Zimmer of hope
Nats N t slugger l recaptures t his old fantasy magic
IF YOU hhadd RRyan ZiZimmerman on your radar heading into the season, you either have psychic abilities or you still think it is 2013, and still are incessantly humming “Blurred Lines.”
There was areas on your competitors chuckled and said, “Yeah, good luck with that one” when you drafted him this year. That is because the longtime National was the 40 th ranked first baseman (355 overall) with an average draft position of 362.0, according to Fan tasyPros. He fell by the wayside in recent years because injuries got in the way of his potential success.
But, for those owners who drafted him (or quickly scooped him up off waiver sat the first sign of life), his red-hot start is paying off, and it probably is impossible to wipe the annoying grin off their faces.
Heading into Friday’s action, Zimmerman was leading the league in batting average (.424), RBIs (30), hits (42), slugging percentage (.859) and OPS (1.326). He also was tied for the National League lead in homers (11), tied for fourth in the majors in runs (25), and tied for third in doubles (10) and on-base percentage (.468). He also had an 11-game hit streak.
This is like ordering a 20-piece McNuggets at McDonald’s and getting 21, as well as that one deformed McNugget that looks like two stuck together. It didn’t cost you extra, and it tastes just as good (if not better).
So, here is the million-dollar question: Can Zimmerman keep this up? No. Well, at least not at this pace. His .470 batting ave ra ge on balls in play (BABIP) is unsustainable and will level off, but there are numbers that support Zimmerman remaining a viable fantasy option.
Zimmerman’s hard-hit rate is at a career-high 46.8 percent (his career average is 35.2), and a career-low 9.1 percent of his contact hi s considered s oft . His line-drive percentage (23.4 percent) is above his career average (19 percent), as is his home run-to-flyball ratio (39.3 percent versus 14 percent for his career).
Zimmerman also is swinging more, and making solid contact — both inside and outside the strike zone (7 1 .4 percent outside the zone, 86.5 percent inside the zone). He is walking less (7. 3 percent, slightly less than his career 8.9 percent rate), but that can be attributed to his highest swing rate (44 percent) since 2005 (47.9 percent). He also is striking out in 21.1 percent of his at-bats, higher than his 18.1 percent career rate.
It also doesn’t hurt he is on a f irst-place team hitting among the likes of Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rendon.
All of this should leave fantasy owners hopeful for a productive season. The one thing that can derail this comeback tour: his health.
We’re talking about a player who missed 47 games in 2016, 67 in 2015 and 101 in 2014 with shoulder, wrist and hamstring issues. There is a chance he finally is fully healthy for the first time since playing 147 games in 2013. If he can keep himself off the disabled list, this will continue to be a resurgent season for a 32-year-old player — who hit .284 while averaging 22 homers, 83 RBIs, a .827 OPS and 140 games per season from 2006-13.
But, if the injury bug does come back to bite him and render him useless at some point, just remember you already got the extra McNugget, and it tasted glorious.