almost rolls down the dugout steps and would’ve brought in a second run. Tie ball game. Dustin Ackley ends the inning with a strikeout. That’s a shocker; he’s such a hitting machine. Burnett has 7 strikeouts through 4 innings.

- Jesus Montero, who may be the slowest player in all of baseball, is making Yankees fans forget how mad they were that he was traded. Despite getting nothing out of Pineda, Montero isn’t exactly torching the league.

-Through 5 innings Burnett has 8 strikeouts. Not to take away from Burnett’s numbers but this Mariners offense is putrid. Safeco Field can only be blamed for so long when this team couldn’t score runs on a Little League field.

-Jordy Mercer leads off the bottom of the 5^th with a double. Clint Barmes comes up squaring to bunt WITH THE PITCHER ON DECK!!! What is Clint Hurdle thinking with this call? Barmes needs to be swinging away. Barmes gets two strikes failing to get the bunt down, and then proceeds to fly out advancing the runner. A.J. Burnett strikes out, followed by Starling Marte whiffing as well. Hernandez has definitely found his command and gotten better movement as the game has worn on.

-Both of these teams swing at horrible pitches and are overly aggressive at the plate. I’m not really sure how much credit we can give these pitchers considering the lineups they’re facing. Bad offense may be beating out great pitching today.

-Top 7^th Jesus Montero leading off and he drills one out to center to give the M’s a 2-1 lead. Now Yankee fans have forgotten everything else all year and are furious again that this guy isn’t in pinstripes.

-This game is putting me to sleep it’s such a mess with these hitters.

-There haven’t been any threats by either team to put another run on the board and it’s now the bottom of the 9^th. The Pirates have Travis Snider, Andrew McCutchen, and Garrett Jones coming up.

-Snider and McCutchen get out quickly, followed by a Jones single. All for naught as McKenry comes up and gets out ending the game.

 

Next up we travel to Tampa and the big orange juice carton for Toronto against Tampa Bay. Ricky Romero will be facing off against young phenom Matt Moore, who is 5-0 on the young season.

-Edwin Encarnacion continues his power surge by crushing one to dead center off Moore and giving Toronto a 2-0 lead.

-Tampa Bay comes to bat in the bottom of the 1^st and have 1^st and 3^rd no outs. Romero has absolutely no command as he loads the bases and we’re informed he’s lost 14 of his last 15 decisions. He’s good.

-Evan Longoria comes up and bloops a single to make it 2-1 Toronto. James Loney comes up and singles making it 2-2. Loney has been having a fantastic offensive year so far, and I feel bad for the few Tampa fans out there as he will be crashing down back to Earth soon.

-Edgar Gonzalez warming up for Toronto as Romero is at 25 pitches and only has one out.

-Luke Scott comes up, or as I like to call him, Wolverine. His beard and hair are to be marveled. See what I did there. He singles making it 3-2, and either Tampa is a really slow team or they just think you’re only allowed to go station to station.

-Romero is out after 1/3 of an inning and Gonzalez promptly gets 2 outs to end the inning 3-2.

-Matt Moore, for a left handed pitcher, has an absolutely terrible pickoff move. If he can get to a point where it’s even average he will be even better than he already is.

-Kelly Johnson shows some hustle in the bottom of the 2^nd and slides into 2^nd base after Rajah Davis lollygags on the bloop hit and doesn’t get it in quickly. Comes back to cost the Jays as Zobrist follows with an RBI single to make it 4-2.

-Moore has settled down nicely as we’re shown a stat that Tampa has lost 13 games after having a lead. The normally very good bullpen has been anything but this season.

-Evan Longoria crushes a 2 run home run to left just fair to make it 6-2.

-Moore is over 100 pitches through 5 innings. He isn’t giving up runs but he’s not fooling too many hitters, there’s a lot of contact being made.

-Brett Lawrie makes a phenomenal play to get the speedy Sam Fuld at 1^st.

-Jamey Wright is in for Tampa as Moore’s day is done.

-Joe Maddon gets ejected after a horrible call by an umpire, and funny thing is, it won’t even be the worst call of the night in baseball. Hi, Angel Hernandez. Maicer Izturis pulls out a great acting job making it seem like a ball hit off his foot and the ump agreeing. The ball was nowhere close to his foot.

