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FanPost Friday Prompt: Tell us about one player who is underrated and/or overlooked and why you would trade for him.
Last Friday’s prompt: Re-making Marlins’ history.
When the Miami Marlins flipped Yunel Escobar to the Tampa Bay Rays for Derek Dietrich following the infamous 2012 season, the consensus seemed to be that the Marlins had sold low on the erstwhile Blue Jays shortstop, who was a year removed from a 3.5 fWAR campaign.
Indeed, Escobar would put up 3.6 fWAR for the Rays in 2013, before checking in with a -0.1 fWAR contribution in 2014 and subsequently being shipped off to the Oakland Athletics. Derek Dietrich, he of the so-called low return nature, has been good for 4.6 fWAR to date and will almost certainly be a starter at some position for the Marlins this season, with the opportunity to add to that total. Now granted, that accumulation was over a longer period of time, but that’s kind of to the point, isn’t it? The Marlins have ultimately gotten more value out of Dietrich.
Say what you want about the reasons why they traded Escobar in the first place, but it is indisputable that the Marlins’ front office correctly identified a player in Dietrich who they thought would be valuable for them and in fact has been very useful over a long period of time.
Leagues all over the world are replete with players, both the young and untested and the veteran unsung who, given the chance, would prosper and help drive winning results for their respective organizations. The trick is identifying those players.
Do you think you’ve identified a player in another organization who could help the Marlins, either now or in the future? Give us a name of someone who you’ve had your eye on that might not have necessarily drawn rave reviews. Tell us why you like them so much. Who knows, maybe the someone with the Marlins will look into it. We know they read here. Tell them about that “hidden gem” that could be had for the taking.