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Paul DeJong 2019 Outlook: Solid Three-Category Contributor
St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong couldn’t maintain his power surge in his first full campaign at the big-league level but did show he can hit enough to force his way into the lineup every day. His season was sidetracked early on after he fractured his hand in May. As a result, he was sidelined for the entirety of June before returning to hit 11 home runs in the second half of the season. Now with 933 major-plate experiences under his belt, expectations for DeJong’s production should be relatively clear. He’ll be a strong source of power -- he finished eighth among shortstops with at least 300 plate appearances in ISO -- and both runs and RBI. Though his 25% strikeout rate means his batting average is likely to lag, DeJong has shown the ability to draw walks throughout both his minor and major-league career. That should be enough to get him consistent at-bats in the middle of the Cardinals’ lineup, a good place to remain to rack up counting stats. Early ADP has DeJong tabbed as the 20th shortstop, pushing him outside the top 175 overall picks, which appears to be a reasonable asking price given his limitations as a three-category contributor.
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