Most people don't know his name, but he's been one of the most important players for the Baltimore Orioles in 2014.
Baseball has always loved versatile players. Managers love guys who can play all over the diamond and give them options and versatility, and Orioles 1B/OF nERD, generating 1.89 runs per game more than a league average player during a 27-out contest this season. His previous best nERD total was last year, at just 0.27. His fWAR is 16th in the American League, accomplished in only 353 plate appearances. By comparison, of all the players with a higher fWAR in the AL, the next closest number of PAs is Yan Gomes' 473. And everyone else ahead of him has at least 550 plate appearances.
Among 145 batters w/ 5 WAR in Age 31 season, lowest WAR through age 30: STEVE PEARCE 0.6 George Davis 4.9 Ken Williams 5.3 Scott Brosius 7.4
Is this season a fluke? Perhaps. Do you think the Orioles care? They do not.
His slash line is .290/.365/.532 is terrific, and his 17 homers in 353 PAs would equate to 26.5 homers over a 550-plate appearance season. Among AL players with at least 350 PAs, his weighted runs created (wRC+) of 151 would be tied for fifth (meaning he's created 51% more runs than a league average player this season), trailing only Fangraphs. Aside from home runs, Pearce has been the superior player by far this year.
It's likely 2014 will go down as the best season of Pearce's career. He had never played more than 61 games in a season before this year and, outside of Adam Jones, he's been the most valuable player on the Orioles. But he's never flashed this kind of production before and, at age 31, 2014 seems to have the makings of a career season for him.
Not that Pearce, or the Orioles, are complaining. For a team looking to win its first world championship since 1983, the O's will be relying on him even more as the calendar flips to October.