While everyone is talking about how Isiah Kiner-Falefa is taking over Summer Camp, the one person who is being overlooked is Scott Heinemann.
He is batting .500, or close to it, according to Jered Sandler.
Heinemann tripled in the inter-squad game yesterday to drive in the first run in a game his team eventually won.
Heinemann was drafted by the Royals in the nineteenth round in 2014, then went back to school and re-entered the draft when the Rangers picked him in the eleventh round in 2015. He logged seven years in the minor leagues until he poked his head above water for twenty-five games with the Rangers last year, a reward for hitting .340 in Triple-A Nashville.
He didn’t exactly tear it up when he got the call up, hitting just .213 with an OPS of .679. It should be noted Mike Trout hit .220 with a .672 OPS in his first year of being called up.
This isn’t to say Heinemann is the next Mike Trout. That wouldn’t be fair to him. But it is to say that Heinemann has a lot of upside and this year might be the break he needs.
No matter how well he is doing now, he won’t start on opening day. The outfield is already set and they are still trying to find a place for Nick Solak. So, Heinemann has to stand in line.
And, yes he is tearing it up now. But he very well could be just another in a long line of players who dominate in the spring but fade when the bell rings
You don’t have to look further than second base to see a prime example of that.