Sometimes we just aren’t ourselves. We have a bad break here, an unlucky streak there, we feel like nothing is going our way, so we get into a funk. I had one stretch like this while I was in college. It seemed like everything in the entire universe was working against me. It seemed like I was a minute late to every class, I studied the wrong material a couple times, I missed a letter grade in multiple classes by a fraction of a point, my car broke down, and I broke my cell phone. Hell, my fantasy team sucked too. I got into a funk.
Now, I know that some of these things are partly (if not mostly) my fault, and if I had been more responsible, things might have turned out differently. That is what I am getting at. I realized that I couldn’t predict the unlucky breaks or bounces, but if I stuck to my guns and started acting like I always had instead of being an irresponsible prick, then everything would work out. And it did. The next semester was one of the best I had in college.
What I’m ranting about here is that it’s possible to bounce back after a rough stretch and get back to being you and doing what you do best. In this series, I’m going to go position-by-position and talk about players who had sub-par 2014s who I think will bounce back in 2015. I am absolutely not trying to say that these guys are irresponsible pricks like I was during my rough patch, just that I think their respective 2014s were aberrations, and they still have some good baseball left in them.
First: Catchers, First Basemen, Second Basemen
Third Basemen Poised to Bounce Back in 2015
Brett Lawrie, Oakland Athletics
2014 stats (70 games): .247 BA, 12 HR, 38 RBI, 27 R, 0 SB
I am among the seemingly few people out there who thinks that the Brett Lawrie+prospects-for-Josh Donaldson trade between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Oakland A’s helps Brett Lawrie. Formerly a top prospect, Lawrie was seen as a potential 15/15 to even a 20/20 type of third baseman with an elite glove and the versatility to also play second base. Injury after injury and several trips to the DL have all but destroyed the stock of a player who looked like a potential franchise cornerstone just two years ago.
A reason I am optimistic about Lawrie, despite the move into what is considered a bad park for hitters, is that he will no longer be playing half of his games on the shag rug that the Jays call a turf. The hard surface of the Rogers Centre has been notoriously rough on players’ bodies for a few years now, and Lawrie thinks that leaving it behind will be a huge step towards staying on the field. Combine that with his skill set (when on the field he has posted a +3.4 WAR) and his age (he is still only 24), and I think that his best years are ahead of him as long as he can remain relatively healthy. If he plays 120+ games, he will easily be a top 10 third baseman, and one that can be had cheap in fantasy drafts and auctions.
2015 Projection: .265 BA, 17 HR, 75 RBI, 65 R, 6 SB
Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles
2014 Stats (82 games): .278 BA, 12 HR, 32 RBI, 38 R, 2 SB
Machado is another case of a top prospect and emerging superstar who has been slowed by injuries. His past two seasons have been cut short due to injuries that required surgery to the medial patellofemoral ligament (say that five times fast) in both of his knees. The second injury, suffered in August of 2014, is apparently much less severe than the first, as he reportedly has full range of motion back in the knee and is expected to be ready for spring training.
Despite the knee issues, Machado still has plenty of positives looking ahead to 2015 and beyond. Upon his return in May of 2014 from the first knee injury suffered in 2013, he struggled mightily for about a month. It appeared that the young third baseman was simply being overpowered and outmatched by major leaguers and wasn’t quite ready to come back. For the next 2 ½ months, however, he absolutely crushed the ball, slashing .307/.350/.505 with 10 homers and 27 RBI, until the second knee injury ultimately ended his hot streak.
I mentioned Machado’s youth. He is only 22 years old and won’t turn 23 until next July, making him younger than Mike Trout, Gregory Polanco, and Kris Bryant, to name a few superstars/prospects. He has plenty of years left in him to be the great player he has the potential to be. Considering that he finished strong in 2014, that third base is relatively thin, and the fact he has not yet reached his potential, Manny Machado could be a great bargain in 2015 if owners decide to shy away from him on account of the injuries.
2015 Projection: .285 BA, 17 HR, 68 RBI, 75 R, 5 SB
Also watch out for:
David Wright, New York Mets (the shoulder problems and swing-tweaking are a major concern, but if he uses the offseason to rest up and heal properly, we could see 15-ish HRs and 10-ish SBs from Wright in 2015)
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