Dodgers Team News

Yasmani Grandal: The Grandest Of All

When you try to pin point the reason for why the Los Angeles Dodgers have been so successful during the second half of this season, the first names that come to your mind are probably Corey Seager or Justin Turner.

Although, both Seager and Turner are having career years and they both have been a huge reason why the Dodgers are back on top of the NL West. The name that always seems to be left out of the conversation is Yasmani Grandal.



Not only is Yaz putting up the best offensive numbers of his career, but he has arguably been the best hitter on this Dodger team since the All-Star break.

[graphiq id=”faqjDOSK2pv” title=”Yasmani Grandal Career Batting” width=”800″ height=”358″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/faqjDOSK2pv” link=”http://baseball-players.pointafter.com/l/6230/Yasmani-Grandal” link_text=”Yasmani Grandal Career Batting | PointAfter” ]

Grandal is tied with Justin Turner for a team-best 12 home runs since the All-Star break.

https://twitter.com/SammyGlantz/status/773241531079680000

Turner, who has been an absolute threat at the plate all season long, has a total of 25 HRs this season. That leaves Seager and Grandal tied for second on the team with 24 bombs.

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More impressively, Yaz has hit 19 of those home runs since June 30th.

[graphiq id=”aZVuZmUE1Xn” title=”Yasmani Grandal 2016 Complete Batting Splits” width=”640″ height=”791″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/aZVuZmUE1Xn” link=”http://baseball-players.pointafter.com/l/6230/Yasmani-Grandal” link_text=”Yasmani Grandal 2016 Complete Batting Splits | PointAfter” ]

Besides Grandal’s incredible power numbers, another impressive part about his stats are his number of walks and his ability to get on base. Most power hitters are not known for their ability to be selective at the plate and understand the value of a walk, but Yaz does.

He is leading the team in walks with 57, with the next closest on the team being Corey Seager and Joc Pederson tied at 49.

His offensive numbers are not only stand out amongst the Dodgers, but his numbers have him slated as the top catcher in Major League Baseball, as he ranks first in total HRs and BBs.

https://twitter.com/SammyGlantz/status/773268417281298432

Some may recall the beginning of the season when he struggled at the plate. Grandal was hitting under .200 during May and June with only 6 HRs. He almost seems like he has become a completely new player during this second half of the season.

But when asked about his power surge since the All-Star break, Yaz attributes his successful to finally being healthy this season.

Grandal has suffered numerous injuries during his career so far. Back in 2013, while Yaz was a San Diego Padre, he had his season cut short after severely damaging his right knee during a collision at the plate, forcing him to undergo surgery to repair his ACL and MCL.

After managing to stay healthy throughout the 2014 season, Yaz was traded to L.A. in the Matt Kemp trade. During Grandal’s first year with the Dodgers in 2015, he struggled with shoulder inflammation for the entire second half of the season, once again leading to surgery in order to repair the damage.

This season however, he has managed to stay healthy and he is putting on quite the show. He is one of the driving forces in this Dodger lineup from an offensive standpoint while also being a complete game changer behind the plate as he is known for being one of the best pitch framers in the league.

Since we have gotten a taste of what it’s like to have a healthy Yasmani Grandal on our team, let’s cross our fingers that Yaz can continue to stay off the DL and led the Boys in Blue to many more wins to come this season.

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Sammy Glantz

Aspiring Sports Reporter// Current Student at UC San Diego LA Born and Raised. Sports and Frozen Yogurt Fanatic! Follow me on Twitter @SammyGlantz

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