Fantasy Baseball: 10 Hitters Expected to See an Increase in Production
Jose Bautista, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
2016 nF Score: 0.18
2017 Projected nF Score: 2.84
Projected Boost: 2.66
| Year | PA | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 517 | 68 | 22 | 69 | 2 | .234 | .817 |
| 2017 (Projected) | 590 | 82 | 30 | 91 | 4 | .244 | .844 |
Jose Bautista couldn't have had a more disappointing year than he did in 2016, which took place right before he hit the free-agent market. His .817 OPS was the lowest it's been since his first full year with the Toronto Blue Jays (.757 in 2009), as was his .217 ISO (.173 in 2009).
However, his campaign was also abbreviated due to injury, and he did pick it up to finish the year -- after being limited to just 18 games between June and July, Joey Bats posted an .848 OPS with 9 homers and 26 RBI's in 202 plate appearances from August 1 through the end of the regular season.
And, most importantly, his walk rate was still among the best in the league while keeping his strikeout rate below 20% for the seventh consecutive year -- no small feat for a power hitter of his caliber.
Toronto's offense will look a different without Edwin Encarnacion in the middle of the lineup, but we're projecting another 30-homer, 90-RBI season from Bautista, which shouldn't be surprising. His homer-to-fly-ball ratio (HR/FB%) stood at 16.3% in 2016, which is right around his career average (16.7%) and not incredibly far off from what he did in 2015 when he slugged 40 dingers (18.4%).
Current Fantasy Draft Information:
Being taken as the 25th outfielder right now in fantasy drafts, Bautista boasts an ADP of 114.12, which provides incredible value -- and even some upside despite his age -- in the middle of the 9th round in 12-team leagues. Based on how he's looked so far this spring, he's definitely being undervalued.
