Yasmani Grandal Looking Like The Player Dodgers Hoped For
Yasmani Grandal, the Dodgers new 2015 catcher, walked a little taller on Thursday after he broke a record set by the Dodgers former catcher Mike Piazza. The record was set with 7 RBI’s in a single game, but Grandal boosted it to 8 in a monumental game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
This record-breaking night for Grandal was one of the indicators that he has some great potential to offer to the Dodgers organization. But, was this night for Grandal a showcase of skill or just luck?
There is no way that this could have been luck. A man who comes up to the plate six times and reaches base all six times is jut pure skill. Chris Cwik, with Yahoo! news, put it like this, “[Grandal] finished the contest 4 for 4, with three runs scored and eight RBI” which is an amazing outing for any player.
Little did he know that he would be breaking Dodger, Mike Piazza‘s record of 7 RBI’s in a single game.
What this shows is that a man can come out and catch a complete game and also have the energy and power to swing his bat effectively. Players that can do this are the ones that you can count on in dire situations. For example, Grandal came up in the sixth inning with the bases loaded and singled to drive in two runs.
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Every team wishes that they could have a player like Yasmani Grandal because they are so rare and they do their job to drive in runs and make plays. Believe me, it’s not easy to catch a 9-inning game and have six plate appearances, while being successful.
So what sets Grandal apart from other catchers? Well, the stats that players put up always tell a little about what kind of player they are.
Currently, Grandal holds a .301 AVG. with 12 RBI’s in 73 at bats. For a catcher, this is very impressive because not all catchers have the best bats. It is a hard job to sit behind the plate all night and catch guys who throw between 85-100 MPH and block throws in the dirt. Truly, being a catcher is one of the hardest positions to play in this game.
In his years with the San Diego Padres, Grandal only held averages below .300, which is to be expected of a catcher, but this year it seems that there is a fire that is going in Grandal’s bat. We do know that the game of baseball is much like a roller coaster which has its ups and downs, but we hope that Grandal can hold on and ride this one until it ends.
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Grandal just needs to come out and do his job, as he has been, and he will continue to put up the stats that he is being paid for. It’s about having a game to game mentality and not letting anything, like breaking a record, go to your head. Some guys come out and bat 4-4 with two walks and then the next game go 0-4 with three strikeouts. It’s just how baseball works, but if a player has a different attitude, then they can change that.
It is still early, but with Grandal behind the plate and Clayton Kershaw on the mound and Adrian Gonzalez at the plate, the Dodgers could be unstoppable. Currently, the Dodgers are in 1st place ahead of the Padres by 4 games, which is a good barrier between the first place team and the second place team. You would not expect a team that let go of power hitters like Hanley Ramirez and Matt Kemp to be leading the majors i home runs.
The switch-hitting Grandal certainly has certainly contributed to LA’s success. His presence behind plate is a major addition defensively. Grandal last season was one of the top pitch-framers in MLB. This season he’s close to the top-10 in that category. Nevertheless with his batting average increasing with each at bat, the Dodgers continue fielding a dangerous lineup.