-Kelly Johnson blasts a towering home run that almost hit the roof of the Trop.

-James Loney hits a double making it 9-2 and I’ll say it again, he’s going to crash and crash hard.

-Wolverine comes up and hits a sac fly giving Tampa a 10-2 lead.

Toronto has put across 2 runs making it a 10-4 game but that’s all they will get as the Jays end the 9^th with no threat.

Finally, to end the day we’re in Dodger Stadium for a matchup of Wade Miley and the Diamondbacks looking for the sweep against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers. We get the Diamondbacks announcers tonight, as Bob Brenly and Steve Berthiaume are in the booth. Not getting to hear Vin Scully is a shame but these two guys are pretty good.

-We join this game in progress in the top of the 2^nd as it followed White Sox-Mets on Extra Innings.

-Gerardo Parra hits a 2 out double off Kershaw and he’s another guy who is having a great year thus far. If his bat keeps up and compliments his Gold Glove defense, the DBacks will go to the playoffs.

-The DBacks are making Kershaw work for his outs, as he’s at 58 pitches in the top of the 4^th but has only given up 3 hits.

-Steve Berthiaume just said that Martin Prado grew up in a baseball culture in Venezuela, as his mother cleaned houses and his brother worked at a car wash. I know it’s late and this is the 3^rd game I’ve watched but can someone please explain the correlation there.

-Now Berthiaume is calling Juan Uribe a good defensive player. I take back what I said about him being good and someone needs to call a doctor to check him out.

-Dee Gordon breaks up Miley’s perfect game with a base hit. Keep an eye on him on the bases because he certainly is Flash Jr.

-Nick Punto follows up with a double that Parra didn’t play well, allowing Gordon to score and give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

-Adrian Gonzalez makes it 2-0 with another double.

-Juan Uribe swings at the first four pitches he sees, showing how great his patience is.

-Adrian Gonzalez busted his rear end to catch a foul pop up, unable to make the play though on a dive, but he is now out of the game with an apparent injury.

-Dee Gordon follows up a 2 out hit with a pickoff. Thought he had Miley timed but was wrong.

-Gordon continues the stellar play with an error that allows Didi Gregorius to reach. Paul Goldschmidt comes up and ties it at 2 with a home run. Berthiaume channels his inner John Sterling making the call “that ball is goldy, goldy, gone.” Now I really take back everything I said.

-Through 7 innings we’re tied at 2. Kershaw is at 103 pitches while Miley is at 90. Kershaw is taken out for a pinch hitter, Tim Federowicz, who cannot reach base.

-Paul Goldschmidt breaks the tie with his 2^nd home run of the game making it 3-2 and we’re treated to a 2^nd “goldy, goldy, gone” call.

-Top 9 Ronald Belisario comes in looking like Grimace with Rec Specs. He gets the DBacks to keep it 3-2 heading into the bottom of the 9^th.

-Heath Bell comes in to close the game with J.J. Putz being placed on the DL and this should be interesting.

-Skip Schumaker leads off with a double, but Bell gets the next 3 out to close the game and allow DBacks fans to breathe again.

 

Well that’s it for today; hope you all enjoyed the triple coverage. Make sure to follow the blog on Twitter @changingspeeds if you aren’t already.

We Can All Learn a Lesson From Matt Kemp

We Can All Learn a Lesson From Matt Kemp

Growing up I dreamed of being a baseball player. I, just like every other kid who loved baseball, was going to be the hero that hit the home run to win game 7 of the World Series. I was going to be the guy that helped people with all the money I was going to make and my teammates were going to tell everyone that I was the best guy ever because I always had their backs. Unfortunately for me, as I got older, reality and lack of talent trumped imagination. There are however, a very select few who have those same dreams and actually have the talent to realize them. Matt Kemp is one of those guys.

There is a video circulating the internet of Kemp meeting a disabled fan in San Francisco that will certainly cause the room you’re in to get very dusty, very quickly. Besides introducing himself to the fan and his father, Kemp signs a baseball and gives the fan his hat, jersey, and cleats. To say this is a wonderful, amazing gesture is an understatement. Matt Kemp, unlike a lot of others, gets it. He understands what it’s all about. To take the time to do this and go above and beyond any type of expectation is an act that should absolutely be applauded. This humanitarian effort isn’t the only lesson we can learn from Mr. Kemp. Earlier this season he proved his worth as a loyal teammate and friend.

