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The Cincinnati Reds aren’t going to be fighting for a playoff berth this season. However, that does not mean they are to be taken lightly, especially with someone like Adam Duvall leading the charge.

Most baseball fans had no clue as to who Adam Duvall was going into this season. At 27 years of age, he isn’t some young up and coming prospect. Yet, Duvall has played like an All-Star this season, and has put the entire league on notice.

Sitting in the top-five of the MLB homerun leaders, Duvall is on pace to hit over 40 long balls this season. At the beginning of the season, you’d never had guessed that an unknown player such as Duvall would be near the top of the leader board. But here he sits, ahead of players such as Josh Donaldson, Anthony Rizzo, and David Ortiz.

It’s been a long journey for Duvall to get to this point in his MLB career. Drafted in the 11th round of the 2010 MLB Draft, Duvall spent nearly four years in the minors before earning a call to the big leagues with the San Fransisco Giants in 2014. He was then traded to the Reds on July 30, 2015.

Now at the age of 27, Duvall is making the most of his opportunity on a big league roster. In addition to his massive homerun totals, he’s settled firmly in the top-15 of the RBI leader board as well.

The consistency Duvall is showing has surprised Reds president of baseball operations, Walt Jocketty, who stated the following for an article written by Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.

We weren’t really sure what we got, but to his credit, he’s made the most of that opportunity,” Jocketty said. “We didn’t know he was going to be an everyday player. We were hoping he would be, but he really took charge of it.”

Adam Duvall has become a bright spot on a rather disappointing Reds baseball team. He’s come out of nowhere to become one of baseball’s best hitters. Cincinnati might have found someone to build their franchise around.

Follow Daniel James Gentile on twitter @dgentleman9288