Is it possible for a guy who’s hitting .301/.358/.549 with a .907 OPS with 8 doubles and 7 homers in AAA to fly under the radar? It is when that guy is Christian Villanueva and he’s playing in a system that has produced Kris Bryant and Addison Russell already this year and still boasts names like Javier Baez and Kyle Schwarber.
A primarily a third baseman, Villanueva started the season in Tennessee after being pushed aside in favor of Bryant earlier in the year. When Bryant was called up to Chicago, Villanueva got a promotion to Iowa, where he had played 63 games in 2014.