Martin Prado, the veteran Venezuelan third baseman, is off to a strong start this season in 2016, though he has yet to hit a home run. However, Prado, 32, has a .353 batting average, good for third among the NL's best.
Martin Prado hasn't homered this season but he still has a higher OPS than Beltre, Frazier, Longoria and Bryant. pic.twitter.com/3sh50hwfLA
— MLB Roundup (@MLB_Roundup) May 19, 2016
The secret to Prado's success could be in his approach to the game.
"Avoid excuses & come every day to win b/c that's all we can control. Have the mentality that we have to win every night." -Martin Prado
— Eric Musselman (@EricPMusselman) May 21, 2016
Prado has certainly learned to read pitches well over the years and is one of the league leaders in making contact with the ball.
Billy Burns and Martin Prado have made contact on 92.4% of swings, leading the majors https://t.co/EkTSnJkVIf pic.twitter.com/4u1PJFdjl2
— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) May 17, 2016
Yet Prado isn't just taking care of business at the plate, either. After years of switching from different positions in the infield and outfield, Prado seems to have settled in at third base for the Marlins and plays the position well.
ICYMI: Martín Prado came up with a HUGE double play in the 9th inning last night.https://t.co/CtTZlNZ7zG
— #VoteMarlins (@Marlins) May 22, 2016