This is an attempt to do something that probably didnt need to be done.
Yep, were ranking every single free agent on the market, taken from the official list sent out by the (plus, we added Greg Holland, who wasnt on the list because he was injured and wasnt in an organization in 2016, and Matt Holliday, who isn't on that list because the Cardinals haven't officially declined his 2017 option yet, but have indicated they will).
Why? Why not, of course.
Also, because everybody keeps talking about what a thin crop of free agents we have this year, and what better way to illustrate this than to look at the entire cla s?
We didnt include Mark Teixeira or David Ro s because both players have said theyre retiring. Marlon Byrd is absent, too. Hes technically serving his 162-game suspension until the middle of the season, and theres very little chance any team would sign him at that point. Also, it sure seemed like , so were counting him among the retired players and didnt include him here.
MORE:
Lets dive in.
1. Yoenis Cespedes, OF. Opting out of the final two years of his deal (and $47.5 million) with the Mets was a no-brainer; Cespedes could po sibly triple that guarantee this offseason.2. Edwin Encarnacion, 1B/DH3. Dexter Fowler, CF4. Kenley Jansen, RP5. Aroldis Chapman, RP6. Ian Desmond, CF7. Justin Turner, 3B8. Mark Melancon, RP. He doesnt get the Jansen/Chapman headlines, but over the past two seasons, Melancon owns a 1.95 ERA and has 98 saves in 104 opportunities.9. Rich Hill, SP10. , DH/1B/RF
11. Neil Walker, 2B12. Jose Bautista, RF13. Wilson Ramos, C. Its too bad Ramoss season ended with a knee injury, just as he was establishing himself as one of baseballs elite offensive catchers (.307, 22 homers). How will teams view him on the free-agent market? That will be kind of fascinating. Certainly doesnt hurt that the Nationals didnt extend a qualifying offer, which means he isnt attached to draft-pick compensation.14. Matt Wieters, C15. Mike Napoli, Andrew Booth Jr. Jerseys 1B/DH16. Josh Reddick, RF17. Jason Hammel, SP18. Ivan Nova, SP19. Carlos Beltran, DH/RF. Yeah, hes old (39) but Beltran had 29 homers and an .850 OPS in 2016 for the Yankees and Rangers. Dude can still hit.20. Carlos Gomez, OF
FREE AGENTS 2017:
21. Michael Saunders, OF22. Jeremy Hellickson, SP23. Brandon Mo s, OF/1B. When hes locked in, Mo s produces like an All-Star (.270, 25 homers, .930 OPS in first 97 games of 2016), but when he goes cold, hes absolutely frigid (.094, three homers, .358 OPS in final 31).24. Kendrys Morales, DH25. Bartolo Colon, SP26. Luis Valbuena, 3B27. Brad Ziegler, RP. The right-hander with a funky delivery might not get big bucks as a closer, but he would be an outstanding addition to the back end of any bullpen. Yes, hes 37,but he has a 2.05 ERA and 52 saves in 135 games over the past two seasons.
(Rajai Davis)
28. Rajai Davis, OF29. Colby Lewis, SP30. Doug Fister, SP
31. Sean Rodriguez, UT. Hes easily the best of this years crop of play-anywhere guys. Rodriguez started at least three games at six different positions for the Pirates in 2016, while hitting 18 homers and producing a .859 OPS (both career highs).32. Andrew Cashner, SP33. Pedro Alvarez, DH/1B34. Mitch Moreland, 1B35. Neftali Feliz, RP36. Joaquin Benoit, RP37. Joe Blanton, RP38. Dae-ho Lee, 1B39. Matt Holliday, OF/DH40. Austin Jackson, OF
MORE:
41. Sergio Romo, RP42. Edinson Volquez, SP43. Colby Rasmus, CF. Rasmus stunned the Astros by accepting their qualifying offer last year, and then his production fell off the table in 2016; he hit just .206 with 15 homers and a .641 OPS. He wont get Ben Ellefson Jerseys a lucrative multiyear deal this offseason, but hes just 30 and if he bounces back on a one-year deal somewhere he could get that multiyear contract next offseason.44. Jon Jay, OF45. Coco Crisp, OF46. Steve Pearce, UT47. Clayton Richard, SP48. Joe Smith, RP49. Greg Holland, RP. Holland was once an elite closer, but Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the entire 2016 season. He had a workout for several teams on Monday, and his velocity was around the , which is down from his pre-injury velocity of 94-95 mph. Itll be interesting to see how his market develops (thanks to FanGraph's Eric Longenhagen for the video).