During a game with the San Diego Padres, Dodger pitcher Zack Greinke hit Carlos Quentin with a pitch. The two men have a bit of a history going back to their days with the Royals and White Sox respectively. Quentin charged the mound feeling like the hit was intentional. Greinke, seeing the not so small Quentin charging at him led with his non pitching shoulder to absorb the contact. This resulted in a broken collarbone for Greinke and his season came to a screeching halt. The benches cleared and a melee ensued. Right in the middle of that melee, and getting ejected for his efforts, was Kemp. He was not going to let anyone disrespect his teammate or the Dodgers organization with their actions. Kemp’s biggest action though came after the game in the parking lot, where he confronted Quentin for what he did and the two had to be physically separated. Now some may say there was no need for Kemp to stoop to that level, but I couldn’t disagree more. When you get hit by a pitch, whether it’s intentional or not, keep your mouth shut and take your base. Quentin didn’t want any part of that advice and his actions of charging the mound cost the Dodgers an important piece to their season’s hopes. This was something Kemp wasn’t going to take lightly and shouldn’t have.

Regardless of what happens the rest of the year with Kemp and the Dodgers, his actions as a good hearted human being and teammate must be applauded. People like to associate sports with wars and battles, well this is a guy I would want in a foxhole with me because of his loyalty and ability to put others above himself. Thank You, Mr. Kemp. You’re both an inspiration and a role model. I figuratively take my hat off to a man who literally took his off.

The Best Team No One Knows

If A Dynasty Builds in the Bay Area and the East Coast Doesn’t Hear it, Does it Make a Sound?

Dynasty seems to have become a dirty word in sports these days. What exactly constitutes a dynasty? Do the championships have to be consecutive? If it happens anywhere other than the East Coast and there isn’t a “superstar” player, does anyone notice or care? So is the story of the San Francisco Giants. Winners of two of the last three World Series, and a team that looks poised to make a serious run at title number three. To borrow a term from DJ Khaled, and most recently our President Barack Obama, all they do is win. So how exactly did we get here to this point?

When talking about the San Francisco Giants the conversation must start with the quiet, unassuming legend in the making by the name of Buster Posey. Most on the East Coast just know Posey as that guy that got hurt in that home plate collision they kept showing on SportsCenter. What they should know him as is the leader of one of the best teams in baseball who already has an MVP, a batting title, a Rookie of the Year and two rings on his resume. He also anchors one of the best pitching staffs in baseball behind the plate.

That pitching staff is the next topic of discussion when it comes to the beasts of the Bay Area. They are led by Matt Cain, the power pitching, perfect game throwing, and before this year, most consistent hurler in the game. Sorry, I sort of channeled my inner Nature Boy Ric Flair there with that description. Cain this season has been the opposite of everything he has been previously, yet the team still finds itself in first place. If and when he gets going, watch out, this team could lock up a playoff spot early. Next up as far as notoriety is concerned is Tim Lincecum, the two time Cy Young Award winner who has seen his stats go down every season since 2010. He may be at a point in his career where he would be much more effective out of the bullpen, which is exactly what he was last postseason when rotations could be shortened, but due to a lack of a serviceable replacement and money owed, San Francisco has to ride it out with him in the rotation. Barry Zito, another Cy Young winner and contract albatross is still chugging along with the Giants, never putting up earth shattering stats but doing just enough to win. He’s a veteran pitcher who knows how to pitch and get outs, as evidenced by the fact that he hasn’t hit 90 on a radar gun since Zack Morris and the gang partied Hawaiian Style. Finally, the least known, but overall best pitcher on the staff is Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner is the 23 year old country kid with two rings already to his name. Bumgarner is quiet and unassuming like Posey, but this guy has character written all over him. During a recent broadcast, Bob Brenly, the color analyst for the Arizona Diamondbacks told two stories about Bumgarner that had to be heard to be believed. For a wedding gift he gave his wife a five day old calf and on a bus ride to the park from the hotel for a game, the bus broke down and Bumgarner got down in the street and fixed the problem, allowing the team to continue to the park without a massive delay.

