One Man’s Trash: Andale, Andrés!

Few things in this simulation are linear – lasers, time, SAT answers, and the display of an EKG machine at death. But time isn’t truly linear due to Daylight Savings, although time is a man-made construct. Aiya. My head hurts. In baseball, from 1990 to 2004, Barry Bonds is likely the closest thing we fantasy nerds have come to experiencing linearity. Over that span, Bonds scored at least 100 runs with 100 RBI in all but four seasons. He missed out by five runs in 1991. 1994 was a strike-shortened season. 1999 was mired with injuries. He missed by 10 RBI in 2003. I think we can give him a little break that season because Bonds was 38 years old, had a 26.9% walk rate, and played in only 130 games yet still clubbed 45 home runs. L. O. L. Enough about Bonds! This Doyers fan is sick to his stomach. Andrés Giménez had a precipitous fall from grace in 2025 after three successful seasons. Was that the start of a new trend downwards, or was it a blip on the radar with a bounceback forthcoming?

Andrés Giménez is 27 years old, 5-foot-11, 161 pounds, and bats from the left side. He signed with the New York Mets as an international free agent in 2015. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 2021 and then sent to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2024.

The base-stealing prowess was evident early on, as he swiped 38 bases in 2018. The power was middling, reaching 10 home runs only once, and that was in 2021. Giménez was never a walker, as the BB% was in the 6% range. The strikeout rate was often sub-20%.

Giménez made his MLB debut in 2021 and accrued 210 plate appearances, finishing with five home runs, 23 runs, 16 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. The walk rate was 5.2%, strikeout rate was 25.7%, with a .133 ISO. The slash was only .218/.282/.351.

He broke out the next season, slashing .297/.371/.466 with 17 home runs, 66 runs, 69 RBI, and 20 stolen bases in 557 plate appearances. The walk rate was 6.1%, strikeout rate was 20.1%, and the ISO was .169. Over the next two seasons, he racked up over 600 plate appearances, scored over 60 runs, drove in over 60, and stole 30 bases in each campaign. The home run totals were 15 and nine.

Then last season happened – seven home runs, 39 runs, 35 RBI, and 12 stolen bases with a .210/.285/.313 slash. The 6.8% walk rate and 17.9% strikeout rate were good, but the .103 ISO was paltry. The main number, though, was the 369 plate appearances. Giménez missed significant time due to a quad injury early in the season, then suffered a high-ankle sprain in July. While he didn’t miss many games, the injury affected him.

“Anyone who’s had a high ankle sprain, they know”. Mitch Bannon of The Athletics reported in late February that it took Giménez six months to fully recover from the injury. All indications are that Giménez is healthy now, and a bounceback seems in order, as last year’s dip in production can be attributed to the physical maladies.

Barring another injury, it’s likely that Andrés Giménez approaches 600 plate appearances. For starters, Giménez is an excellent defender, so he’s going to be on the field. Giménez has won three Gold Gloves sitting on the shelf at home and is in the 97th percentile for Range (OAA – Outs Above Average) on Statcast.

Giménez is projected to bat eighth in the lineup, which is a ding for sure, but the Blue Jays are a potent offensive team and should get the lineup to turn over often. According to Fangraphs, Toronto is projected to score the fourth-most runs per game (4.93). Only the Yankees, Dodgers, and Brewers are projected for more.

Giménez also had a .239 BABIP last season. His career-average is .294.

While Andrés Giménez isn’t a huge power threat, around 10 home runs seems likely. But we want that speed, and speed is what we will likely get. Is it crazy to think Giménez can swipe at least 30 bags?

Last season, Toronto was 28th in stolen base attempts per game. But, but, but, prior to Giménez succumbing to injuries, he was more aggressive on the base paths than with Cleveland. Leo Morgenstern of Jays Centre broke down the numbers from Giménez’s early-season prowess last season well.

Only six players are projected to steal at least 30 bases. Only 33 are projected to steal at least 20 bases. 23 of those players have an ADP within the top 100, with 17 in the top 50. 14 are in the top 25! So that leaves 10 with an ADP past 100. Gimenez is currently being drafted as the 306th overall player. Only Bryson Stott and Nunez have a higher ADP.