50. Drew Storen, RP51. Travis Wood, RP52. Adam Lind, 1B53. Justin Morneau, 1B/DH54. Brett Anderson, SP55. Koji Uehara, RP56. Mark Reynolds, 1B57. Derek Holland, SP58. Franklin Gutierrez, OF. After his rising career was derailed by injuries, Gutierrez battled his way back to the bigs two years ago and hit 29 homers in 157 games combined in 2015-2016. Hes not a full-time center fielder anymore, but he can play the corner spots and mash left-handed pitching (.884 OPS vs. lefties in 2016).59. Santiago Casilla, RP
MORE:
60. Nick Hundley, C61. Dustin McGowan, RP62. Matt Belisle, RP63. Brandon Morrow, RP64. Jerry Blevins, RP. Mets fans know what this lefty specialist meant to his teams bullpen. Blevins appeared in 73 games, produced a 2.79 ERA/3.05 FIP and struck out 11.1 per nine innings.65. Marc Rzepczynski, RP
(James Loney)
66. James Loney, 1B67. Michael Dunn, RP68. Yusmeiro Petit, RP. Petit has been hit-or-mi s, but hell be just 32 this spring and he has a 3.83 ERA/3.54 FIP over the past four seasons and hes worth giving a shot at being part of the staff of a contending team.69. Logan Morrison, 1B
70. Aaron Hill, 2B71. Brett Cecil, RP72. Ryan Vogelsong, SP73. R.A. Dickey, SP74. David Hernandez, RP75. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C76. Luke Hochevar, RP77. Angel Pagan, OF78. Kelly Johnson, 2B. If nothing else, some team should sign Kelly Johnson just so they can trade him back to the Mets at midseason and get a prospect to add to its system.79. Jhoulys Chacin, SP80. Peter Bourjos, OF
(Chase Utley)
81. Chase Utley, 2B82. Junichi Tazawa, RP83. Fernando Salas, RP84. Michael Bourn, OF85. Fernando Rodney, RP86. Tommy Hunter, RP87. Jason Castro, C. Castro hit .270 with 18 homers in 120 games in 2013, his first full season as Houstons catcher (he even made the All-Star team) but his star has fallen. Over the past two years, hes hit just .210 with a .295 on-base percentage and .666 OPS in 227 games.88. Javier Lopez, RP89. Je se Chavez, RP
90. Charlie Morton, SP91. Peter Moylan, RP92. Erick Aybar, SS. After his horrid start to the season, Aybar actually produced pretty well at the plate once he returned from the DL he hit .277 with a .727 OPS in his final 82 games. Hes not a horrible option as a backup utility infielder.93. Matt Joyce, OF94. Boone Logan, RP95. Gavin Floyd, RP96. Daniel Descalso, UT97. Joe Nathan, RP98. Kurt Suzuki, C99. Ryan Howard, DH. Howards days of being an overpaid first baseman ended when the Phillies declined his $25 million option for 2017 (instead paying the $10 million buyout). So whats next? Dont completely write off Howard. Well, not yet. He still has power (25 homers in 2016), and in the right situation as a DH in the AL, without the wear-and-tear of playing in the field, hitting exclusively against right-handers he could be productive. Of course, finding a situation Tuf Borland Jerseys like that probably wont be easy. Hed have to WANT to continue playing, by accepting that le ser role and taking a ma sive, ma sive pay cut for 2017.
