Angel Pagan Esta Encendido

Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees is getting a majority of the press (and deservedly so) for his performance for Team Dominican Republic in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Here are his stats in 7 World Baseball Classic games (courtesy of World Baseball Classic statistics page):

Player	Pos	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	OPS
Robinson Cano	2B	7	29	5	15	4	0	2	6	25	2	7	0	0	.548	.862	.517	1.410

Impressive indeed. But there is another player who seems to have stepped up with the world spotlight shining on him in this international tournament. He is none other than San Francisco Giants centerfielder Angel Pagan. Here are his statistics in 8 World Baseball Classic games (courtesy of the 2013 World Baseball Classic statistics page):

Player	Pos	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	OPS
Angel Pagan	CF	8	30	2	11	2	1	0	2	15	4	5	2	0	.441	.500	.367	.941

Where Carlos Beltran came in as the marquee name for the Puerto Rican team, it seems to me that Angel Pagan is now the man for Team Borinquen. I see Pagan carrying over his performance in this tournament straight into the upcoming season for the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants (courtesy of the 2012 Major League Baseball statistics page)

Player	Pos	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	OPS
Angel Pagan	CF	154	605	95	174	38	15	8	56	266	48	97	29	7	.338	.440	.288	.778

I believe the sky is the limit for Rio Piedras resident Angel Pagan especially after resigning with the Giants this past offseason for a veritable bargain rate of 4-years $45 million dollars through 2016 he has nowhere to look but up. 

What do you think folks. Agree? Disagree?

On a side note, I saw this written about Pagan in the article U.S. falls flat in World Baseball Classic; does the country even care? by Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports!:

Before Friday night's game, Pagan gathered his teammates, bulged his eyes and shouted about honor and dignity and the kids back home who needed a light to follow. They could be their lights, he told them. "It's something to project for the kids," Pagan said. "You have a responsibility. I think it sends the perfect message: Names don't win ballgames."...So when that last baseball soared into center field, as his teammates rushed from the dugout to the mound, as they zigzagged from their positions looking for someone to hug, Pagan was the only one who waited for it to come down. "When I caught that ball, I was thinking of my country," he said. "Hopefully, Puerto Rico is proud of us."

I would say that they are Angel. Keep up the good work.

FH