What do the Toronto Blue Jays’ Devon Travis, the Cincinnati Reds’ Eugenio Suarez and the Milwaukee Brewers’ Hernan Perez have in common?
Not only are they all 24-years-old, they were all at one time (in the last year) a member of the Detroit Tigers’ farm system. Another trait they have in common? They’ve all been pretty successful with the bat this season.
Devon Travis, Toronto Blue Jays
Acquired from the Tigers for centerfielder Anthony Gose, Travis established himself as an early candidate for Rookie of the Year honors with a .325 batting average, six home runs and 19 RBI over the season’s first month. The second baseman struggled in May (his average dropped to .269), and eventually hit the disabled list.
The former Tigers’ farmhand returned in late June and has been on a tear ever since. His batting average since returning is an absurd .354. His home run (0) and RBI (eight) numbers since aren’t the same as before, but no one can deny Travis’ hitting ability.
The Tigers certainly aren’t complaining. Travis wouldn’t have unseated Ian Kinsler at second, while Gose has provided strong defense in center to go along with a .272 batting average and 14 steals in 82 games. Gose has also contributed 19 extra-base hits.
Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds
Sent to the Reds in the Alfredo Simon trade, Eugenio Suarez has been almost as much of a surprise as Travis at the plate. The shortstop didn’t make the team out of Spring Training, but has been excellent since being called up. He’s hitting .313 with five (!) home runs and 18 RBI in 36 games. His OPS is .825 and he’s already earned a WAR of 1.
With the Reds going through a transition with Johnny Cueto now departed, look for Suarez to receive more at-bats as the team evaluates for the future. Safe to say Suarez has already made quite the first impression.
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Hernan Perez, Milwaukee Brewers
Lost via waiver claim to the Brewers in early June, Hernan Perez, like Travis and Suarez, has raked. The American League’s eighth youngest player in 2012 owns a .311 batting average in 41 games for the Brew Crew after an awful .061 line in 22 games for Detroit. Perez has driven in four runs and smacked 11 extra-base hits (nine doubles, a triple and a home run) while playing three positions across the infield.
Like Cincinnati, Milwaukee is going through a transitional period. Perez seems to be making the best of the situation.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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