Welcome back to the 2015 Last Word on Fantasy Baseball Guide. Over the next several months we will be releasing player profiles, projections, position rankings, and a number of other articles that will help you dominate your fantasy league this season. Whether you play rotisserie or head-to-head; whether you have a standard draft, a snake or an auction league, and whether its keeper league or a one-year deal; we have all the fantasy information you need.
For the rest of our fantasy baseball profiles and articles, please check out our Fantasy Baseball Guide Page
FANTASY PROFILE: JORDY MERCER, SS, PITTSBURGH PIRATES
LWOS RANKING 19, CAPTAIN’S VALUE: $1.42
At age 27, Jordy Mercer had the best year of his short career. In his first full season as the Pirates starting shortstop, Mercer batted .255/.305/.387 with 12 HR, 56 R, 55 RBI, and 4 SB. He struggled in the first two months of the season, but turned it around for the last four months, and finished as a borderline top-10 option at short.
That stat line is probably the best we can expect from Mercer. While he did hit .285 in 360 PA in 2013, it was largely helped by a .330 BABIP. He might not be as bad as .255, but he’s probably not as good as .285. Somewhere in the middle is more likely.
Overall, there is one beam of hope and one of dread looming over Mercer’s fantasy owners. The hope lies in the double digit power, plus hitting in the ever-improving Pirates lineup, meaning he could possibly flirt with the top-10 at arguably the weakest fantasy position, making him mixed-league relevant. The dread lies in the presence of newly-acquired Jung-Ho Kang. For now, shortstop is Mercer’s job to lose, but the Pirates don’t spend money loosely. If Kang lights it up in Spring Training or if Mercer is struggling after a month or two, we could see Kang getting more and more playing time at shortstop, and possibly taking the starting job from Mercer. For now, Mercer is a late-round flier or $1 option if you’re near the end of a draft and a little thin in the middle infield.
| Year | Team | POS | G | PA | AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 2012 | PIT | SS | 42 | 68 | 62 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 0.210 | 0.265 | 0.371 | 0.636 |
| 2013 | PIT | SS | 103 | 360 | 333 | 33 | 8 | 27 | 3 | 22 | 62 | 0.285 | 0.336 | 0.435 | 0.771 |
| 2014 | PIT | SS | 149 | 550 | 506 | 56 | 12 | 55 | 4 | 35 | 89 | 0.255 | 0.305 | 0.387 | 0.692 |
| 2015 Proj | PIT | SS | 550 | 506 | 55 | 13 | 53 | 5 | 35 | 92 | 0.267 | 0.318 | 0.425 | 0.743 |
FOR THE REST OF OUR FANTASY BASEBALL PROFILES AND ARTICLES, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR FANTASY BASEBALL GUIDE PAGE.
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