SEATTLE \u2013 Think Justin\u00a0Foscue\u2019s offensive season has been an eye-opener? \u00a0<\/p>\n
Well, consider this (especially for the future): He\u2019s graded out as a slightly-above average defender. And, given the narrative that Foscue<\/a> was a hitter without a real position, that may be the real surprise. \u00a0<\/p>\n According to MLB Statcast, Foscue\u2019s +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<\/a>, with 208, are tied for 16th.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think the whole season has been \u2013 I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the right word \u2013 but a surprise,\u201d manager Skip Schumaker<\/a> said. \u201cI would not have thought he\u2019d 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\u2019t know if \u2018surprise\u2019 is the right word because he\u2019s not surprised.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is who he thinks he is, which I love about him. And on the defensive side, I\u2019ve said this before, but it\u2019s the easiest tool to get better at. And the kid works. There\u2019s not a day he takes off from doing work on the defensive side of the ball, so it\u2019s not surprising he\u2019s 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\u2019ve seen him do from spring training to where he is now.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Foscue also took a slash line of .271\/.330\/.508\/.838 into Wednesday\u2019s start against Seattle<\/a>. Against lefties, he\u2019s been absolutely devastating with a 1.020 OPS, the fourth-highest figure for a hitter with at least 100 plate appearances against lefties. \u00a0<\/p>\n