Hope you’re not sick of hearing about Ramón Laureano.
The Athletics center fielder has been consistent at the plate throughout the entirety of the season, and manager Bob Melvin has noticed how much of an impact he has had on the lineup -- and he’s only getting better.
“He’s been fantastic basically the entire season,” Melvin said following Wednesday’s 9-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
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Laureano went 3-for-4 with a home run.
Melvin said Laureano’s improvement shows in all facets of his game, but his bat has shown signs of maturation this season. The 26-year-old has been hitting the ball to the opposite field a lot more, and is able to take advantage of the opposing defense in shift situations.
“So yeah, he’s been consistent the entire year and just works to get better and better and my guess is he’s got more room to grow,” Melvin added.
Nothing stops Laureano him from trying to perfect his craft, even during the offseason or when he has been injured or not playing. Melvin said his phone would blow up with texts from Laureano asking about the game or anything he could work on. He has turned into an All-Star caliber player -- but he's not worried about that right now.
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“He has a thirst for baseball knowledge and it’s not just me, it’s everybody,” Melvin said.
While Laureano’s .254 average doesn’t show what he’s capable of, his slugging percentage (.518) is right behind his career-best (.521 in 2019) and his eight stolen bases are the second-best in the league behind Kansas City infielder Whit Merrifield.
Imagine Laureano … only better.