100. Blaine Boyer, RP101. Stephen Drew, UT102. Andrew Bailey, RP103. Jeff Francoeur, OF104. Trevor Cahill, RP105. Chris Iannetta, C106. Jake Peavy, SP. Its po sible the intensely competitive Peavy bounces back from his worst season in the majors (5.54 ERA in 118 2/3 innings) with an out-of-nowhere All-Star performance in 2017. Its also po sible that the intensely competitive Peavy completely emptied the tank in the first 15 years of his outstanding career.107. Edwin Jackson, RP108. Dioner Navarro, C109. Kris Medlen, SP
110. Scott Feldman, SP111. Billy Butler, DH112. J.P. Howell, RP113. Chris Coghlan, OF114. Rickie Weeks, LF. Weeks produced nine homers and Minnesota Vikings Jackets a .777 OPS for the Diamondbacks this season, which might be enough to get more than a minor-league deal this offseason.115. Alejandro De Aza, OF116. Adam Rosales, OF117. Ro s Ohlendorf, RP118. A.J. Ellis, C119. Ryan Raburn, UT
120. Dan Hudson, RP121. Andres Blanco, INF122. Alex Avila, C123. Chris Capuano, RP124. Drew Stubbs, OF. Stubbs had 15 homers, 20 stolen bases and an .821 OPS in 2014 for the Rockies. Since that season, hes played for Colorado, Texas, Atlanta, Texas (again) and Baltimore. Hes produced eight homers and a .666 OPS in 137 games the past two seasons, and hell probably be lucky to get an MLB deal this offseason.125. Drew Butera, C126. Nolan Reimold, UT127. Alexei Ramirez, SS
(Alexei Ramirez)
128. Jorge de la Rosa, SP. The lefty was a reliable piece of the Colorado rotation for almost a full decade, which is a remarkable accomplishment. This year wasnt a great farewell (5.51 ERA in 134 innings), though, and it will be interesting to see what, if any offers, he gets on the free agent market. Hell be 36 a few days after the 2017 season starts.129. Jered Weaver, SP
130. Ro s Detwiler, RP131. Gordon Beckham, INF132. Sean Burnett, RP133. Jeff Mathis, C134. Matt Albers, RP135. Kevin Jepsen, RP136. Brian Duensing, RP137. Jonathon Niese, SP138. Gregor Blanco, OF. Blanco was a valuable, versatile outfielder for the Giants for several years, but hes not hitting the market at an optimal time. Blanco, whose average fell from .291 to .224 this year (and his OPS from .781 to .620), turns 33 the day before Christmas.139. Chris Heisey, OF
140. C.J. Wilson, SP. Someone will take a flyer on Wilson, the lefty who hasnt pitched since 2015, when he had a 3.89 ERA in 21 starts. His comeback attempt this summer was derailed by shoulder i sues. Hell be 36 in mid-November. 141.Casey McGehee, UT142. Chris Johnson, 3B143. Emilio Bonifacio, UT144. Eric O'Flaherty, RP145. Carlos Villanueva, RP146. Logan Ondrusek, RP147. Ryan Hanigan, C148.Tim Lincecum, SP149. Mat Latos, SP. Latos had a stunning 0.74 ERA in his first four starts for the White Sox in 2016, but his production quickly fell off the table and he was released. In his final 13 appearances of the season (including after he signed with the Nationals), Latos had a 7.09 ERA in 45 2/3 innings.
150. Jordan Walden, RP151.Munenori Kawasaki, INF152.Geovany Soto, C153. Alfredo Simon, SP154. Jerome Williams, RP155. Sam Fuld, OF. Rehab wasnt the cure for a spring training shoulder injury, so Fuld had surgery in late April and mi sed the entire 2016 season. Hell be 35 this November and hit just .197 in 120 games for the As in 2015.
This is an attempt to do something that probably didnt need to be done.
Yep, were ranking every single free agent on the market, taken from the official list sent out by the (plus, we added Greg Holland, who wasnt on the list because he was injured and wasnt in an organization in 2016, and Matt Holliday, who isn’t on that list because the Cardinals haven’t officially declined his 2017 option yet, but have indicated they will).
Why? Why not, of course.
Also, because everybody keeps talking about what a thin crop of free agents we have this year, and what better way to illustrate this than to look at the entire cla s?
We didnt include Mark Teixeira or David Ro s because both players have said theyre retiring. Marlon Byrd is absent, too. Hes technically serving his 162-game suspension until the middle of the season, and theres very little chance any team would sign him at that point. Also, it sure seemed like , so were counting him among the retired players and didnt include him here.
MORE:
Lets dive in.
1. Yoenis Cespedes, OF. Opting out of the final two years of his deal (and $47.5 million) with the Mets was a no-brainer; Cespedes could po sibly triple that guarantee this offseason.2. Edwin Encarnacion, 1B/DH3. Dexter Fowler, CF4. Kenley Jansen, RP5. Aroldis Chapman, RP6. Ian Desmond, CF7. Justin Turner, 3B8. Mark Melancon, RP. He doesnt get the Jansen/Chapman headlines, but over the past two seasons, Melancon owns a 1.95 ERA and has 98 saves in 104 opportunities.9. Rich Hill, SP10. , DH/1B/RF
11. Neil Walker, 2B12. Jose Bautista, RF13. Wilson Ramos, C. Its too bad Ramoss season ended with a knee injury, just as he was establishing himself as one of baseballs elite offensive catchers (.307, 22 homers). How will teams view him on the free-agent market? That will be kind of fascinating. Certainly doesnt hurt that the Nationals didnt extend a qualifying offer, which means he isnt attached to draft-pick compensation.14. Matt Wieters, C15. Mike Napoli, Andrew Booth Jr. Jerseys 1B/DH16. Josh Reddick, RF17. Jason Hammel, SP18. Ivan Nova, SP19. Carlos Beltran, DH/RF. Yeah, hes old (39) but Beltran had 29 homers and an .850 OPS in 2016 for the Yankees and Rangers. Dude can still hit.20. Carlos Gomez, OF
FREE AGENTS 2017:
21. Michael Saunders, OF22. Jeremy Hellickson, SP23. Brandon Mo s, OF/1B. When hes locked in, Mo s produces like an All-Star (.270, 25 homers, .930 OPS in first 97 games of 2016), but when he goes cold, hes absolutely frigid (.094, three homers, .358 OPS in final 31).24. Kendrys Morales, DH25. Bartolo Colon, SP26. Luis Valbuena, 3B27. Brad Ziegler, RP. The right-hander with a funky delivery might not get big bucks as a closer, but he would be an outstanding addition to the back end of any bullpen. Yes, hes 37,but he has a 2.05 ERA and 52 saves in 135 games over the past two seasons.
