Ryan is Ra-burnin’

Isn’t it incredible what can happen in a week? On April 24, Ryan Raburn was hitting a whopping .212/.297/.303 over his first 42 at-bats of the 2013 season. Today, Raburn has a .364/.407/.655 triple slash after going 11 for his last 13 over his last three games, heading into last night’s game.

Three simple games have made Raburn into a possible everyday player. Three simple games have made Raburn a must-add in fantasy baseball leagues, as his 10.8 percent increase in owned statistics within the last week in ESPN fantasy baseball leagues suggests. Three simple games with four home runs and nine RBI. Three simple games with a .846/.846/2.308 triple-slash will do that for you.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

I made a joke in an article on March 6 that Raburn wasn’t going to “rip 67 home runs in 250 at-bats” after he was off to a tremendous start in spring training. That has been Raburn’s “thing”, sizzling statistics in exhibition games with a slight implosion when games count. It really looked like more of the same eight days ago, but not anymore. He could actually do that absurd statistic.

In that same earlier article, I referenced “the .274/.331/.473 triple slash with 58 doubles, five triples, 45 home runs, and 156 RBI from 2009 through 2011 in 1,019 at-bats” and his “.224 BABIP in 2012 brought his career number to .314, but his .083 ISO was well off of his .174 career number.”

Either Raburn will free fall faster than the Red Bull space jumper or finally find the player that he was from 2009 through 2011.

If it’s the latter, the Tigers may feel pretty bad about life, considering their second basemen have combined to post a .267/.292/.386 line with nine RBI (the same number that Raburn has in his last THREE games) and two home runs (two fewer than Raburn) in 101 at-bats (46 more at-bats than Raburn has all season). Sure, Raburn isn’t playing second much for the Tribe, but he wasn’t going to play much outfield with Torii Hunter in right and being on the wrong side of a potential platoon with Andy Dirks in left for the Tigers. Omar Infante isn’t the problem for Detroit, as he sports a .306/.333/.424 line as the everyday second  baseman for the Tigers, it’s the horrible Ramon Santiago (.063/.063/.188 in 16 at-bats) that is dragging the club’s overall numbers down. Raburn would fit nicely as a super-utility player since Santiago and Don Kelly have combined to go 7 for 48 (.146) this year.

But, who cares about the Tigers on an Indians blog? The Indians have won the last four games that Raburn has started. He needs to be in right field until he cools off, if he ever does! Poor Drew Stubbs…he’ll always have ability as a defensive replacement.