The Cincinnati Reds are making a playoff push.
And there’s one quite surprising figure doing a lot of the pushing: Miguel Andujar.
Andujar was an under-the-radar trade deadline acquisition by Cincinnati from the Athletics for minor leaguer Kenya Huggins.
And he doesn’t play everyday for the Reds, usually either serving as the DH or a pinch-hitter.
But when he gets on the field for these Reds, Andujar rakes.
In 24 games, he’s batting .371 with a 1.024 OPS.
That includes six doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI.
The 30-year old was once a highly touted prospect for the New York Yankees. And for a time, he looked like he’d deliver on at least some of that hype in the Bronx.
Instead, he turned into a bit of a journeyman, first to the Pittsburgh Pirates, then to the A’s, and now to the Reds.
Andujar crushes lefties, to the tune of a .387 average this season (although he’s also at .291 in a larger sample against righties). He’s a guy who could always swing it but didn’t necessarily have a perfect defensive position between either third base or left field.
The Reds are letting Andujar just focus on his bat, and it’s paying dividends.
Cincinnati enters Thursday at 74-72, just 2.0 games behind the New York Mets for the third and final wild card spot with 16 games to play.
A few more big Andujar swings could keep the Reds right in the hunt.
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