You don’t think Adam Dunn all of a sudden just forgot how to hit a baseball do you?
After all, this was something he was remarkably consistent at doing over the past seven years. During that time span, Dunn cranked out at least 38 HR every season.
Then 2011 happened, and that was the worse season any major free agent has had in the history of sports, let alone baseball.
Dunn hit .159 with 11 HR and 42 RBI in 122 games.
That said, how can he not improve?
If he hits .220 with 22 HR and 80 RBI, he nearly doubles his production in every major category.
Dunn let the mental aspect of the game eat him up, but it’s a new season, and having gone through what he did last year, he’s better equipped to deal with struggles.
The expectations won’t be as high, because quite frankly, almost everyone is down on him.
Make no mistake, Dunn will always strike out a ton, but in 2012, he will deliver numbers much closer to what the White Sox were expecting from him last season.
Kendry Morales’ Triumphant Return
Morales has been snake bitten by injuries over the past two seasons. After hitting a walk-off grand slam in May of 2010, Morales celebrated by leaping in the air and landing on home plate in celebration.
He broke his ankle in that celebration and before this spring, he had not played in a major league game since.
In 2009, Morales displayed his amazing potential by hitting .306, with 34 HR and 108 RBI. The following year, Morales homered 11 times in 51 games before his freak injury.
This is a big-time power hitter whose full potential we never got a chance to see.
He’s healthy now and ready to resume his enormous run-producing rate. Thanks to Albert Pujols, he can DH instead of playing first base and should be hitting with runners on base often.
Johan Santana Is Not Done Yet
The oft-injured Santana will likely slip in your fantasy draft. Be the smart one and snatch him up in the middle to late rounds. Santana had a rough shoulder surgery (repairing a torn capsule), and his innings will be kept down early in the season. Right now, he is making a transition from power pitching to location and command.
He was never throwing triple digits, but the velocity he lost was troubling. What I trust with Santana is his ability to control the corners and change speeds. It’s key for him and the effectiveness of his circle changeup.
Over the past two seasons, Santana is 24-18, so it isn’t as if he has missed an entire season.
He isn’t an 18 or 20-game winner anymore, but he has some value, especially considering where you can get him.
Ozzie is the Man to Fix Big Z
Big Z disgraced himself in his Cubs’ exit, but he still has nasty stuff. His emotions have always been his biggest problem.
Carlos, meet Ozzie Guillen.
The two actually know each other very well, and that is one major reason I placed him here. Zambrano has to respect the man in charge; it got to a point where that wasn’t the case in Chicago.
Whether it makes sense or not, he has a ton of respect for Guillen, and that will help keep his emotions in check.
From there, it’s about keeping that sinker down. If he does that with the lineup the Marlins have, he could win 15 games this season.
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