It is no secret that 27-year-old slugger Franmil Reyes has struggled this year, leading to the Cleveland Guardians deciding to designate him for assignment. Fortunately for Reyes, teams still seem to be pretty high on his potential, as the Chicago Cubs have claimed him off waivers. Reyes still has a shot at showcasing his power and giving his career the resurgence it needs.
What Franmil Reyes Provides for the Cubs
Once a top prospect for the San Diego Padres, Reyes has always been a “boom or bust” kind of hitter. He will give you 30+ home runs while bringing in 80 or so RBI, but he also strikes out a lot. However, Reyes seems to be swinging and missing a lot more than hitting the ball out of the park. So far this season, in 263 at bats, Reyes already has 104 strikeouts (a whopping 37% strikeout rate). He also has cut both his walk rate and home run rate almost in half from last season. In 2021 his walk rate and home run rate were 9.2% and 6.4%, respectively. In 2022 those rates dropped to 5% and 3.2%, respectively.
One advanced stat that still looks slightly modest is his Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP), which sits at .309. This is around the league average. This means that when Reyes makes contact, there’s a solid enough chance that he will reach base. And in the past, when Reyes makes contact, these are the stats he’s capable of putting up:
2019: 123 hits, 37 HR, 81 RBI with a slash line of .249/.310/.512
2020: 58 hits, 9 HR, 34 RBI with a slash line of .275/.344/.450
2021: 106 hits, 30 HR, 85 RBI with a slash line of .254/.324/.522
With these stats, Franmil Reyes’ career stats per 162 games comes to 140 hits, 34 HR, 87 RBI, with a slash line of .253/.314/.478.
If Reyes changes his approach at the plate, the Cubs could be getting their designated hitter for the foreseeable future.
What this Means for Current Cubs Players
Struggling players like Frank Schwindel and Jackson Frazier could be seeing their time as Cubs come to an end. Schwindel is 30 years-old and has shown that his strong second half of the 2021 season was most likely a fluke. And Frazier has shown the Cubs that there was a legitimate reason for the New York Yankees letting him go for nothing. One thing is certain, the Cubs will look a lot different next season.
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