August 22, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels left fielder Josh Hamilton (32) hits a solo home run against the Oakland Athletics during the fourth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Josh Hamilton: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Angels were a great team in 2014, but it was no thanks to the former MVP. Josh Hamilton missed 73 games in 2014 and seemed a little lost at the plate. Hamilton continues to swing and miss more and more with every passing year. His swinging strike rate is up to 18.9% and his strikeout rate climbed up to 28.3% this season.
An advanced age, a lengthy injury history, prior drug abuse, and a propensity to swing and miss all are concerning factors that make Josh Hamilton an inexpensive and risky option in 2015. In the slim chance that Hamilton remains fairly healthy next year, he could easily reach 80 runs, 20 homers, and 80 RBI’s in a very high-powered offense.
There is no chance that Josh Hamilton returns to his 2012 MVP form, but he could reproduce his 2013 numbers where he posted 73 runs, 21 homers, and 79 RBI’S in 151 games.
Curtis Granderson: New York Mets
I just have a good feeling about the Mets next year, and I believe that Granderson will provide more value for his team in 2015. The Grandy Man hit 20 home runs in 2014, but the Mets are once again moving in the fences at Citi Field. According to mets.com, Curtis Granderson had nine fly balls in 2014 that would have been homers with the new park dimensions.
A bump in power is almost expected for Granderson, but I am slightly concerned because he will be 34 next season. Of course, the power comes with a low batting average as he hit right around .230 the past three seasons. However, quality power is almost never available on waivers in a competitive league, so it is definitely worth remembering about Granderson’s 29 potential homers in 2014.
Bryce Harper: Washington Nationals
Harper is another leftfielder who missed a good chunk of games in 2014. A torn UCL in his thumb cost him a couple months as the young phenom managed to play in only 100 games. I think Bryce Harper’s 2015 per game production will significantly outplay his 2014 per game production. Harper turned 22 just over a month ago, so you have to remember that he will occasionally struggle being so young.
However, Harper really came on in the second half of the season where he hit .288 with 11 home runs after the All-Star Break in 66 games. A home run in every sixth game is on pace for 27 homers over the course of a full 162. Plus, Bryce Harper will only develop more power and skills as he continues to grow.
Harper will obviously cost a pretty penny on draft day, but he could blow away all of his anticipated expectations because he is such a talented ballplayer. On the other hand, Bryce Harper is probably riskier than most of the other picks in the first couple of rounds, but there is almost no doubt that 2015 will be his best season of his young career so far.