If Devin Mesoraco hadn’t missed a few weeks of the season, he would be right in the thick of things in the NL MVP discussion. The Reds’ catcher homered twice in Sunday’s 7-2 win over the Marlins, helping his club avoid a series sweep at home.
In the first inning, Mesoraco took lefty Brad Hand out to left field for a two-run home run, putting his team on top by a 2-1 score. In the fifth, he padded the Reds’ lead to 7-2 when he took Hand out again, skying a grand slam over the fence in left field.
Mesoraco, in 309 plate appearances, has a ridiculous .293/.366/.580 slash line with 20 home runs and 61 RBI. Most of the 15 players ahead of his 3.4 WAR (via FanGraphs) have between 450-500 total plate appearances. His HR and RBI totals come out to 42 and 128 over 650 plate appearances -- a full season’s worth. Quietly, he has been among the game’s best at the plate.
The Reds, at 60-58, are still in the thick of things despite ranking fourth in the NL Central. They sit just five games behind the first-place Brewers and 2.5 games behind the Pirates for the second National League Wild Card slot.
Here are Sunday’s box scores and recaps...
Tigers 5, Blue Jays 6 (19 innings)
Rockies 5, Diamondbacks 3 (10 innings)
Rays 2, Cubs 3 (12 innings)