Ian Kinsler, Robinson Cano, Yuniesky Getz...
After three weeks, the Yuni-Getz combo at second base has been amongst the productive in the league. Here's KC's composite "as a 2B" numbers, with ranks below:
BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
.333 | .370 | .464 | .834 |
(1st) | (2nd) | (3rd) | (3rd) |
Here are their individual numbers, which are similar: Getz has hit .333/.351/.472 in 39 PAs and Yuni is at .324/.375/.459 in 40. In both cases, that also includes miniscule numbers at other positions, but the point remains: our second basemen have played well. Much maligned to enter the season, second base has not been a problem for the Royals this April.
Will this success last? In both cases, it seems unlikely. Can Getz slug over .450 in his age 28 season, with a career average of .313? Can Yuni continue to keep his batting average high enough to compensate for his (likely) lack of walks? In eight seasons, he's a career .269 batting average player. However, in the young season thus far, Yuni is swinging less than in the past and his contact rate is up. Add this to your list of granular stats to minutely track as we progress through the season.
Nevertheless, for now, the results have been better than expected.