Characters are another way to describe this winning bunch. It all started with Brian Wilson, the All Star closer, who I believe was more of a distraction and was nowhere near as funny as he thought he was. Despite my personal feelings on his act, he was himself, for better or worse and it opened the door for other guys to do the same. Sergio Romo, the team’s new closer, and successor to Wilson, celebrates outs in a way that would make Joba Chamberlain blush, but when you can walk the walk and talk the talk there’s something to be said for it. Next up is the Kung Fu Panda himself Pablo Sandoval. This guy has never met a pitch or a meal he didn’t like, and yet despite his hair on fire at bats and Chris Farley physique, he is one hell of a hitter and seems to get the clutch hits whenever the team needs it. Finally, there is Hunter Pence, a mid-season pickup last year from Philadelphia. When looking up reckless abandon in the dictionary you will find Pence’s picture. He goes all out and plays with a passion very few can match. He looks like a psychotic lumberjack, and I wouldn’t doubt him running head first into a brick wall because someone asked him to or he thought it would help the team. When guys see a teammate with that type of heart and passion it rubs off on the rest of the clubhouse.

The Giants never routinely light up the scoreboard, but with good pitching they never have to. Plus, it seems like whenever they do need to score runs and get hits, they end up getting them. Having the experience they do and the continuity of playing with each other for so long, they know what to expect from one another and know exactly how and when to push each other. I read recently that there’s nothing more dangerous in sports than a team that knows its identity, and there’s no better description of the Giants than that. It’s just a shame no one West of Bristol knows enough to appreciate it. Save me some Garlic Fries fellas and I’ll see you in October.

The Nationals Best Pitcher

The Nationals Best Pitcher Isn’t Named Strasburg or Gonzalez

The Washington Nationals are blessed with having four really good, young pitchers in their starting lineup. They have a pair of “aces” in Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, two guys who have all the hype and Cy Young finishes on their resume. Strasburg last season was shut down after 159 innings as he was coming off Tommy John Surgery the year before. There was a lot of furor over shutting him down given the team’s position in the playoff race and the likelihood that they would finish with the best record in baseball and be on the fast track to the World Series. The Nationals responded to that criticism by saying that the plan was in place from the beginning and they wouldn’t budge on it despite their record because they wouldn’t put Strasburg in future danger.

Another factor in the reasoning of the Nationals was that they had Gio Gonzalez, who was in the process of matching R.A. Dickey in stats and wins in the Cy Young race. Having a guy in the middle of such a great season (21-8, 2.89 ERA, 199.1IP, and 207 strikeouts) gave the Nationals some rope to play with and eased their decision making. Also, the Nationals had one of the best bullpens in the majors last season, so the pressure on the starters was minimal knowing they had capable arms behind them to hold leads or keep them in games. Unfortunately for the Nats their season ended with a game 5 loss in the division series to the St. Louis Cardinals, where Strasburg pitching could’ve made a difference but we’ll never know.

Despite all this talk of Strasburg and Gonzalez, the Nationals have another pitcher who had a quality year last year and is following it up so far this season with another fantastic start. When all is said and done this pitcher will go on to show that not only is he severely underrated but will also show that he is not only better than Gonzalez, but Strasburg too. That pitcher’s name is Jordan Zimmermann.

In 2012 Zimmermann ended the year with a 12-8 record. Most will look at that and say that isn’t a good record but when you consider the fact that his ERA was 2.94, he pitched 195.2 innings, and had 153 strikeouts you see a guy who was a victim of circumstance. That circumstance being that he got no backup from his team in the form of run support. Despite the lack of run support, a 12-8 record is quite the feat.

This season however, Zimmermann is on a tear and shows no signs of slowing down. He has a 5-1 record with an ERA of 1.64 and has pitched two complete games, one being a shutout. He has surrendered only eight runs in two starts and is showing a strong command and pinpoint control over all his pitches.

Strasburg this year has had his problems, whether they be mechanical or due to injury, and Gonzalez is pitching nowhere near the level he did last year, begging the question of whether he was a one hit wonder. Zimmermann, at 26, is showing consistency and durability, qualities his counterparts in the rotation have lacked thus far. So while the other guys may have gotten the headlines in the past, Zimmermann is doing his part to get the recognition he rightfully deserves.

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.