HITS
There were plenty of “hits” this season for the youngsters who swing the lumber. More than normal actually.
Tim Anderson has gotten it done. He’s walked 12 times over 89 games, that’s abysmal, though he’s hit .276 with seven homers, 50 runs scored and 10 steals. He was expected to steal way more bases though.
I'll add Alex Bregman here even though a .260 batting average and .311 OBP are terrible numbers. He also struck out 51 times in fewer than 200 at-bats, but he did hig eight homers with 32 RBI and 31 runs scored before going down with injury.
David Dahl has hit the skids so hard of late he has rug burns on his face, but he’s still been superb with six homers, five steals, a .316 average and .851 OPS for the Rockies.
Aledmys Diaz has been a superstar given that he cost zero on draft day. The 26 year old rookie has been off the charts impressive, despite my protestations, with a .303/.368/.513 slash line that is Hall of Fame level stuff for a shortstop.
Brandon Drury has been closing strong to push his slash line to .277/.326/.449. He has 15 homers, 48 RBI and 50 runs scored. A solid effort, even if it doesn’t stand out.
Travis Jankowski stole 30 bases – off waivers. The two homers, 12 RBI and .245 batting average are all terrible numbers.
Tommy Joseph blasted 21 homers in just 303 at-bats. His .309 OBP stinks, but his .518 SLG impresses.
I guess I’ll add in Max Kepler. He’s only gone .232-16-60-50 but I’ll give him a kind hit cause of the fact that there were no expectations.
Tyler Naquin is still holding on to a .301 average, and he’s hit 14 homers leading to an off the charts .911 OPS. Out of nowhere greatness.
Nomar Mazara has been up and down this season but in the end a season with a .277 average and 20 homers is a win. Still, his .765 OPS doesn’t stand out and just 37 walks, and 57 runs scored are very average marks for a guy with 139 games played.
Jose Peraza has been impressive hitting .324 with 16 steals over the course of just 63 games. The Reds should have played him more.
Ryan Schimpf has blasted 19 homers with 47 RBI and 46 runs scored in exactly half a season of games (81). He’s hitting a sickly .220 but his OPS is a still impressive .875.
Gary Sanchez has been a MONSTER. Yep, totally worth using all caps for a man who has hit .333 with 19 homers and 38 RBI over just 44 games. It’s a remarkable run for a rookie that we will likely never see again as long as we live.
Corey Seager has gone .315-25-69-101 with an .896 OPS. He’s been a superstar in year one, just as expected. He’s been even better than that actually. Marvelous.
Hyun Soo Kim has four homers and 17 RBIs in 287 at-bats. I’ll give him a pass and call him a hit though cause he’s hit .303 with a .378 OBP. This one is very kind.
Trevor Story went .272-27-72-67 over just 97 games. Scary bad 130 strikeouts in 372 at-bats.
Trea Turner has been Ricky Henderson. Turner has hit 12 homers and stolen 27 bases in just 63 games of action. That’s an absurd level of production. He’s also hit .342 with a .939 OPS. Just remarkable really.
MISSES
Orlando Arcia has stolen five bases over 46 games but he’s also hit just .212 with a .625 OPS.
Byron Buxton has been a monster since he returned from the minors. Alas, he was so bad earlier in the season that his slash line is still awful (.221/.275/.412).
Willson Contreras started hot and everyone had to have him telling me I was an idiot for being reluctant to endorse him. Over 232 at-bats he’s hit 10 homers, but he’s also hit just .263 after his torrid start. Could have put him as a hit, but given the hype I think he has missed.
Jeremy Hazelbaker was elite back in April. He heads to the end of the season with a .242/.304/.495 slash line over just 194 at-bats as he fell out of favor in St. Louis.
Aaron Judge hit four homers in 27 games but he also struck out 42 times in 84 at-bats. Folks, he struck out on half his at-bats. #Brutal
Yoan Moncada has fallen on his face. He’s not even playing anymore after everyone thought he was taking over at third base for the Sox. He’s struck out 12 times in 19 at-bats.
Raul Mondesi has seven steals but he’s also hit .187 with 11 RBI in 42 games.
Joey Rickard went down to injury, and after a hot start his production dipped drastically. Rickard ended the year batting .268 with a .696 OPS. He stole only four bases and drove in 19 runners in 85 games.
Trayce Thompson was going to be an outright star. That’s what you all told me months ago. Whoops. TT ended the year at 80 games played because of a back injury, but even when on the field he hit .225 with a .302 OBP and .436 SLG. You paid a heavy price for the 12 homers in 236 at-bats.
Ray Flowers can be heard Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday, 8 PM EDT, Wednesday 7 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 9 PM EDT PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).