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Devon Travis, Dilson Herrera Are the Best of the Little Guys

By Brody Hilgenkamp

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I must confess, there are times I root for the little guy.

Not the underdog. Not the underappreciated, unheralded guy or team.

The little guy. The guy under six feet tall (I myself am 5 foot 10).

In the general populace, being 5 foot 11 or under isn’t abnormal, but in professional baseball, it’s rare. The biggest and strongest are the most desirable players, but that doesn’t mean the vertically challenged can’t succeed as well.

Second base is a great example. Dustin Pedroia (5 foot 8) of the Boston Red Sox has won an MVP award and Jose Altuve (5 foot 6) won the batting title in 2014. The position requires agility and quickness, skills at which smaller players are often superior.

Second base is an impact position–just ask the Yankees— where smaller players can thrive, and several major league franchises have diminutive second baseman in their farm systems who could grade out as major leaguers. I thought it would be fun to see which of them would be the most likely to fit into certain molds of a quality second baseman (30 steals, high OBP, solid defensively), so here are a few of the pint-sized second baseman with the most potential.

Most likely to win a Gold Glove: Devon Travis, Toronto Blue Jays, 5 foot 9
Travis is one of the most well-rounded second base prospects in the game and will be discussed in some of the other categories as well. While several of the nominees are solid defensively, scouts say Travis’ defensive instincts elevate his defense above his physical skills.

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Most likely to hit 20 home runs: Sean Coyle, Boston Red Sox, 5 foot 8
This was one of the easier topics to choose. Since he players for the Red Sox, the obvious comparison is Pedroia, and there are similarities. Pedroia has surprising pop for his size, and so does Coyle. Coyle hit 16 home runs and averaged 21 at-bats per home run in 2014, while Pedroia has never averaged less than 25 AB/HR while in the majors (35.4 was his best while in the minors). If Coyle can emulate Pedroia’s knack for putting the bat on the ball—Pedroia strikes out in 9.3 percent of plate appearances, Coyle does in 24.8—he could be a 20 home run, 20 stolen base guy.

Most likely to steal 30 bases: Ryan Brett, Tampa Bay Rays, 5 foot 9
While several of the candidates showed the potential to swipe 15 or 20 bags, Brett is the most developed thief. Brett filched 26 and 27 bags over the past two seasons, and his high OBP (.354 over five minor league seasons) means he’ll have plenty of chances to steal bases. He also takes advantage of those chances, as he’s been successful on 82.7 percent of his attempts over those five seasons.

Most likely to hit .300: Travis
The New York Mets’ Dilson Herrera and Travis were both great options in this category as well as the Gold Glove honor, but Travis take this one again. Travis has been the more consistent hitter as a minor leaguer (.317 career average to Herrera’s .297) even though his average fell 52 points from 2013 to 2014. He also strikes out less than Herrera (13.6 K% to Herrera’s 16.4 K%).

Most likely to make an impact in 2015: Dilson Herrera, New York Mets, 5 foot 10
Herrera made the big club ahead of schedule in 2014 after hitting .323/.379/.479 at two levels of the minors. Now that the pitching depth of the minor league system is ready to help the Mets contend, Herrera may not be in the minors much longer. He may move to shortstop since Daniel Murphy is the everyday second baseman, but his impact offensive impact will be appreciated.

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