With this slow start, are the days of Jose Ramirez being a fantasy force gone? Speaking of his struggles, what about those of Kris Bryant? Is the Cubs former superstar also in a rut that he can’t extricate himself from? What are the Reds doing with phenom Nick Senzel? Shohei Ohtani is on the precipice of returning to the lineup for the Angels. Clint Frazier has made a speed return from his ankle issue. Meanwhile, David Price has hit the DL with an out of nowhere injury.
HOW BAD IS JOSE RAMIREZ?
Jose Ramirez was really good in 2016 going .312-11-76-84-22.
Jose Ramirez was a stud in 2017 going .318-29-83107-17.
Jose Ramirez was a superstar in 2018 going .270-39-105-110-34.
The last two seasons, an average Ramirez effort is .294-34-94-108-26.
The last two years an average Mike Trout season is .309-36-76-96-23.
Yep, Ramirez was better than Mike Trout the last two seasons.
So, is Ramirez, who struggled at the end of last season and the start of this season, really awful? Just what is he currently on pace to accomplish this season? Everything is awful, except for the steals which are tremendous. With nine theft to this point he’ son pace for a season of .200-10-45-65-45.
Let’s do a comparison. Through games on May 5th this season I will listed Ramirez’s numbers. For games through May 5th last season I will list some numbers of a player who shall remain nameless for the moment (thanks to Kyle Elfrink my co-host on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio for pointing out this comparison last Friday).
|
Through May 5th |
AVG |
HR |
RBI |
RUNS |
OPS |
wOBA |
|
Ramirez |
.200 |
2 |
9 |
13 |
.592 |
.263 |
|
Player A |
.165 |
3 |
13 |
12 |
.639 |
.289 |
Pretty damn close, right?
How did Player A do when it was all said and done last season?
Matt Carpenter went .257-36-81-111. I’m not saying that Ramirez will match those numbers, but isn’t it instructive to take into account that at this point last year folks were giving up on Carpenter? Those that were patient were able to get a career best homers and runs scored mark from the infielder while he was just three RBI off his career best there. Perhaps not all hope is lost with Ramirez?
Just where is Ramirez at the moment?
His current launch angle of 18.4 percent is a mere 0.4 percent lower than last season.
His current barrel rate of 8.0 percent is just have a percent off his mark of 8.5 last season.
His current exit velocity is 90.7 mph which would be a five-year high.
His hard-hit rate is 36.0 percent. That would be a five year best.
Actually, his current expected batting average is only .010 points lower than last season while his expected SLG is just .030 points lower.
Add that all up, and honestly, Ramirez is nowhere near as far off his effort of last season as it would appear at the moment.
Everyone is talking about Ramirez struggling versus off-speed stuff, but few seem to be noting that he current has a .098 batting average on the 51 at-bats that have ended on a 4-seam fastball. He’s been out of sorts at the dish as his swinging strike rate on pitches outside the strike zone is 28.6 percent, well above the 23 percent mark he’s posted the last four years on the pitch.
Hold if you own. Buy on the down-low if you can.
Here is a review of how FAAB ran the past weekend.
SENZEL SITUATION
As I write this, Nick Senzel is blasting away against the Giants with two homers in his first three at-bats off Drew Pomeranz. However, as we’ve seen with Jesse Winker and Joey Votto, the Reds simply don’t seem to know how they want their batting order to play out. They need to choose a lineup and let it play, instead of constantly swapping things around every single day. Let’s take the case of Senzel. Here are his spots in the batting order in his four big-league games: Game 1 (second), Game 2 (sixth), Game 3 (fifth) Game 4 (leadoff). Reds, make a damn decision. Juggling players around isn’t a good idea. It’s an even worse idea when there’s a youngster involved.
I love Senzel and his skill set, as I’ve said and written repeatedly. I hope that the Reds use Senzel, Winker, Votto as their top-3 (they might be best off with Winker-Senzel-Votto-Eugenio Suarez as that would be LH-RH-LH-RH which would be ideal). We will see what they do in Cincy.
THE RANKINGS HAVE BEEN UDPATED FOR MAY.
OHTANI ON THE VERGE
Shohei Ohtani (elbow) is likely to be activated from the DL this week, and it sounds like it could happen as early as Tuesday.
Ohtani might be the every day DL, that’s the early word out of Anaheim, meaning Albert Pujols and Justin Bour will be battling for playing time at first base. If for some unknown reason Ohtani is available, add him immediately.
FRAZIER BACK FOR THE YANKEES
Clint Frazier (ankle) has been activated off the DL and will return to the Yankees lineup Monday night. While there’s a chance he will be batting for at-bats once/if the team ever gets healthy, he’s pretty much a must start in all formats with how he has performed to date. Not only does he have six homers and 17 RBI in 18 games, but he also has a HOF worthy .324/.342/.632 slash line. Frazier is rocking a .403 wOBA with an 89.8 mph exit velocity and a 14.9 percent launch angle. He doesn’t walk, but his 22 percent K rate has mitigated that concern in the short term, and we all know the hit tool is flat out legit.
BRYANT FINALLY FINDING STROKE?
Kris Bryant has a 10.3 percent barrel rate, a three year best.
Bryant has an 89.6 mph exit velocity, a four year best.
Bryant has an 18.0 percent launch angle, just slightly above the 17.3 percent mark he posted the last two seasons.
Bryant has a 37.9 percent hard-hit rate. That would be a three-year high.
Bryant has an 18.2 percent K-rate. That would be a career best.
Bryant has a .509 expected SLG, seven points better than his career mark.
Bryant has a .364 wOBA, just .018 points off his career mark.
So, for all of you that are panicked with Bryant, why are you so nervous? I’m still Team Bryant, and think now is an excellent time to add Bryant if whomever currently owns him is getting nervous.
PRICE TO THE DL
David Price has been sent to the DL with a bout of elbow tendinitis. It’s unclear how much time he will miss as this situation totally came out of nowhere. Sounds like it’s a minor thing, but we just don’t know.
Price has made six starts with an impressive 10.50 K/9 and his 4.20 K/BB ratio would be a three year best. He also has a 1.14 WHIP which is a direct match for his number from last season, as well as his career mark. He’s been as good as could be expected. It’s just a matter of how much time he’s likely to miss.
Ray Flowers can be heard Monday-Friday, 8-10 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). Follow Ray’s work on Twitter (@baseballguys) and be sure to listen to his podcast work too.
