RADIO
Yasmani Grandal Sees Value Plummet In 2017
7 years agoYasmani Grandal had such a terrible season at the plate that he was replaced by Austin Barnes in the postseason. A popular sleeper pick at this time last year, Grandal saw his stock drop by doing all the wrong things that terrible batters do. He sliced into his walk rate (8.3% in 2017 versus 14.0% in 2016), increased his K-rate (27% in 2017 versus 25.4% in 2016) and saw his ISO drop from .249 in 2016 to .212 in 2017. His 2.5 WAR come solely from his defensive value which is derived from his excellent pitch framing…which is useless for fantasy purposes. Grandal could bounce back, but he’s unlikely to ever be a top ten catcher option. There are other prospects with higher upside (like fellow Dodger Austin Barnes, Francisco Mejia or even Austin Hedges) that are worthier gambles over Grandal. He’ll likely lose playing time this season to Barnes, though owners should keep an eye on a possible trade to clear his head and start somewhere fresh.
