Just this past December, the Angels lost a very highly liked and well-known Angels switch hitter named Erick Aybar. He, along with Angels pitching prospect Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis were traded to the Atlanta Braves for a gold glove winning short stop named Andrelton Simmons. This trade happened in November of 2015, and as of now we are just a few days past the all-star break, so let’s see who got the better end of that deal.
It may seem that it was the braves because they not only received a veteran switch hitting short stop, but also two pitching prospects with little to no major league experience, so the sky was the limit.
Let’s see how the stats showed.
First lets begin with Erick Aybar
This season currently he is batting with a .206 average, 1 home run, 14 RBI’s, and an on base percentage of .257. On the flip side Andrelton Simmons so far on the season has a batting average of .271, with 1 home run, 19 RBI’s, and an on base percentage of .300.
Even though they are similar in RBI’s and hit the same amount of home runs, the average and on base percentage are worlds apart, and the baseball world was introduced to why it is very important to have a large on base percentage. Since the more times a player is on base, the more likely he is to be sent home. It is elementary my dear colleague. Also it is important to note that Andrelton has played in only 59 games this season as compared to Aybar who has played in 74. Even though Aybar has played more games, he still trails Andrelton in RBI’s and on base percentage.
Last but not least let’s not forget the two pitching prospects that were also involved in the deal.
Neither of which have even sniffed the big leagues this season except to wear the Braves uniform for their introduction to the organization.
So the Angels recieved a player that can guarantee not only stellar defensive production, but also is a threat to any opposing team to reach base whenever he steps to the plate. For a guy who currently is in the bottom end of the Atlanta Braves who are currently last in their division and two pitchers who “may” get called up.