RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Target ~240
CURRENT ADP: 296
ANALYSIS: Yonder Alonso raked in Oakland, which only has a 0.88 HR park factor for left-handed batters per Swish Analytics, and he now gets to play in Cleveland, which holds a 1.24 HR park factor for LHB. Regression is a logical reason that his stock is so low, but ignoring Progressive Field is a poor call. Especially since his power is exceptionally pullish (40.8 percent in ‘17) and goes right into Progressive’s advantage.
It’s also not fair to write off Alonso’s second half as unusable, as his fly-ball and hard-hit rates were still above what we’re used to seeing from him. His power-happy approach allowed him to destroy fastballs like never before, with his slugging percentage rising from .409 on four-seamers in ‘16 to .679 in ‘17. His slugging percentage against two-seamers nearly doubled, from .380 to .750!
He’s not a sure thing and you’ll be gambling just like Cleveland did, but the upside is worth it and his floor looks to still be worth the cost. This is the perfect buying spot for a guy in a lineup that Fangraphs projects to score 5.06 runs per game, tied for the fourth-most in the bigs. Get yourself a cheap piece of that action right here!
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