Major League Stat of the Week – Jonathan Villar

Jonathan Villar’s Steal of Home is ESPN’s Play of the Week for 7 Straight Weeks.

Jonathan Villar (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

I don’t want to beat a dead horse here. As an Astro fan, playing the victim card gets old. Actually it got old before the season even started.

Among Astros’ fans that have been following the team closely over the last few seasons, there were no grand illusions of success this season. As painful as it is and has been, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Granted it is a few years away still, but it is there. The source of optimism is mainly in the minor leagues, but there have been flashes at the major league level.

Now, I strive to be as realistic as possible, but it is hard to continually see the Astros used as a punching bag for the media and fans alike. However, many of those sentiments are in fact true and it is hard to dispute many of the claims made. All that is left to do, is keep your head up, hope that brighter days are in fact ahead, and try not to be overly delusional and optimistic if those feelings are not warranted.

With all that being said, it is nice to see the Astros on the receiving end of some positive recognition. This is especially true when it is regarding what is happening at the major league level.

I know this isn’t a real stat, and in actuality is just one play, but is a welcome change from the norm. The Astros are getting recognized for something positive here. Yes, there is not much stock to be placed in this, but it is still nice to see.

Villar hasn’t done much with the average since being called up (.236 going into Tuesday’s game), but he does have 11 stolen bases in 17 games and has added an element of excitement to the Astros that has been absent the last few seasons.