Manuel Margot is another guy who has made some changes to his approach, but we've already seen them in action.
Margot's numbers last year certainly weren't bad for a guy in his age-22 season as he hit .263/.313/.409 with 13 home runs and 17 steals. That's productive as is. But in the second half, he took off thanks to an increase in his fly-ball rate.
| Margot in 2017 | Hard-Hit Rate | Fly-Ball Rate | Isolated Slugging |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Half | 22.4% | 31.3% | 0.129 |
| Second Half | 28.1% | 40.8% | 0.161 |
The isolated slugging going up is encouraging, but seeing the batted-ball numbers validate the rise can make us feel extra cozy about Margot's outlook for 2018 and beyond.
If Margot can maintain his launch-angle gains -- and a piece on FanGraphs by Eno Sarris suggests he should keep a good chunk of them -- his power upside will go up. Add onto that his ability to get steals and avoid a mountainous strikeout rate, and he seems primed for a big year. It doesn't hurt having improved bats behind him in Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer.
Margot still carries prospect hype, so he's not free. But there's enough potential in his bat and legs to buy regardless. We could see a true breakout in 2018, and if that happens, the cost will go up in a hurry.