EVERYTHING’S TUESDAY

This one has a soundtrack.

Because charts go better with music.

I wanted to get these out there before we round out our preseason program tomorrow. Because the games start on Thursday.

These are the best hitters outfielders with the bat, and only Trout, Merrifield, and Betts ranked in the Top 10 all three years.

There are good hitters in this second group, but less experienced, or in decline.

Oh, here is some more yellow. That’s a surprise. Lots of breakouts on this block. Weird that Brock Holt and Kyle Tucker are tied.

Brock Holt appears to be in a platoon at third base for the Rangers, surprisingly, which does make him a potential value in AL only leagues.

Lots of very good hitters in this group, with baby breakouts in their second years. The best, Dominic Smith, Clint Frazier, Nick Solak, Victor Reyes, Tommy Edman, among others, are surely thinking, is yet to come.

This list would be longer if it included all the players who didn’t play in 2020.

Randy Arozarena earned $7 in 76 plate appearances.

A lot of people like Tyler O’Neill to break out this year. Two straight years of increasing walk rate and decreasing strikeout rate will attract attention to a slugger. And woeful batting average last year in the short season will disguise what appears to be real improvement for a player who will turn 26 in June. His contact rate is still woeful, think a .225 batting average, but if the homers flow he’ll be forgiven that.

The best hitters here are the ones just starting out, looking for this year’s baby breakout to move them up a panel.

HOT TIP

Okay, this is more like a surprising pleasure.

A guy named Mark Kurland has a project called the Spring Training Lineup Tracker. It does exactly what the name suggests, showing the starting lineup for each team every day, with some notes.

He’s got some plans to color-code the platoon info (and does sometimes, hello Colin Moran today), but it gives you a quick and easy to absorb feel for who is playing and how the lineup is set up, which does matter as we draw closer to Opening Day.

See you tomorrow!

Peter