Jonathan Villar possesses rare tools that can change a game. Few players in the majors have his speed or his fearlessness on the bases, but sometimes his best asset can be his most glaring weakness as he’s been unable to harness his aggressiveness on the base paths.
Reaching base does little good if you’re getting thrown out, and while Villar brings the Orioles a stolen base element they haven’t had in years, the key for capitalizing on the deadline trade that brought him to Baltimore is to better utilize his speed to create more runs.
Villar, whose aggressiveness cost him playing time in his previous two stops with the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers, said he’s received a green light to do what he does best with the Orioles.