Justin Smoak is quietly getting it done
May 21, 2013, 5:13 PM | Updated: 5:17 pm
By 710Sports.com staff
To say that Justin Smoak has been showing signs of life at the plate would be an understatement considering what the Mariners’ embattled first baseman has done over the last month.
Justin Smoak |
Entering Tuesday’s game, Smoak has gone 22 for 74 (.297) with nine extra-base hits, five RBIs and 16 walks in the 22 games since April 21. He was hitting .200 with one extra-base hit over his first 19 games.
Shannon Drayer discussed Smoak’s recent hot streak when she joined “Bob and Groz” on Tuesday.
Smoak’s .366 on-base percentage leads the Mariners, and according to Drayer, he ranks fifth among qualifying MLB first basemen in that category over the last month. During that same span, Drayer noted, Smoak is tied with Kyle Seager for the team lead in runs created, a stat that attempts to quantify a player’s total offensive value in terms of runs.
Smoak homered twice during the Mariners’ four-game series in Cleveland but has just one other home run over the last 30 games. Perhaps that’s one reason why he’s flown under the radar during his recent hot streak.
“I think that we are expecting one thing, not seeing it and then just kind of discounting what he’s done,” Drayer said. “But he’s very quietly over the last 30 days done some impressive things with the bat that would suggest that it’s going to continue and it’s part of the process and how he’s trying to settle in right now.”
Can Smoak sustain his hot hitting? Bob Stelton and Dave Grosby share their thoughts in the video below.
You can listen to Tuesday’s show here.