MLB: 4 National League Hitters Who Need to Have Big Second Halves

Gerardo Parra, Arizona Diamondbacks

Jul 14, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Gerardo Parra (8) in the on deck circle against the Milwaukee Brewers at Chase Field. The Brewers defeated the Diamondbacks 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

The general perception of Gerardo Parra was and still is: a great defensive outfielder with a decent bat.

Both statements are indeed true. He has compiled UZRs (Ultimate Zone Rating) of 13.7, 10.3, 7.6 and 13.3 over his last four seasons, respectively. Offensively, Parra’s generally been a mid-.700 OPS guy with some speed.

However, he looked like a drastically different hitter through May, posting an .830 OPS with a batting line of .308/.370/.460.

Since? You called it, he’s regressed, well, let’s use the word “drastically” again.

From June 1 to this date, he has rendered a .678 OPS on a .253/.301/.377 batting line. By the wRC+ measure, he’s been the worst hitter in the NL over the last 30 days, and by the wOBA measure, he’s been the second-worst hitter in the NL (last 30 days), right behind Pence.

The Diamondbacks haven’t plummeted to the bottom of the NL West, as they still occupy first place. But they are owners of the third-worst wRC+ in baseball over the last 30 days. You should get point, though.

So, Parra’s trending down offensively, just like his teammates, with the exception of Paul Goldschmidt.