St. Louis Cardinals: Pham, Ozuna provide a unique one two punch
The St. Louis Cardinals could be a scary team with the duo of Tommy Pham and Marcell Ozuna.
The St. Louis Cardinals are no New York Yankees, with the likes of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton teaming up in the Big Apple, but, the one-two punch in the Arch is not too shabby either.
Tommy Pham and Marcell Ozuna are two vastly underrated young stars in the game today, whose teaming up could expose these hidden gems for all the MLB world to see.
Looking at their stats alone is enough, both worthy of All-Star recognition, with Ozuna making the 2017 All-Star game played in Miami.
- Tommy Pham: .306/.411/.931. 444 AB. 95 runs. 73 RBI. 25 Home runs
- Marcell Ozuna: .312/.376/.924. 613 AB. 93 runs. 124 RBI. 191 hits. 37 Home runs.
As impressive as those lines are, there is another statistic that trumps even those.
Statcast results display that both Pham and Ozuna are in the top 25 percent of their class (2017) in “average exit velocity, hard-hit rate (95-plus-mph exit velocity), barrel rate and expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA).”
- Ozuna (90.7 mph) Behind only Aaron Judge, Khris Davis, Stanton, Bryce Harper and J.D. Martinez, good for sixth among MLB outfielders.
- Pham (89.7 mph) Good for 13th place in 2017 for the MLB OF group.
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A third statistic displays the potency of this one-two punch even further, in the category of getting on base.
Best combined xwOBA rank for top three outfielders on respective rosters for 2018.
1. Cardinals: 34 (Pham, Ozuna, Fowler)
2. Yankees: 40 (Judge, Stanton, Aaron Hicks)
3. Angels: 65 (Mike Trout, Justin Upton, Kole Calhoun)
4. Dodgers: 96 (Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, Chris Taylor)
5. Astros: 106 (George Springer, Josh Reddick, Marwin Gonzalez)
Lastly, is defense. Defense. Defense. Ozuna won a Gold Glove in 2017, while Pham ranked among the best in OAA, providing the St. Louis Cardinals with stellar 2018 defensive outfield potential.
Fowler (likekly) transitions to one of the corners OF corners in 2018, where this trio could be the best outfield in all of the National League — especially on the offensive end.
Next: Piscotty trade bigger than baseball
If the St. Louis Cardinals tighten up their bullpen and get a stud for the hot corner in free agency, they may be the frontrunners to win the 2018 NL Central division.