Fantasy Baseball: 10 Hitters Expected to See an Increase in Production
Lorenzo Cain, OF, Kansas City Royals
2016 nF Score: 0.89
2017 Projected nF Score: 3.04
Projected Boost: 2.15
| Year | PA | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 434 | 56 | 9 | 56 | 14 | .287 | .747 |
| 2017 (Projected) | 555 | 73 | 10 | 65 | 19 | .288 | .748 |
Lorenzo Cain dealt with a couple injuries last season, one being a hamstring and the other being a wrist. So, it shouldn't be surprising that his 2016 numbers didn't fall in line with what he did between 2014 and 2015, when he was a solid five-category producer.
The center fielder's overall contact rate decreased from 82.9% in 2015 to 79.2% in 2016, but his plate discipline improved by quite a bit. His biggest dip in contact came on pitches outside the strike zone, which decreased by over 10 percentage points because he didn't swing nearly as often (35.1% in 2015 compared to 29.0% in 2016).
He still has enough speed to register double-digit stolen bases, but he's also now on the wrong side of 30, which could mean we may not see the 25-plus steals he gave during the Kansas City Royals' consecutive World Series runs.
From what we can see right now, the change in Cain's nF score is mostly coming from his projection to get 121 more plate appearances than the year before, thus giving him the opportunity to rack up more counting stats.
Current Fantasy Draft Information:
Based on his 130.29 ADP and being the 31st outfielder off the board, his fantasy stock has taken a major hit thanks to his 2016 struggles. However, he could also be a nice value option given his track record.