(Rajai Davis)
28. Rajai Davis, OF29. Colby Lewis, SP30. Doug Fister, SP
31. Sean Rodriguez, UT. Hes easily the best of this years crop of play-anywhere guys. Rodriguez started at least three games at six different positions for the Pirates in 2016, while hitting 18 homers and producing a .859 OPS (both career highs).32. Andrew Cashner, SP33. Pedro Alvarez, DH/1B34. Mitch Moreland, 1B35. Neftali Feliz, RP36. Joaquin Benoit, RP37. Joe Blanton, RP38. Dae-ho Lee, 1B39. Matt Holliday, OF/DH40. Austin Jackson, OF
MORE:
41. Sergio Romo, RP42. Edinson Volquez, SP43. Colby Rasmus, CF. Rasmus stunned the Astros by accepting their qualifying offer last year, and then his production fell off the table in 2016; he hit just .206 with 15 homers and a .641 OPS. He wont get Ben Ellefson Jerseys a lucrative multiyear deal this offseason, but hes just 30 and if he bounces back on a one-year deal somewhere he could get that multiyear contract next offseason.44. Jon Jay, OF45. Coco Crisp, OF46. Steve Pearce, UT47. Clayton Richard, SP48. Joe Smith, RP49. Greg Holland, RP. Holland was once an elite closer, but Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the entire 2016 season. He had a workout for several teams on Monday, and his velocity was around the , which is down from his pre-injury velocity of 94-95 mph. Itll be interesting to see how his market develops (thanks to FanGraph’s Eric Longenhagen for the video).
50. Drew Storen, RP51. Travis Wood, RP52. Adam Lind, 1B53. Justin Morneau, 1B/DH54. Brett Anderson, SP55. Koji Uehara, RP56. Mark Reynolds, 1B57. Derek Holland, SP58. Franklin Gutierrez, OF. After his rising career was derailed by injuries, Gutierrez battled his way back to the bigs two years ago and hit 29 homers in 157 games combined in 2015-2016. Hes not a full-time center fielder anymore, but he can play the corner spots and mash left-handed pitching (.884 OPS vs. lefties in 2016).59. Santiago Casilla, RP
MORE:
60. Nick Hundley, C61. Dustin McGowan, RP62. Matt Belisle, RP63. Brandon Morrow, RP64. Jerry Blevins, RP. Mets fans know what this lefty specialist meant to his teams bullpen. Blevins appeared in 73 games, produced a 2.79 ERA/3.05 FIP and struck out 11.1 per nine innings.65. Marc Rzepczynski, RP
(James Loney)
66. James Loney, 1B67. Michael Dunn, RP68. Yusmeiro Petit, RP. Petit has been hit-or-mi s, but hell be just 32 this spring and he has a 3.83 ERA/3.54 FIP over the past four seasons and hes worth giving a shot at being part of the staff of a contending team.69. Logan Morrison, 1B
70. Aaron Hill, 2B71. Brett Cecil, RP72. Ryan Vogelsong, SP73. R.A. Dickey, SP74. David Hernandez, RP75. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C76. Luke Hochevar, RP77. Angel Pagan, OF78. Kelly Johnson, 2B. If nothing else, some team should sign Kelly Johnson just so they can trade him back to the Mets at midseason and get a prospect to add to its system.79. Jhoulys Chacin, SP80. Peter Bourjos, OF
(Chase Utley)
81. Chase Utley, 2B82. Junichi Tazawa, RP83. Fernando Salas, RP84. Michael Bourn, OF85. Fernando Rodney, RP86. Tommy Hunter, RP87. Jason Castro, C. Castro hit .270 with 18 homers in 120 games in 2013, his first full season as Houstons catcher (he even made the All-Star team) but his star has fallen. Over the past two years, hes hit just .210 with a .295 on-base percentage and .666 OPS in 227 games.88. Javier Lopez, RP89. Je se Chavez, RP
90. Charlie Morton, SP91. Peter Moylan, RP92. Erick Aybar, SS. After his horrid start to the season, Aybar actually produced pretty well at the plate once he returned from the DL he hit .277 with a .727 OPS in his final 82 games. Hes not a horrible option as a backup utility infielder.93. Matt Joyce, OF94. Boone Logan, RP95. Gavin Floyd, RP96. Daniel Descalso, UT97. Joe Nathan, RP98. Kurt Suzuki, C99. Ryan Howard, DH. Howards days of being an overpaid first baseman ended when the Phillies declined his $25 million option for 2017 (instead paying the $10 million buyout). So whats next? Dont completely write off Howard. Well, not yet. He still has power (25 homers in 2016), and in the right situation as a DH in the AL, without the wear-and-tear of playing in the field, hitting exclusively against right-handers he could be productive. Of course, finding a situation Tuf Borland Jerseys like that probably wont be easy. Hed have to WANT to continue playing, by accepting that le ser role and taking a ma sive, ma sive pay cut for 2017.
