Two under-appreciated guys so far in 2015? Gerardo Parra and JD Martinez.
Even after a 23 HR campaign in '14, I don't think people fully appreciate what Martinez is doing again this year; having an even better year than last. This time last year, Martinez was slashing .315/.350/.590 with 13 HR and 45 RBI. Surpassing last year’s HR total (27 in 99 game), Martinez could easily end up in the top 15-20 of all of baseball in OPS.
Could Parra be that guy in '15 and going into 16? It's entirely possible.
Parra is not close to the power hitter Martinez is, so let’s put that out on the table to start. But Parra has a real knack for getting on base and has plenty of gap to gap power.
It will be close, but he could be close to matching his 43 doubles of 2013, which surprisingly put him in the top 5 in all of baseball.
Additionally, Parra is likely to set a career mark in home runs. Entering play Wednesday, Parra’s nine homers were one off his career mark of 10, also set in 2013.
For Parra, a high OBP (.365 entering play Wednesday, July 29) is nothing new. How bout these OBP numbers with at bats in parenthesis. .324 (455 ABs in 2009, rookie year), .357 (445 ABs, 2011), .335 (385 ABs, 2012), .323 (601 ABs, 2013), and now a .365 OBP in 98 games in 2015.
In my opinion, Gerardo Parra is one of the top left-handed bats. (Notice, I did not THE top left handed bat on the market)
Don’t look now, but with the move of Troy Tulowitzki and the increasing possibility Carlos Gonzalez could be on the move, Nolan Arenado could become the face of the franchise.
The 24 year old already has career highs in HR (25), RBIs (76), and OPS (.899). You might know Arenado from some of the circus and ridiculous defensive plays he makes on almost a nightly basis, but the offensive production for this guy is almost off the charts and if he can continue to do what he’s doing, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be thinking Nolan Arenado from now on, when you reference the Colorado Rockies.
Speaking off the charts production, how about Jung Ho Kang in Pittsburgh. Now that this guy is finally getting a healthy share of playing time, he’s doing nothing short of raking.
Injuries have certainly allowed Kang to find his way into the lineup regularly, and he is making the most of it.
The guy I said to watch during All-Star week is hitting .410 since the break with 2 HR and 4 2B, it will be increasingly difficult to not put that bat into the lineup somewhere.
Another guy I’m becoming a bigger fan of day-by-day is Randal Grichuk with the Cardinals.
Grichuk has made the most of his opportunity with the Cardinals since being recalled from Triple A in mid-May amidst a plethora of injuries to Cardinals outfielders.
Hitting .281 on the year with an .891 OPS, Grichuk has been as complete a hitter as St. Louis could have asked for. Hitting 11 HR, 17 doubles and six triples, when healthy, Grichuk has earned himself a spot regularly in the St. Louis outfield and it’s not unlike he has moved Jon Jay to a fringe outfielder within the organization.
For me, that’s unfortunate to say because I really like Jon Jay, but Grichuk has been that impressive to this point.
Other tidbits…
>>After losing 3 in a row and the division lead down to a half game, is it Corey Seager time in LA?
>>Will there be an American League race to come down to the wire other than the wild card spots? Other than the AL West, no division lead is less than 7 games currently.
>>Meanwhile, in the National League, other than the Cardinals in the Central, the division leader and second place teams are separated by a single game or less starting the day Wednesday. For teams like the Mets, Pirates and Giants, the difference could very well be who makes the biggest move before Friday.
>>So far the Mets and Royals have been the most active as the trade deadline approaches, but who’s going to the one to land Cole Hamels? Will the Tigers part with David Price and Yoenis Cespedes? The next few days are going to be rather entertaining to say the least.
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