Before 2008, Andre Ethier was thought of as a run of the mill hitter stuck in the crowded Dodgers outfield. However, last year he separated himself from the rest of the pack posting a line of .305/.375/.510 and hitting 20 homeruns.
Ethier doesn't get a lot of press because no one stat or skill of his especially sticks out. Let's face it, a guy who hits .300 with 20 homers and doesn't steal many bases isn't regarded as a superstar. To really assess Ethier's value we have to dig deeper than his surface stats.
While Ethier doesn't hit gaudy amounts of homeruns, he does have excellent gap power, hitting 38 doubles last year. His walk rate has increased each year that he has been in the league and now sits at a solid 10.1%. Ethier led the league in line drive rate last year, which means that in the future, his batting average could continue to rise--as line drives have the greatest probability of becoming hits, whereas fly balls and grounders are easier for the fielders to make plays on.
Ethier, who will be 27 next year is just reaching his prime and could see a jump across the board in his stats next year. He couples plate discipline with fantastic contact skills and enough power to be an all-star in 2009. If Manny Ramirez does not return, Ethier could get moved to the #5 spot in the order which would mean he will get more at-bats with runners in scoring position, a season line of 25/100/.320 is not out of the question.
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