100. Blaine Boyer, RP101. Stephen Drew, UT102. Andrew Bailey, RP103. Jeff Francoeur, OF104. Trevor Cahill, RP105. Chris Iannetta, C106. Jake Peavy, SP. Its po sible the intensely competitive Peavy bounces back from his worst season in the majors (5.54 ERA in 118 2/3 innings) with an out-of-nowhere All-Star performance in 2017. Its also po sible that the intensely competitive Peavy completely emptied the tank in the first 15 years of his outstanding career.107. Edwin Jackson, RP108. Dioner Navarro, C109. Kris Medlen, SP
110. Scott Feldman, SP111. Billy Butler, DH112. J.P. Howell, RP113. Chris Coghlan, OF114. Rickie Weeks, LF. Weeks produced nine homers and Minnesota Vikings Jackets a .777 OPS for the Diamondbacks this season, which might be enough to get more than a minor-league deal this offseason.115. Alejandro De Aza, OF116. Adam Rosales, OF117. Ro s Ohlendorf, RP118. A.J. Ellis, C119. Ryan Raburn, UT
120. Dan Hudson, RP121. Andres Blanco, INF122. Alex Avila, C123. Chris Capuano, RP124. Drew Stubbs, OF. Stubbs had 15 homers, 20 stolen bases and an .821 OPS in 2014 for the Rockies. Since that season, hes played for Colorado, Texas, Atlanta, Texas (again) and Baltimore. Hes produced eight homers and a .666 OPS in 137 games the past two seasons, and hell probably be lucky to get an MLB deal this offseason.125. Drew Butera, C126. Nolan Reimold, UT127. Alexei Ramirez, SS
(Alexei Ramirez)
128. Jorge de la Rosa, SP. The lefty was a reliable piece of the Colorado rotation for almost a full decade, which is a remarkable accomplishment. This year wasnt a great farewell (5.51 ERA in 134 innings), though, and it will be interesting to see what, if any offers, he gets on the free agent market. Hell be 36 a few days after the 2017 season starts.129. Jered Weaver, SP
130. Ro s Detwiler, RP131. Gordon Beckham, INF132. Sean Burnett, RP133. Jeff Mathis, C134. Matt Albers, RP135. Kevin Jepsen, RP136. Brian Duensing, RP137. Jonathon Niese, SP138. Gregor Blanco, OF. Blanco was a valuable, versatile outfielder for the Giants for several years, but hes not hitting the market at an optimal time. Blanco, whose average fell from .291 to .224 this year (and his OPS from .781 to .620), turns 33 the day before Christmas.139. Chris Heisey, OF
140. C.J. Wilson, SP. Someone will take a flyer on Wilson, the lefty who hasnt pitched since 2015, when he had a 3.89 ERA in 21 starts. His comeback attempt this summer was derailed by shoulder i sues. Hell be 36 in mid-November. 141.Casey McGehee, UT142. Chris Johnson, 3B143. Emilio Bonifacio, UT144. Eric O’Flaherty, RP145. Carlos Villanueva, RP146. Logan Ondrusek, RP147. Ryan Hanigan, C148.Tim Lincecum, SP149. Mat Latos, SP. Latos had a stunning 0.74 ERA in his first four starts for the White Sox in 2016, but his production quickly fell off the table and he was released. In his final 13 appearances of the season (including after he signed with the Nationals), Latos had a 7.09 ERA in 45 2/3 innings.
