The Tampa Bay Rays have some excellent players. Center field Kevin Kiermaier has been having a great season on both offense and defense. Stalwart third baseman Evan Longoria has been well above-average. Pitcher Chris Archer is having a career year. But someone that has been integral to keeping the Rays a winning team at the All-Star Break is an unlikely fellow: infielder Logan Forsythe.

Forsythe was acquired in 2014 from the San Diego Padres along with reliever Brad Boxberger among others for pitchers Jesse Hahn and Alex Torres. The former supplemental first round pick showed potential in the minor leagues, but hadn't shown much in the Majors. After a decent 2012 season, he had a rough 2013, but the Rays thought he showed promise and decided to take a shot on him. His 2014 season turned out to be a disaster, playing in 110 games and playing below average defense and lousy offense. According to Fangraphs, he was worth -0.4 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) for the season.

With Ben Zobrist gone for 2015, there was now a gaping hole at second base.  The Rays had some options, but Forsythe started hitting and has gathered the lion's share of playing time at second base, while getting occasional starts at first base, third base, and shortstop. He's been a somewhat above average defender, with 3 DRS for the season across all four infield positions. But the happy surprise is the .783 OPS he's amassed in 350 plate appearances. FanGraphs has rated his performance at 2.6 WAR. That's 3 WAR better than all of last season.

Is it a fluke? It doesn't appear so. His BABIP (batting average on balls in play) is .317 which isn't particularly very high. He has hit a career high 9 home runs so far this season, including an inside-the-park job.  But his 8.8% HR/FB (Home Run/Flyball) isn't outrageous at all. Nothing in his batting profile looks incredibly out of the ordinary. He's even added 7 stolen bases, being caught only twice, He's just been super good.

Can he sustain this level of above-average play? His minor league track record would suggest that he could, especially with his reduced strikeout rate this season. This is pretty much the player that the Padres hoped he would become. He just never got on track in 2014. The Rays did a good job scouting him and being patient. They wouldn't be a winning team right now without him, either. No one's really been talking about him. Forsythe may not be the next Ben Zobrist, but he's a very underrated and useful player.