SEATTLE – Think Justin Foscue’s offensive season has been an eye-opener?
Well, consider this (especially for the future): He’s graded out as a slightly-above average defender. And, given the narrative that Foscue was a hitter without a real position, that may be the real surprise.
According to MLB Statcast, Foscue’s +2 in Fielding Run Value is in the top tier of second baseman among the 52 who have played at least 200 innings there. Foscue, with 295 innings at second entering Wednesday, and Ezequiel Duran, with 208, are tied for 16th.
“I think the whole season has been – I don’t know if it’s the right word – but a surprise,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “I would not have thought he’d have a 1.000 OPS in September against lefties. So there are a lot of things that have been surprising. But I say I don’t know if ‘surprise’ is the right word because he’s not surprised.
“This is who he thinks he is, which I love about him. And on the defensive side, I’ve said this before, but it’s the easiest tool to get better at. And the kid works. There’s not a day he takes off from doing work on the defensive side of the ball, so it’s not surprising he’s getting better over there. What I really love is that the double-play turns have been really good. That has maybe been the most impressive thing I’ve seen him do from spring training to where he is now.”
Foscue also took a slash line of .271/.330/.508/.838 into Wednesday’s start against Seattle. Against lefties, he’s been absolutely devastating with a 1.020 OPS, the fourth-highest figure for a hitter with at least 100 plate appearances against lefties.
The transformation could make Foscue a real option for the Rangers as a full-time second baseman next season if the team undergoes some roster reconstruction. The Rangers have started four different players at least 25 times at second base this year. Nicky Lopez leads with 43. The last time the Rangers had a 162-game season in which they did not have a player with at least 100 starts at second base: 1996.