SPECULATOR: Searching for the next Whit Merrifield
Feb 21 2018
An annual preseason rite here in the Speculator space is identifying a breakout performance from the previous season, and constructing a skills profile that might help identify candidates who could take a similar step up in the current year. It's always a fun exercise—and we always find a few hits along the way.
2017's poster boy? Whit Merrifield (2B, KC), who took over Kansas City's 2B job in May and went on to hit .288 with 19 HR and 34 SB; good for $29 in 5x5 earnings. Merrifield went undrafted in many leagues, making his age-28 breakout the type of find that can fast-track you to first place. A scan of Merrifield's 2016-2017 skills gives us a profile for this exercise:
Year AB HR/SB bb% ct% BA/xBA PX/xPX Spd/SBO ==== ...
Almost!
You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
More From Speculator
We follow up on some early (and mid) season speculations to find out what went right, what went wrong, and what actually happened.
Sep 10 2024 3:03am
Sep 10 2024 3:03am
Our annual exercise of giving out second chances to those who, frankly, stunk up the joint in 2024.
Sep 4 2024 3:04am
Sep 4 2024 3:04am
Things get weird in September. We look through some fantasy-relevant playing time experiments, with tidbits from the remaining schedule.
Aug 28 2024 3:07am
Aug 28 2024 3:07am
We play a game of before and after, looking at key skills rising and falling since June.
Aug 21 2024 3:10am
Aug 21 2024 3:10am
We continue last week's exercise looking at this year's rookie returns, and speculating on revised outlooks.
Aug 14 2024 3:04am
Aug 14 2024 3:04am
