Sometimes Spring Training isn’t so nice to Major League Baseball players.
The weather is normally nicer than what they will go to in a few weeks, but their bats or pitching arms may be a bit rusty. If you’re one of those fantasy baseball owners who values Spring Training stats, this time of year offers evidence of who might see a downward trend in production based on their Spring Training statistics.
Here’s a few players struggling through the rite of spring and may be in line for a tough 2016.
Kolten Wong, St. Louis, 2B
He’s young, so I should probably give him a pass. Despite his age, though, he didn’t do enough last year to warrant the hype for this season.
He’s the 10th ranked second baseman according to average draft position. His numbers last year and this spring don’t necessary reflect that optimism.
Last season, he registered 180 more plate appearances than the previous season, but only managed a .262 batting average to go along with a .321 on-base percentage. His home runs and stolen bases actually dropped, and his runs improved by 19. This is only his fourth season, so there’s room for improvement.
However, his spring looks worse than the previous two years. He’s batting .263, the second-worst mark among qualifying second baseman in the spring, and has only three runs in 13 games. He has no home runs, one RBI and only one stolen base.
He’s only played 13 games this spring, but if this is what we should expect this season, Wong will be a major disappointment for fantasy baseball owners.
Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1B
For what you would have to risk to draft Gonzalez, his numbers in Spring Training don’t necessarily generate much reason to draft him.
The usually dependent first baseman with an ADP of 60 has only played in eight games, so keep that in mind when looking at these stats. So far this Spring Training, he’s batting .190 and doing virtually nothing else in any other category.
The sample size is ridiculously small, so take his numbers with a grain of salt.
However, his numbers dropped across the board last season, especially in the second half of the year, where his batting average dropped by 19 points, along with a decrease in every other category.
Gonzalez may be seeing more than just a slow start to the spring, which would make it difficult to draft him for your fantasy baseball roster.
Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco, P
Bumgarner has been a consistent force in fantasy baseball, notching 18 wins apiece in the last two seasons. His ERA is always good and his strikeouts per nine innings is ranked toward the top of the best pitchers available in Major League Baseball.
Despite his previous accolades, he’s getting roughed up in Spring Training. He’s started three games and owns a 10.57 ERA to go along with a 1.70 WHIP. Batters are hitting a blistering .371 off of him during the spring.
His ADP is 24th overall, forcing fantasy baseball owners to be sure of their investment before drafting him. Is this a problem? Probably not, but it does worry me a bit. Bumgarner’s career Spring Training stats are far better than what he’s showing this spring.
Is there just less of a focus that will disappear when the season starts? Or are there underlying issues, like possibly an undisclosed injury?
I’m not sure, but if I was on the Bumgarner hype train, I would be a bit worried about drafting him in the second round after such a difficult spring.
