Can Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco keep up batting hot streak?
It isn’t often an 0-for-6 night will bring a players’ batting average down to .450 for the season, but that’s what happened to Cincinnati Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco last night.
Two trips to the disabled list have limited Mesoraco’s play this season, but through his first 60 at-bats, the 25-year old is hitting .450, with a .500 on base percentage. He’s hit in all but of two of the 16 games in which he’s played this season. Reds manager Bryan Price has moved Mesoraco to the cleanup spot in the absence of superstars Joey Votto and Jay Bruce
While that certainly doesn’t qualify for the league lead due to his at-bats being in short supply, but impressive nonetheless. A player must have at least 3.1 at-bats per team game in order to qualify as the leader in league batting average.
Mesoraco missed the first week of his 2014 campaign due to what was called an “injured side.” He would later miss another three weeks due to a hamstring injury. The Reds hope to keep Mesoraco healthy, as their team has been plagued with injures, to the tune of nearly half of their originally planned 25-man roster. Mesoraco looks to do the bulk of the team’s catching, as his backup Brayan Pena has been forced to play first base due to former NL MVP Joey Votto being hampered with a quadriceps strain.