Elvis Andrus has taken a lot of heat, and much of deserved, from Rangers fans and media, alike.
He's basically regressed from one of the best young shortstops in baseball, earning him a big payday a couple of years ago, to one of the worst regular position players in the entire league and really nothing better than a backup infielder.
It's been an inexplicable nosedive for a guy who is still just 26 years old despite being a seven-year veteran. His numbers this year are pretty much career-lows across the board and he's been a butcher in the field and on the bases.
But on Thursday night, in the midst of a pretty nice, prolonged stretch at the plate for Andrus, the former spark plug atop the Rangers lineup had one of those vintage games that reminds us what the Rangers' front office saw when they extended that eight-year contract extension that runs through 2022.
On Thursday, Andrus had three hits, continuing his hot run of batting .339 over his last 62 games. He stole a base, and not just your normal stolen base, he stole third base. He also made a tremendous spinning throw after going nearly behind second base to get a grounder from A-Rod. It was the play of the day on all the late-night baseball postgame shows.
It was vintage Andrus.
Andrus is quietly on quite the run at the plate, one he hasn't been on since 2012, which earned him that contract. It's refreshing to see, but he still has a long way to go before building back the trust of Rangers fans. He's on his way, though.
