It has often been said that home is where the heart is. I can go all day on similar cliches but I am going to spare you and instead get right into the fantasy baseball talk. With the MLB trade deadline approaching in less than a month, the MLB rumor mill is beginning to kick up into high gear. One popular name that we will hear a lot about it is Trey Mancini of the Baltimore Orioles with the New York Mets being one team that he is rumored to being dealt to. Let's talk about Mancini.

 

 

 

Trey Mancini Fantasy Baseball Player Spotlight

 


The fact that the Baltimore Orioles are rebuilding is not a secret as they potentially could be the only team from the American League East to sit out the postseason. While Trey Mancini has a team friendly mutual option at $7.8 million for next season, I would expect to see him hit the open market and command a contract that does not fit with Baltimore’s long-term plans.

During the off-season, as I am sure you have heard multiple times by now, the left field fences at Camden Yards were moved in. While it has spurred a clear power reduction for Baltimore’s right-handed hitters, Mancini included, it is also a good sign to still see him produce at levels we had become accustomed.

As a base for comparison, Mancini played 147 games last season with 14 home runs coming in 75 games at home while he went deep seven times in 72 games on the road. What really stands out though is the batting average differential, .284 at home compared to .226 on the road, while his run production was not too far off (39 vs. 32).

 

 

On an overall basis, Mancini’s batting average has improved this season but the splits have remained; albeit not as vast. In 32 games at home so far this year, Mancini is hitting .294 compared to .264 on the road. What is interesting this season is that Mancini has four runs each both at home and on the road along with 14 and 17 RBI, respectively.

With an xwOBA of .397 and wRC+ of 123 is having another strong season overall while also striking out a career low 19.7% of the time. Once again, the quality of contact is good here as Mancini has a career high 11.2%-barrel rate along with a 12-degree launch angle. While it is still not high by any stretch, it does represent the highest (pun intended) level we have seen from Mancini in his career to the point.

The slight change in approach for Mancini with the launch angle has not affected him negatively, he also has a 43.7% hard-hit rate, but I would expect to see more than his eight home runs to this point.

A trip through Mancini’s expected stats reveals a .306 xBA but it is his xHR total that really stops you in your tracks. In what is, by far, the largest margin of his career, Mancini has an xHR of 15.1, which certainly generates some optimism if he is calling another city home in a few weeks.

Mancini is likely going to be traded at the deadline, or in the time leading up to it. It is clear that he has a lot to offer based on his versatility at both first base and left field while the DH is also available in the National League. The fact that Mancini is also going to be moved to a team in playoff contention with a strong lineup offering more protection and RBI opportunity should also make him a valuable fantasy option over the next two to three months.

 

 

 

 
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