Sunday, March 2, 2014

The Hit Collector

Matt Hague was given the nickname, the Hit Collector during Spring Training 2012 when he collected 22 hits in 25 games including 7 homeruns.  During his Spring Training career he has a .386/.400/.659 slash line which equals a 1.059 OPS.  He's also collected 21 RBI over the course of 88 plate appearances.  If he were to keep up his Spring Training numbers over the course of an entire season he would be putting up MVP numbers.
2012 Topps Chrome Refractor 69/75

But that's why you can't trust small sample sizes.

When the Pirates traded for Gaby Sanchez in 2012, it was clear that they didn't view Hague as a consistent major leaguer.  He's decent with the glove at first, but isn't known for his defense.  In addition, he hasn't shown enough versatility to make the team as a utility corner infielder/outfielder so he's basically just a right handed bat off the bench.  The Pirates wouldn't consider carrying someone like this on their roster.  Hopefully Matt can see some playing time when the Pirates play interleague games in AL parks because his bat would make for a good DH for a few days.

I purchased the above 2012 Topps Chrome Sepia Refractor AUTO for $6 delivered.  The card looked nice enough to add to my collection for that price.



2 comments:

  1. Is he still on the 40 man? Hard to imagine a scenario where he sees PNC again.

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    1. No he's not. I think if he has a really hot streak, Gaby gets injured and/or play against a lot of AL parks or LHP he gets a call up again. Otherwise, I see him being just AAA depth for the rest of his career.

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