Justin Smoak 2019 Outlook: Slugger Looks To Bounce Back
5 years agoToronto Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak turned in a late-career breakout in 2017 but he found it difficult to repeat his success in the 2018 season. His 2018 campaign wasn't a disaster by any means, but he certainly didn't live up to the hype his 2017 season created. Smoak wound up slashing .242/.350/.457 with 25 homers, 67 runs, and 77 RBI in 147 games, all numbers which fell well short of his breakout the previous season. His strikeout rate also ballooned 5.2% up to 26.3%. On the bright side, his 14.0% walk rate was a career high. Smoak can't be trusted as a starting first baseman in mixed fantasy leagues this season, but he does have the potential to outperform his draft spot if he is able to land somewhere in the middle of his past two seasons' production. Rotoballer currently ranks Smoak as the 26th ranked first baseman. Smoak is still a value with his power at his current ADP of 232.