Other under the radar players
You won’t find them endorsing any sports drinks or on any All-Star Game ballots.
They had no idea whether they’d even make their team’s opening-day roster this spring.
Well, in three weeks, they might find themselves playing in a game they never envisioned in their wildest imagination.
First baseman Jesus Aguilar, who barely even made the Milwaukee Brewers as a bench player, and Atlanta Braves reliever Dan Winkler, who didn’t even know whether he’d pitch again, may be two of the most unlikely visitors to Washington, D.C., to play in the AllStar Game on July 17.
“It would be a career-changer to make it,” Winkler said. “There were so many doubts. I remember sitting in the Hampton Inn after getting surgery done with Dr. (James) Andrews, just sitting there quietly with my wife, and wondering, ‘Man, will I ever pitch again.’ ”
Winkler, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014 with the Colorado Rockies, and broke his elbow two years later in just his fifth big-league game as a Rule 5 player with the Braves, couldn’t help but fear that he’d never play baseball again.
“It drove me crazy,” said Winkler. “I couldn’t even watch baseball. I had a lot of time on my hands, so I broke down my mechanics a lot. My mechanics were definitely a huge factor in my elbow surgeries. I knew I had to do something different if I wanted to be healthy.”
Winkler, who had to remain on the Braves’ big-league roster for the first 15 days of the season since he was a Rule 5 selection before the injuries, has been a key cog in the Braves’ stunning success. He is 2-0 with a 2.64 ERA, striking out 41 batters and yielding 20 hits in 302⁄3 innings, and has not allowed a run in 29 of his 33 outings. He entered the month of June with a 0.77 ERA before giving up six runs in a 12-day span.
“Oh, man, he’s been tremendous for us,” says Braves catcher Kurt Suzuki, who’s third in the all-star balloting. “To do what he’s doing on the mound, and coming back from those significant injuries, is a testament to his character and hard work. We’d all love to see him make it.’’
The Brewers feel the same compassion for Aguilar, who was given up two years ago by the Cleveland Indians, and nearly this spring by the Brewers. He hit .265 with 16 homers and 52 RBI last season, but with the Brewers’ off-season moves, acquiring outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich, they had no room for him. Eric Thames was supposed to be the everyday first baseman and Ryan Braun his backup on the days he didn’t play in the outfield.
“I had a good year last year,” Aguilar said, “but when I came to spring training, they didn’t have a spot for me. The said there was no space. All I could do was stay positive, do things the right way, and control what you can control.”
Aguilar, 28, opened the season riding the bench, waiting for his chance, when Thames suffered a torn thumb ligament, sidelining him for two months. The Brewers thrust Aguilar into the everyday job, since April 19, he has been one of the most prolific hitters in the National League. He’s slugging a league-leading .619, and is tied for the most homers with 16, and second with 50 RBI.
Little wonder why his teammates are openly campaigning for Aguilar to make the all-star team as a write-in candidate, with numbers that compare favorably to perennial all-stars Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds and Freddie Freeman of the Braves.
“It would be a dream come true to make the all-star team,’’ says Aguilar, a native of Venezuela. “It would be a great honor for me, my team, the city, my country. And, it would mean so much for my family.”
❚ Brewers reliever Josh Hader, 24, (2-0, 1.13 ERA) should be a shoo-in by leading all relievers with 80 strikeouts in 392⁄3 innings, threatening Dick Radatz’s record of 181 strikeouts for a reliever in 1964 with the Boston Red Sox. Jeremy Jeffress, 30, (5-1, 1.19 ERA) has never pitched better, with a franchiserecord 23 consecutive scoreless appearances.
❚ Braves outfielder Nick Markakis, 34, who has played 13 seasons, is hitting .330 with a league-leading 101 hits, and second baseman and teammate Ozzie Albies, with a walk-off homer Monday night, is hitting .269 with 17 homers and 46 RBI, including a league-leading 44 extra-base hits.,
❚ And there is Cincinnati Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett, claimed off waivers 15 months ago from the Brewers. He is leading the league in virtually every offensive category among second basemen, vying to become the first Reds’ player since Pete Rose in 1973 to lead the league in hitting.
❚ There’s St. Louis Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas, 29, who spent three years in Japan trying to resurrect his career, is 8-2 with a 2.69 ERA, should certainly be at his first All-Star Game.
❚ Colorado Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino, 32, who worked on his delivery this winter at a vacant Manhattan storefront window, located between a Chuck E. Cheese and a Dollar Tree, is yielding 0.79 ERA with just 10 hits in 341⁄3 innings.
❚ Kirby Yates, 31, who has found a home in San Diego after being designated for assignment, released and traded to four different teams, deserves to be there too with his 3-0 record with a 0.84 ERA.