Thursday, June 03, 2010

Swisher's Season Lost in the Shuffle

Robinson Cano just overtook Justin Morneau for the batting lead and has more hits than even Ichiro. Brett Gardner gets deserved kudos for his contact hitting, his OBP and his speed and defense. Francisco Cervelli has gotten a lot of ink concerning his handling of pitchers and his clutch hitting. Jeter and Teixeira are getting ink for their struggles. A-Rod hits grand slams and stuff. But quietly (it seems), Nick Swisher is having a monster season.

Swisher is second among all major league right fielders in OPS trailing only Jason Heyward. His wOBA sits at .418, just one point behind Heyward. He has been solid in the field (on the plus side at least in most advanced stats) and his WAR is tied for tops in the majors for right fielders with Heyward. But forget right fielders for a moment, Swisher is tied for fourteenth among ALL players right now in value (WAR) this season.

Swisher has had a career of ups and downs and can be a very streaky player who alternates from good to horrible in a matter of weeks. But he really hasn't had an extended stink out period this season and of course, his patience at the plate is fairly streak proof. Plus, his sense of fun and good-natured demeanor on the field and off just adds to his value as a very good fit for the New York Yankees.

Things are going very well for Swisher and he just got engaged to a gorgeous television star. Life is good right now for the Bronx right fielder.

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