QUIET EXCELLENCE

Saint Louis Cardinals catcher, Yadier Molina, has been considered for a while as the best backstop in MLB.  His hitting prowess, game calling skills and defense and his lethal effect on the running game have earned him the respect of friends and foes.  The 31 year old Molina along with San Francisco's Buster Posey have been widely considered the two best catchers in the National League.  Molina will be appearing as a starter ( voted by fans) for the NL in the All Star game in Minnesota.

 Quietly toiling in Milwaukee is Brewers C Jonathan Lucroy, a vital cog in his team's race to displace the Cardinals as the NL Central champs.  Playing almost in anonymity the last couple years (2012-2013) Lucroy's 2014 numbers have him at the top of MLB catchers according to Fangraphs WAR advanced metrics.  Posey's numbers are down this year and Molina while still excellent has slipped offensively and is down a few pegs.  
 2014              avg/hr/rbi         OPS       WAR
Lucroy          .327/9/44           908         3.9
Molina          .285/7/30           743         2.5
 

Jonathan Lucroy of the Milwaukee Brewers  (zimbio.com)

Lucroy has been improving his game and is now considered by many statheads and other studious types to be at the top of his position.
                     PA     HR       avg/obp/slg         WAR
2012            346     12       .320/.368/.513       3.6
2013            580     18       .280/.340/.455       3.6
2014            364      9        .327/.396/.512       3.9

Lucroy also rates very high on the newly researched area of "pitch framing", getting more strikes from pitches around the corners of the strike zone.  Fangraphs calculated Lucroy to have 137 more strikes called over Yadier Molina and 160 over Buster Posey for the
2012-2013 seasons.  
 

Jonathan Lucroy vs Reds in Cincinnati  (zimbio.com)

Hitting third in the deep Brewers lineup that includes Ryan Braun, Carlos Gomez and Aramis Ramirez is a testament to the respect he commands.  Maybe he should be the starting C for the All Star game.

WINNING UGLY

Andrew Cashner, the ace of the San Diego Padres pitching staff went on the DL in June and Odrisamer Despaigne was called up from 3A to replace him in the rotation.  The ex Industriales  pitcher in the Cuban League and member of the Cuban National Team in the 2013 WBC signed for a 1.0 million minor league contract  in May and after a brief stop in 2A and 3A ( about 30 IP) was shuttled to San Diego.  The 27 year old RHP was a good pitcher in Cuba but a little below the level of Freddy Asiel Alvarez, Vladimir Garcia and the late Yadier Pedroso.  

With 3 quality starts in 3 outings and a 2-0 record, Despaigne's brand of pitching (deception, off speed pitches and different arm angles) has played well so far.  It's a very small sample size and he should be due for a serious regression going forward.
  IP           H         ER     HR   BB     K        ERA
19.2         11         2        1       8        5         0.92

Odrisamer Despaigne first ML start vs Giants  (zimbio.com)

With more walks than strikeouts, a very low BABIP (.169) very high Left on Base ( 96.6%) and a 4.49 FIP ( Fielding Independent Pitching) Despaigne's numbers should start to even out.
 

Odrisamer Despaigne at Petco Park   (zimbio.com)

Despaigne along with another rookie, Jesse Hahn, ( 4-2 2.34 ERA) have shored up the Padres rotation and helped them reach 3rd place in the NL West.  If San Diego could start hitting they might salvage a pretty bad season.  Despaigne in his 3 starts has 56 called strikes and only 11 swing and miss strikes.  In his last 3 starts of a total of 6, Hahn has 51 called strikes and 42 swing and miss strikes.  Odrisamer has been positive for the team.  When Cashner returns will he still be on the team or will he be sent down to 3A and recalled in September?