Defensive star Hechavarria's bat coming around

PHILADELPHIA -- How much will Adeiny Hechavarria hit?

It's the most commonly asked question by personnel evaluators across the league when Hechavarria's name comes up. The answer so far is, the Marlins shortstop is progressing nicely at the plate.

Hechavarria entered Saturday night batting .372 (16-for-43) with three doubles, a triple, seven runs scored and three RBIs.

The sample size may be small, but among shortstops, the 24-year-old has more at-bats than anybody. Hanley Ramirez, Alexei Ramirez, Starlin Castro and Elvis Andrus, for instance, each have 42 at-bats. Of that group, only Alexei Ramirez (.429) has a higher batting average.

Hechavarria has been Miami's most consistent player, offensively and defensively, all season. The athleticism and raw baseball tools continue to stand out.

"You're just seeing him, getting the experience of the at-bats from last year to this year, and he's making adjustments," manager Mike Redmond said. "I think we all know and feel that this guy has the ability to hit. When that all comes together, he's an All-Star. I think we all feel like that."

Hechavarria has always been known for his glove, but now he is making an impact with his bat.

A year ago, when he made the transition from the Blue Jays to the Marlins, Hechavarria had his struggles at the plate, batting .227.

Thus far, his approach is much better. He's staying up the middle or hitting the ball to right field. The feeling is in time, when he gets more experience, he will start turning on the ball and show some power to left field.

It's been a process, but he is seeing some immediate results.

"It's good to see him improve," Redmond said.