150. Jordan Walden, RP151.Munenori Kawasaki, INF152.Geovany Soto, C153. Alfredo Simon, SP154. Jerome Williams, RP155. Sam Fuld, OF. Rehab wasnt the cure for a spring training shoulder injury, so Fuld had surgery in late April and mi sed the entire 2016 season. Hell be 35 this November and hit just .197 in 120 games for the As in 2015.
…
This week in breakout prognostication features a pair of 22-year-olds loaded with potential. Both run the risk of not grabbing a starting job in 2018, but if they do, theres reason to be bullish on their chances of succe s.For the Mets, they have who might be their first baseman of the future in Dominic Smith, and in Baltimore, Austin Hays could round out a quality outfield and provide an impact bat to go with Adam Jones and Manny Machado.
MORE POTENTIAL BREAKOUTS: | |
Heres a deeper look:
Mets: Dominic Smith, 1B2017 stats: .198/.262/.395, 167 AB, 9 HR, 6 2B, 49 K, 14 BB
Smiths debut with the Mets didnt come until mid-August, and he started slowly. Through the end of that month, the first baseman was hitting just .164 and looked as though his bat had not come with Trishton Jackson Jerseys him from Triple-A Las Vegas, where he was hitting .330.
But come September, Smith improved some, hitting .227 for the month and slugging .464 after just .313 in August. As Smith adjusted, he hit for greater power, connecting for six home runs in the month.
But even with that slightly improved performance, Smith did not impre s enough to earn a surefire starting spot come spring training next year. But the good news is that Smith has the right tools to win the job easily.
Why he could break out: The befuddling thing about Smith has always been his lack of in-game power. As an amateur on the showcase circuits, he could put on a show, but when the Mets drafted him out of high school in 2013, that didnt translate. It wasnt until he reached Double-A Binghamton in 2016 that he hit double digits in the home run column over a full season.
But last year, Smith hit a combined 25 long balls, nine of which came in the majors when he was otherwise struggling at the plate. Thats an encouraging sign from a hitter who can spray the ball to all fields and batted above .300 for three consecutive seasons in the Mets farm system.
Smith turned 22 in June, so while he has always had a plus hit tool, the power is just now developing, something that is relatively normal for young hitters.
Yet even if Smith never does hit for much power, he has demonstrated in the minor leagues for several seasons that he can still be a significant a set with his bat. He has always hit for extra bases with ease, and though he struck out nearly Zach Davidson Jerseys 27 percent of the time with the Mets, Smith has a much lower average strikeout rate in his minor league career, so its safe to expect that he will adjust to the majors accordingly.
MORE:
Orioles: Austin Hays, OF2017 stats: .217/.238/.317, 60 AB, 1 HR, 3 2B, 16 K, 2 BB
Its good to remember that Hays was just drafted in 2016. He joined the Orioles this year from Double-A Bowie with roster expansions on Sept. 5 after Bashaud Breeland Jerseys only 166 games in the minors. So while his numbers at the major league level in a 20-game sample were not eye-popping, Hays is still a safe bet.
During his brief tenure in the Orioles farm system, Hays decimated minor league pitching. His .330 batting average in those 166 games cro ses three levels and includes a jump straight from the short-season New York-Penn League in 2016 to High-A Frederick and eventually Double-A Bowie this year.
The question for Hays is whether hell get the opportunity to stick in Baltimore in 2018, or whether hell be relegated to the minors for more experience.
Why he could break out: Hays is admittedly somewhat of a risky pick here because his minor league experience is sparse and his best bet to stick with the Orioles is if he can stick in right field, as he is not likely to supplant Trey Mancini in left or Adam Jones in center.
But if Baltimore is willing to bet on him and allow for some Jack Del Rio Jerseys of the growing pains to happen at the major league level, it could pay dividends, even in 2018. Hays had a .946 OPS in the minor leagues, so it can hardly be expected that he will not adjust to major league pitching in the near future.
Hays is a great pure hitter who can also hit for power, as demonstrated by his 33 combined home runs in 2017. Theres plenty of room for improvement in his plate discipline too he swung at about 40 percent of pitches outside of the zone (league average was roughly 10 points lower) while with the Orioles so even a modest adjustment here could make a large difference. Hays average exit velocity of around 84 mph sat three notches below the league average too, and as he works on making contact with more pitches in the zone, his quality of contact will improve. Hays made hard contact just 31 percent of the time during his time with the Orioles this season.
Next week: A look at who has the best shot to break out for the Padres and Blue Jays.
