Good day,
We are at the goal line of the 2022 regular season (to borrow a football reference). This season’s been nothing short of historic: between Aaron Judge’s pursuit of the AL home run record, Albert Pujols’ 700th homer, and the seemingly endless amount of rookie callups that have hit the ground running.
Before I dive into the second base review, this will be my last article until next season, and I wanted to thank you all for reading and commenting on my various posts. Hopefully, I pointed some of you in a good direction, and I also wanted to congratulate Irish007 and MightyNikolai for their great seasons in RCL#8, KirskeySports for crushing the Writer’s League, and Truss for his tireless editorial skills while dominating his RCL’s.
Booms:
Jose Altuve – Astros – At age 32, Altuve’s turned in one of his finest seasons with a 101/28/57/.295/.385/18 line despite hitting with a career-low hard-hit rate. The good news is he’s picked up his stolen base numbers despite spending time on the IL early this season with a hamstring injury. Looking under the hood, Altuve remains elite in the batting average, strikeout, and OBP categories. While his stolen bases won’t necessarily fall off a cliff a la Whit Merrifield, Altuve ranks among the top second base assets going into 2023.
Mookie Betts – Dodgers – Mookie bounced back from his hip injury last year to record a season that ranks comparably to his MVP seasons in Boston, scoring his typical 100+ runs, setting a career-high in homers, and stealing 10-15 bases. Unfortunately, Mookie won’t retain second base eligibility next year, but batting at the top of a loaded Dodgers lineup is one of the best places to accumulate fantasy value.
Andres Gimenez – Guardians – Gimenez came just shy of a 20/20 season (17 HRs/19 SBs entering play Sunday). A.300+ batting average and .373 OBP softens the blow of losing Francisco Lindor for Guardians fans. A couple words of caution: Giminez’s xBA is .260, so I wouldn’t expect him to bat .300 again next year, but Gimenez can still be a useful player for next year as he grows into some additional power.
Busts:
Jonathan India – Reds – India has been banged up all year and has a subpar 41/10/39/.245/.321/3 line. I’m chalking his season up to injuries and bad luck, as he’s not walking at his typical career rate and his defense has been poor. If all systems are go in Spring Training next year, I’m back in on him as he hopes to build on last season’s Rookie of the Year campaign.
Brandon Lowe – Rays – Brandon Lowe has had a worse year than Jonathan India, as his back injury has zapped a lot of his power. He’s another guy where if he heals in the offseason, I have an eye on him during Spring Training as he’s a big bat (particularly at second base) and has a great eye at the plate. Even in this injury-plagued season, his exit velocity and launch angle rates are similar to last season, when he hit 39 homers. If the Rays decide to move Lowe to make room for infielders Jonathan Aranda and Kyle Manzardo down the line, Lowe can potentially move to a more hitter-friendly venue. We’ve seen recent Rays-castoffs Willy Adames and Nathaniel Lowe thrive outside of Tropicana Field.
Luis Urias – Brewers – Luis was a popular sleeper entering the year, and has limped to a 52/15/45/.234/.333/1 line, even falling into a platoon at times. Urias will only be 26 next year, so he’s entering his prime and it’s too soon to write him off just yet. He has a strong Minor League track record and his price should be depressed entering next season. I’m more excited for India and Lowe, but haven’t totally given up on Urias yet. We could do worse for a bench bat, I suppose.
The Players Caught In The Middle:
Jazz Chisholm Jr. – Marlins – Jazz has flashed great power and speed skills before his midseason back injury. Furthermore, Marlins indicated he had been playing with a torn meniscus in his right knee in Spring Training. Of course, we’d like to see Jazz be completely healthy, but 25/25 is not out of the question next year and should be a top 50 player drafted in 2023.
Jake Cronenworth – Padres – Crone Zone took a step back from last year, but still registered a solid, if unspectacular, 87/17/85/.238/.333/3 line while playing multiple positions. As Fernando Tatis Jr. returns from suspension and Juan Soto becomes more acclimated to life in San Diego, Cronenworth should have less pressure to produce and should theoretically see more pitches to hit (similar to Michael Harris II receiving so many hittable pitches batting in the Braves 9 hole most of the year). Perhaps Cronenworth is more of a deep league pick, but he should be one of those glue guys that won’t destroy your team.
Jon Berti – Marlins – Jon Berti was one of the most valuable waiver wire picks this year, logging an unreal 39 stolen bases in 345 at-bats. At this point, we know Berti is a speed specialist. At the age of 32, has an elite 29.5 sprint speed. Berti will likely be drafted where Miles Straw was drafted this year, so his draft cost will increase significantly.
Thanks again for reading every week. Enjoy the rest of the regular season and October baseball. See you next year!
