Grading MLB's Top Offseason Acquisitions After 1 Month of Play

Grading MLB's Top Offseason Acquisitions After 1 Month of Play
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

MLB[1] fans are reminded time and again at the start of a new season not to put too much stock into a small sample size.

It's a long season, and what a guy does over the first month of the year is not always indicative of how his entire season will play out.

That being said, offseason additions are generally under increased scrutiny as they look to make a good first impression while fans expect them to immediately live up to the big-money contract or costly prospect packages they cost the team.

Things could certainly change in the months to come, but what follows are some early season grades for the top offseason acquisitions, be it through free agency or trade.

We kick things off with a quick grade rundown of the notable position players and pitchers who are not highlighted in the article, followed by a more in-depth look at the top 10 offseason movers.

This is not meant to be anything more than a quick rundown of how the top offseason movers are performing through the first couple of weeks of the season, so take it for what it is.

Note: Since the focus here is on offseason acquisitions, players that re-signed with their former team are not included. That means you won't see guys like Chris Davis, Alex Gordon, Dexter Fowler, Colby Rasmus or others in the following article.

2016 Stats

94 PA, .235/.298/.447, 20 H, 3 2B, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 10 R, 8/17 BB/K, 1.0 WAR[4]

Overview

The third base position was an absolute black hole for the Chicago White Sox last season, as a handful of players combined to produce a .226/.277/.345 line with 13 home runs and 50 RBI.

Enter Todd Frazier.

The 30-year-old posted an .806 OPS with 43 doubles, 35 home runs, 89 RBI and 13 stolen bases en route to a 4.0 WAR[5] last year as one of the most productive third basemen in the league.

While his overall numbers were great, he struggled through a rough second half that saw him post a .220/.274/.448 line, and those numbers are disturbingly close to what he's produced over his first 90 plate appearances in Chicago.

Frazier may lead the White Sox in home runs (5), RBI (13) and total bases (38), but he's hitting just .167 with runners in scoring position and has not yet been the steady cleanup hitter the team was hoping for behind Jose Abreu.

"I talk to him every day. He's fine. He's not, for me, somebody I worry about," manager Robin Ventura told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun Times[6].

Grade: C

References

  1. ^ MLB (bleacherreport.com)
  2. ^ 1.1 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  3. ^ San Francisco Chronicle (www.sfgate.com)
  4. ^ 1.0 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  5. ^ 4.0 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  6. ^ Chicago Sun Times (chicago.suntimes.com)
  7. ^ -0.2 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  8. ^ 0.3 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  9. ^ 31.6 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  10. ^ four DRS (www.fangraphs.com)
  11. ^ 51.6 UZR/150 (www.fangrap hs.com)
  12. ^ 0.1 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  13. ^ ESPN (espn.go.com)
  14. ^ -0.6 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  15. ^ 5.3 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  16. ^ Baseball America (www.baseballamerica.com)
  17. ^ Arizona Republic (www.azcentral.com)
  18. ^ -0.2 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  19. ^ 2.42 FIP (www.baseball-reference.com)
  20. ^ CBS Boston (boston.cbslocal.com)
  21. ^ 0.5 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  22. ^ 4.23 FIP (www.baseball-reference.com)
  23. ^ worst defense in baseball (www.fangraphs.com)
  24. ^ SF Examiner (www.sfexaminer.com)
  25. ^ -0.4 WAR (www.baseball-ref erence.com)
  26. ^ 4.4 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  27. ^ No. 4 offense in baseball (bleacherreport.com)
  28. ^ .319 BABIP (www.fangraphs.com)
  29. ^ 35 strikeouts (www.fangraphs.com)
  30. ^ 40.7 percent strikeout rate (www.fangraphs.com)
  31. ^ Detroit Free Press< small> (www.freep.com)
  32. ^ 1.6 WAR (www.baseball-reference.com)
  33. ^ Baseball-Reference.com (www.baseball-reference.com)
  34. ^ FanGraphs (www.fangraphs.com)


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Grading MLB's Top Offseason Acquisitions After 1 Month of Play Rating: 4.5 Posted by: kriskiantorose

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