Scott Hairston Crosses The 1-WAR Threshold

Congratulations to Scott Hairston for being the second Padre position player to be worth a full win this year. Hairston’s at 1.1 WAR, while Chase Headley leads the team with 1.4.

Hairston has gotten it done on both sides of the ball. He’s hitting just .234, but a robust 12.8% walk rate and .260 Isolated Power give him a solid .845 OPS.

He’s done his usual good work in the outfield, chipping in 27.4 UZR/150. He’s rated exceptionally well in both left (37.3) and center (29.5).

Hairston had an issue with popups last year, hitting an Eric Byrnes-esque 20.2% of his batted balls for infield flies. This year, he’s cut that to 9.7%, while increasing his overall fly-ball rate (outfield and infield combined) from 50.9% to 56.4%. That’s helped him get off to the fast power start, as he’s chipped in six home runs already.

Hairston is an underrated player who contributes in many facets of the game, and he’s been a big part of the Padres’ success thus far in 2010.