Mike Napoli Homered In Five Straight Games Coming Into Today
God, I miss this beautifully bearded son of a bitch. The Indians are actually playing right now, and Mike Napoli hasn’t homered yet, but he came into today having hit a home run in five straight games. I posed this question earlier in the season, but it was really too early to have asked it, so I’ll ask it again. Out of all the free agents who signed with a new team this past offseason, has Napoli made the greatest impact? I mean, go down the list. It’s not David Price. It’s not Zack Greinke. It’s not Jason Heyward. Johnny Cueto, I could definitely see a case being made for him. But it’s not Justin Upton, Jordan Zimmermann, Jeff Samardzija, John Lackey or Ian Desmond.
I’ve got it — it’s Daniel Murphy. Hard to argue that one; the guy’s probably the leading MVP candidate in the National League. But in terms of VALUE, the Indians signed Napoli to a one-year deal worth $7 million, with bonuses based on plate appearances that can boost the total up to $10 million, and he’s hitting .252 with an .849 OPS, and is tied for third in the majors with 27 home runs. He’s on pace to hit 41 home runs! He’s never hit more than 30. That’s his career high — 30 on the dot. Good for Mike Napoli. Good for Cleveland. Good for baseball.