This week in breakout prognostication features a pair of 22-year-olds loaded with potential. Both run the risk of not grabbing a starting job in 2018, but if they do, theres reason to be bullish on their chances of succe s.
For the Mets, they have who might be their first baseman of the future in Dominic Smith, and in Baltimore, Austin Hays could round out a quality outfield and provide an impact bat to go with Adam Jones and Manny Machado.
MORE POTENTIAL BREAKOUTS: | |
Heres a deeper look:
Mets: Dominic Smith, 1B
2017 stats: .198/.262/.395, 167 AB, 9 HR, 6 2B, 49 K, 14 BB
Smiths debut with the Mets didnt come until mid-August, and he started slowly. Through the end of that month, the first baseman was hitting just .164 and looked as though his bat had not come with Trishton Jackson Jerseys him from Triple-A Las Vegas, where he was hitting .330.
But come September, Smith improved some, hitting .227 for the month and slugging .464 after just .313 in August. As Smith adjusted, he hit for greater power, connecting for six home runs in the month.
But even with that slightly improved performance, Smith did not impre s enough to earn a surefire starting spot come spring training next year. But the good news is that Smith has the right tools to win the job easily.
Why he could break out: The befuddling thing about Smith has always been his lack of in-game power. As an amateur on the showcase circuits, he could put on a show, but when the Mets drafted him out of high school in 2013, that didnt translate. It wasnt until he reached Double-A Binghamton in 2016 that he hit double digits in the home run column over a full season.
But last year, Smith hit a combined 25 long balls, nine of which came in the majors when he was otherwise struggling at the plate. Thats an encouraging sign from a hitter who can spray the ball to all fields and batted above .300 for three consecutive seasons in the Mets farm system.
Smith turned 22 in June, so while he has always had a plus hit tool, the power is just now developing, something that is relatively normal for young hitters.
Yet even if Smith never does hit for much power, he has demonstrated in the minor leagues for several seasons that he can still be a significant a set with his bat. He has always hit for extra bases with ease, and though he struck out nearly Zach Davidson Jerseys 27 percent of the time with the Mets, Smith has a much lower average strikeout rate in his minor league career, so its safe to expect that he will adjust to the majors accordingly.
MORE:
Orioles: Austin Hays, OF
2017 stats: .217/.238/.317, 60 AB, 1 HR, 3 2B, 16 K, 2 BB
Its good to remember that Hays was just drafted in 2016. He joined the Orioles this year from Double-A Bowie with roster expansions on Sept. 5 after Bashaud Breeland Jerseys only 166 games in the minors. So while his numbers at the major league level in a 20-game sample were not eye-popping, Hays is still a safe bet.
During his brief tenure in the Orioles farm system, Hays decimated minor league pitching. His .330 batting average in those 166 games cro ses three levels and includes a jump straight from the short-season New York-Penn League in 2016 to High-A Frederick and eventually Double-A Bowie this year.
The question for Hays is whether hell get the opportunity to stick in Baltimore in 2018, or whether hell be relegated to the minors for more experience.
Why he could break out: Hays is admittedly somewhat of a risky pick here because his minor league experience is sparse and his best bet to stick with the Orioles is if he can stick in right field, as he is not likely to supplant Trey Mancini in left or Adam Jones in center.
But if Baltimore is willing to bet on him and allow for some Jack Del Rio Jerseys of the growing pains to happen at the major league level, it could pay dividends, even in 2018. Hays had a .946 OPS in the minor leagues, so it can hardly be expected that he will not adjust to major league pitching in the near future.
Hays is a great pure hitter who can also hit for power, as demonstrated by his 33 combined home runs in 2017. Theres plenty of room for improvement in his plate discipline too he swung at about 40 percent of pitches outside of the zone (league average was roughly 10 points lower) while with the Orioles so even a modest adjustment here could make a large difference. Hays average exit velocity of around 84 mph sat three notches below the league average too, and as he works on making contact with more pitches in the zone, his quality of contact will improve. Hays made hard contact just 31 percent of the time during his time with the Orioles this season.
Next week: A look at who has the best shot to break out for the Padres and Blue Jays.
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Some visitors to the Rangers' Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, showed that they are disgustingly lazy and disrespectful.
Outside the ballpark is a statue dedicated to Shannon Stone.
MORE: | |
You might remember Stone's tragic story.
In July 2011, after losing his balancewhile trying to catch a ball that outfielder Josh Hamilton had to sed to Stone Ryan Neal Jerseys 's 6-year-old son.
The news of the tragedy rocked the entire major league.
That winter, the Rangers announced they would be erecting a statue in remembrance of Stone outside the home plate entrance of the park.
