The Atlanta Braves offense is clicking on their current west coast road trip, and winning results have followed. This hot streak is the result of a ton of things Atlanta has done better over the past couple weeks of baseball, but one player in particular has done a great job at getting the party started on a nightly basis.
Alex Verdugo was called up on April 17, and all he has done since his arrival is hit and set the table from the leadoff spot. The Atlanta Braves were hoping Verdugo could come in and be a bit more productive than the Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz platoon. Surprisingly, Verdugo has come in and surpassed the organization's greatest expectations these past few weeks.
It's fair to cast doubt that a guy who had a 83 wRC+ last season isn't going to continue this torrid pace all year. However, many of the underlying numbers for Verdugo suggest the Braves left fielder could have year much more valuable than the $1.5 million he received just a week before the season began.
The numbers seem to suggest that what we are seeing out of Alex Verdugo is real
Alex Verdugo doesn't have a large enough sample size to qualify amongst the MLB statistical leaders, but if he did he would rank near the top of the league in several categories. Verdugo currently sports a .349/.404/.465 slash line and 144 wRC+ on the season. You may see those career high marks, his .375 BABIP, and think it's a little smoke and mirrors.
However, Verdugo is barely outperforming his expected stats. His .385 wOBA is just a touch higher than his .367 xwOBA. And his .456 xSLG is actually lower than his true slugging percentage of .465. Verdugo has always been a tough guy to strike out, but this season he's carrying an average exit velocity of 91.7 mph. For comparison, Phillies superstar Bryce Harper currently has an average exit velocity of 91.1 mph on the season.
It's true the Braves have won nine of their last 11 games largely because stars like Matt Olson, Austin Riley, and Michael Harris II have begun to collect hits again. However, the production Atlanta is getting from the other guys...Eli White, Nick Allen, and Alex Verdugo can't go unnoticed. Verdugo in particular is a signing that has paid huge dividends. After looking at his numbers, we have no reason to believe Verdugo going to fall flat anytime soon.