The Dodgers picked up their MLB-best 31st victory on Saturday when catcher A.J. Ellis hit a walkoff three-run shot against the Astros’ Wesley Wright.
The heroics are nothing new this year for Ellis.
A 31-year-old former 18th-round pick, he’s batting .317/.442/.517 with five home runs, seven doubles and 23 RBI through 149 plate appearances. And here’s the current leaderboard for FanGraphs’ version of WAR (Wins Above Replacement):
A.J. Ellis - 2.5
Carlos Ruiz - 2.4
Yadier Molina - 1.9
Jonathan Lucroy - 1.9
A.J. Pierzynski - 1.8
Joe Mauer - 1.5
Matt Wieters - 1.4
Buster Posey - 1.2
Carlos Santana - 1.2
Brian McCann - 0.9
Ellis isn’t as consistently great on defense as Ruiz or Molina, but he’s thrown out 16 of 35 would-be base stealers and certainly seems deserving of his first National League All-Star nod. “This is the greatest moment of my personal baseball career,” Ellis told the Associated Press shortly after Saturday’s walkoff. “It’s really humbling, just to be a part of where this team is headed right now. It feels real special.”
