Or perhaps having a leader who has been there, is widely respected, and can effectively convey the need for an even keel, but maximum effort day in and day out, was one reason why last year's team was able to overachieve. Able to, after a rough first week, put it behind them and at least, if not winning, avoiding long, demoralizing stretches of sub-MLB quality play. Keep the losing months respectable, so the winning month mattered right up till the end. I doubt having Hunter here would make a huge difference either. Just like having Mike Trout wouldn't make a huge difference. But little differences add up, particularly in a sport where a .550 winning percentage is pretty good, and .450 is pretty bad.