Five Numbers That Sum Up The Season
1st Half OPS |
2nd Half OPS |
ISO |
Minors ISO |
dWAR |
.990 |
.458 |
.159 |
.161 |
0.3 |
What It All Means
It was a tale of two halves from Brennan Boesch in 2010, as he burst on the scene in a big way for the Tigers for the first two month of his career, leading to a first half OPS of nearly 1.000. But then, the bottom fell out as he limped to the finish line, with an OPS so low that players that post it for a season typically don’t get a chance to see the next year. So who is Boesch, really? Well, it’s hard to say. The fluctuation from first half to second half can be attributed to a number of things, including some worse luck (BAbip fell from .384 to .201) but more so a huge lack of power, with just nine extra base hits the entire second half. Put the two together though and he ends up with an ISO relatively comparable to what he did in the minors, indicating the two halves merged likely produce what Boesch could give a team over a full season . . . just maybe not so divided. Boesch also proved capable defensively in the corner outfield spots in Comerica Park, but by no means a Gold Glove caliber player in waiting.
What Does the Future Hold
The bottom falling out on Boesch for the entire second half of the season means that he went from being in the Tigers’ plans definitively for 2011 to being a potential option with a possible chance to compete for a spot in spring training, depending on how things shake out in the free agent market. The Tigers like the power Boesch brings to the table, he can hit for a fair average, and will be good enough in the field. But they’ll need to know who they’re really getting, Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde, before they can make any long term plans with Boesch written in them in ink. Until that happens, Boesch is more likely to be competing for a bench role.