For today’s post I draw my inspiration from the spirit animal of this post, the incomparable Corey Feldman. There’s a couple of reasons for this; first and foremost his recent viral-worthy Today show performance. The general message of the performance was be yourself, dance like no one’s watching, and go for it. Yes, ladies and gents, I’m the Tony Robbins here at Razzball, looking to get you up and out there, getting yours. Seriously, be yourself Corey. Be. Your. Self…….That goes for you too Angels, even if the look in your eye is one of a captured animal who’s freedom has been stripped of them one Lost Boys themed orgy at a time. The other reason Mr. Feldman is such an inspiration for this post, his career. It started out bright, and successful, but quickly spun out of control, as the remainder has been a trainwreck. Sorry dude, but 80’s drug use is no excuse (cough, cough Charlie Sheen and Robert Downey Jr. did okay, if only for a little while). This narrative is not much different than the prospects we’ll discuss today. They too started their seasons with a spectacular run of success, rubbing elbows with the Michael Jackson’s of the minor leagues (That’s Tito BTW), on their way to great first halves. But that’s where the plot thickens. As they hit the second half they faltered, and the results weren’t anywhere close to their previous levels. So today let’s talk about some of these first half heroes, the ones that went full Cinderellay, as their production went pumpkin. Here are this year’s Corey Feldman’s.
Josh Ockimey, 1B Red Sox
First Half | .285/.404/.500 9 HR, 32 RBIs, 3 SB
Second Half | .171/.312/.352 9 HR, 30 RBIs, 0 steals
I hate to say it, but damn was Ockimey disappointing in the second half. Like seriously what’s the deal Ock? You’ve disappointed the great Ock’s of the past, particularly Doctor. It was nice to see that the power production, at least from a home run standpoint was even, but by the same token his slugging dropped 150 points! His batting average dropped well below the Mendoza line, and that’s not great from someone with split issues to begin with (OPS vs RHP .831 vs LHP .600). It is true that he started to see the shift more in the second half, but in the current shift happy climate, if that’s a hurdle you can’t over come you’re not long for this world. He went from being a true breakout, to more of a pop up guy with a bag full O’ question marks.
Conclusion: Move on
Dan Vogelbach, 1B Mariners
First Half |.288/.409/.504 12 HR, 49 RBIs, 0 SB
Second Half | .286/.410/.485 11 HR, 49 RBIs, 0 SB
Okay, so maybe his “second half wasn’t great per se, but his production following the trade to Mariners was (.240/.404/.422). Vogie was great in the first half, and had he been in the right organization, probably saw promotion by mid-June. Unfortunately he was buried in a stacked Cubs organization. So as a fan and owner of Vogelbach, I was more than happy to see him move to Seattle. Problem was he struggled mightily in Tacoma, hitting just .240, and not producing the runs he was in Iowa. Granted much of his drop off can be blamed on BABIP luck (.263), he still hasn’t looked very good in his first dozen MLB at bats. Still think he’s got the skills to be a good MLB DH, and utility guy in fantasy, particularly OBP leagues.
Conclusion: Hold
Harrison Bader, OF Cardinals
First Half | .303/.368/.520 13 HR, 31 RBIs, 7 SB
Second Half | .225/.300/.369 6 HR, 27 RBIs, 6 SB
Let’s get this out of the way, I like Bader a lot and still buy into his prospect status. That being said, He struggled once he touched AAA, which in his first full professional season you can’t fault him. While I don’t think Bader will ever be what he showed early in the season, I still think he has a chance to be a very useful fantasy outfielder, particularly under the guidance of a great player development program like the Cardinals.
Conclusion: Hold
Clint Frazier, OF Yankees
First Half | .295/.387/.485 7 HR, 34 RBIs, 9 SB
Second Half | .232/.286/.393 9 HR. 22 RBIs, 4 SB
Going into the second half Frazier was one of my favorite prospects, and I felt that the trade to the Yankees at the deadline would do nothing but continue to boost his stock heading into 2017. My general hypothesis is that Frazier would be one of the buzziest names in prospectin’ entering the off-season, that didn’t happen. Instead, he struggled in New York, and now many are wondering if he’s an overhyped prospect. Sounds to me like the right time to buy.
Conclusion: Buy!!!!
Ronald Guzman, 1B Rangers
First Half | .288/.357/.500 9 HR, 30 RBIs, 0 SB
Second Half | .262/.309/.401 7 HR, 37 RBIs, 2 SB
I’ve never been a big believer when it came to Guzman, and all in all, his second half wasn’t that bad. Actually in some ways it was better, but a 100 point drop in slugging fed the same fears many such as myself had, he’s not a power bat. Still wasn’t an awful showing, and the power point might be moot, with the suspicion of juiced balls.
Conclusion: Hold
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