Prior to the season Brett Gardner was a popular selection for people looking for a pure speed option. There was talk of him hitting in the leadoff spot, making fantasy owners lust for the potential to score a significant number of runs.
Over two weeks into the season, Gardner has been nothing short of a major disappointment.
He is hitting just .128 with no HR, two RBI, five R and three SB over 43 AB. If those numbers weren’t ugly on their own, check out these stats to really make you sick:
- Three times caught stealing (only a 50 percent success rate)
- 29.8 percent strikeout rate
- .182 BABIP
The stolen base success rate is discouraging, but remember that he was 86-for-101 over his major-league career prior to ‘11. He’s had a bad start stealing bases, but sooner or later he is going to turn it around.
As for the BABIP, it is nearly impossible for someone with his speed to continue hitting to such poor luck. In 2009 (248 AB) he posted a .311 mark. In 2010 (477 AB) he was at .340. There’s no reason to think that he isn’t going to improve.
The strikeouts are completely out of character. The prior two seasons he had 16.1 percent and 21.2 percent marks. Over his minor-league career (1,467 AB), he posted a 19.84 percent mark. The fact of the matter is that this is an extremely small sample size and is not indicative of his skill level.
If someone in your league has grown frustrated early, I wouldn’t hesitate to throw an offer out there to see if they will bite. He has too much potential, hitting in a loaded lineup, to think that he isn’t going to be productive before long.
Is it likely that someone in your league is willing to sell low on him? Probably not, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to kick the tires and check in. If you don’t ask, you have no chance of getting him.
My preseason projection had him hitting .272 with 100 R and 55 SB. The fact of the matter is that there is no reason to think he can’t come reasonably close to those numbers, even with his disastrous start to the year.
What are your thoughts on Gardner? Is he a player that you think will rebound? What would you offer to get him?
Make sure to check out these other great articles from Rotoprofessor:
- Around the Majors: April 19: Ubaldo Jimenez, James Shields & More
- Injury Report: April 20: Logan Morrison, Alex Rodriguez & More
- Buy Low Candidate: Is Pedro Alvarez Already A Bust?
- Can Colby Lewis Return To Form?
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