In the days and months since, it seems that statue has become a trash can and a dumping ground for cans and bottles.
A picture that circulated Reddit on Monday showed hundreds of empty cans, Solo cups and bottles piled on top of the memorial by people either Michael Dickson Jerseys too lazy to find a trash can or unwilling to lose their place in line to act like a respectable human being.
(Photo from Twitter)
It's unclear whether this is a recent photo, but it matters not.
This behavior is absolutely unacceptable and disrespectful to not only the Stone family, but the entire Rangers fanbase.
Some have raised the point that perhaps it's a tribute to Stone; however, the statue's proximity to the park's entrance gates would seem to imply that this was the final (yet, still laziest) resting place for items that fans are prohibited from bringing into the stadium.
And if it turns out to be the case that there are no trash cans in close proximity, that would be an egregious error on the Rangers' behalf.
The photo has caught the attention of the Rangers' PA announcer, Chuck Morgan, who tweeted Monday night that he intends to inform ballpark operations.
Sporting News has reached out to the Rangers seeking comment.
Thanks everyone, I will talk to ballpark operations people and I am sure this i sue will be taken care of
Chuck Morgan (@TEXPAMAN) Let's hope.
In the meantime, USE A TRASH CAN!
UPDATE: The Rangers have i sued the following statement to Sporting News.
"The Rangers certainly regret and apologize for the trash that Nigel Warrior Jerseys accumulated on the Rangers Fans statue at the home plate gate this afternoon. With thousands of opening day fans, many of whom had been tailgating, entering the park in the 30 minutes before game time, large amounts of cans, bottles, and other items that are prohibited in the park, accumulated at all entrances. Numerous clean up calls came into the maintenance department in this period, and the club utilized a large number of employees to continually remove the vast amount of trash that was L.J. Collier Jerseys accumulating. The debris on the statue was removed in a timely manner but it should not have been allowed to be placed there in the first place. The Rangers Fans statue is a cherished component of Globe Life Park in Arlington and the club will make certain this situation does not occur in the future."
Some visitors to the Rangers’ Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, showed that they are disgustingly lazy and disrespectful.
Outside the ballpark is a statue dedicated to Shannon Stone.
MORE: | |
You might remember Stone’s tragic story.
In July 2011, after losing his balancewhile trying to catch a ball that outfielder Josh Hamilton had to sed to Stone Ryan Neal Jerseys ‘s 6-year-old son.
The news of the tragedy rocked the entire major league.
That winter, the Rangers announced they would be erecting a statue in remembrance of Stone outside the home plate entrance of the park.
In the days and months since, it seems that statue has become a trash can and a dumping ground for cans and bottles.
A picture that circulated Reddit on Monday showed hundreds of empty cans, Solo cups and bottles piled on top of the memorial by people either Michael Dickson Jerseys too lazy to find a trash can or unwilling to lose their place in line to act like a respectable human being.
(Photo from Twitter)
It’s unclear whether this is a recent photo, but it matters not.
This behavior is absolutely unacceptable and disrespectful to not only the Stone family, but the entire Rangers fanbase.
Some have raised the point that perhaps it’s a tribute to Stone; however, the statue’s proximity to the park’s entrance gates would seem to imply that this was the final (yet, still laziest) resting place for items that fans are prohibited from bringing into the stadium.
And if it turns out to be the case that there are no trash cans in close proximity, that would be an egregious error on the Rangers’ behalf.
The photo has caught the attention of the Rangers’ PA announcer, Chuck Morgan, who tweeted Monday night that he intends to inform ballpark operations.
Sporting News has reached out to the Rangers seeking comment.
Thanks everyone, I will talk to ballpark operations people and I am sure this i sue will be taken care of
Chuck Morgan (@TEXPAMAN)
Let’s hope.
In the meantime, USE A TRASH CAN!
UPDATE: The Rangers have i sued the following statement to Sporting News.
“The Rangers certainly regret and apologize for the trash that Nigel Warrior Jerseys accumulated on the Rangers Fans statue at the home plate gate this afternoon. With thousands of opening day fans, many of whom had been tailgating, entering the park in the 30 minutes before game time, large amounts of cans, bottles, and other items that are prohibited in the park, accumulated at all entrances. Numerous clean up calls came into the maintenance department in this period, and the club utilized a large number of employees to continually remove the vast amount of trash that was L.J. Collier Jerseys accumulating. The debris on the statue was removed in a timely manner but it should not have been allowed to be placed there in the first place. The Rangers Fans statue is a cherished component of Globe Life Park in Arlington and the club will make certain this situation does not occur in the future.”
…
