Fansided

Royals Sign Jon Jay: Fantasy baseball impact

By Bill Pivetz

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 06: Jon Jay #30 of the Chicago Cubs reacts after scoring on a double hit by Anthony Rizzo #44 against the Washington Nationals in the 8th inning during game one of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 6, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 06: Jon Jay #30 of the Chicago Cubs reacts after scoring on a double hit by Anthony Rizzo #44 against the Washington Nationals in the 8th inning during game one of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 6, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Royals signed Jon Jay to fill the void left by Lorenzo Cain. How will the soon-to-be 33-year-old fair in the AL Central?

The Kansas City Royals are clearly rebuilding. They let three of their star hitters test free agency. Two have signed with new teams. With a need in the outfield, the Royals signed Jon Jay to a one-year deal. He is a contact hitter with good plate discipline. Will he be worth drafting in leagues?

Jay had a good 2017 with the Chicago Cubs. In 141 games, he hit .296 with two home runs, 34 RBI, 65 runs and six steals. Jay spent most of the season either hitting leadoff or last in the Cubs batting order, explaining why his RBI total was as low as it was. He got on base without issue, career-high .374 OBP.

Jay posted a career-high walk rate, 8.5 percent, while lowering his strikeout rate two percent. He got the ball off the ground a lot more but wasn’t able to turn that into home runs. His groundball rate dropped 7.8 percent while his fly ball and line drive rates went up three and five percent, respectively.

More from Fantasy Baseball

Speaking of plate discipline, Jay swung at fewer strikes and made more contact on pitches in and out of the strike zone. Every team needs a hitter that will drive up a pitcher’s pitch count early in the game and get on base. Jay can do that for the Royals.

Now with the Royals, Jay will likely be the leadoff hitter. He’ll have Whit Merrifield, Lucas Duda and Sal Perez hitting behind him. Again, likely not a lot of RBI opportunities but if he gets on base, he’ll score another 60 runs.

The move bumps Paulo Orlando out of the starting lineup. I think Jay is a more of an upgrade in center field and for his new teammates in the batting order.

Jay ranks outside the top 650 for FantasyPros and doesn’t chart on ESPN’s top 300 for roto leagues. As a starting outfielder, he should move up on those rankings as his splits favor him.

For his career, Jay has a .289 average against right-handed pitching and .288 against lefties. While the game differential is big, 888 to 441, he’s capable of hitting both types of pitchers. This should keep him in the Royals lineup for the whole season.

Kauffman Stadium is not a hitter’s park by any means. It ranked 27th in home runs, 20th in hits and 22nd in runs. The park ranked 11th in doubles. While Jay doesn’t have home-run power, he can drive the ball to the gaps and bust out a couple of doubles. He had 26 and 18 in his two previous seasons.

Next: 3 starters to target late

Jay could also steal close to 10 bases this season. As the leadoff hitter, the Royals will likely want him to get into scoring position for the hitters behind him. Drafting Jay after pick 400 is value for your fantasy team.

Home/Fantasy Baseball