Desmond Jennings
Bats: R | Age: 26 |Team: Rays | ADP:  25 (82)

Jennings didn’t live up to the pre-season hype, only hitting .246, 13 home runs and 31 stolen bases. Before the All-Star Break he put up a slash line of .231/.298/.353 and afterward he put up a slash line of .258/.329/.419. The primary cause for his resurgence was he started to become more aggressive and starting pulling the ball the more. The image below shows the hit charts before and after the All-Star Break.

What’s dangerous about this approach it leaves the hitter vulnerable to balls on the outer half of the plate. Most players who try to pull outside pitches roll over on them and become ground balls and therefore, outs. Want to see some visual proof?

During the first half of the year Jennings hit more balls on the outer half of the plate to the opposite field, resulting in a .233 batting average. In the second half, he had a .202 batting average. If he doesn’t make an adjustment this year I don’t see any major improvements coming in 2013.

With the loss of a lot of power from their lineup, the Rays are going to have to find different ways to generate runs. One way to increase runs is by stealing more bases. Last year Jennings, with his plus-plus speed, was 31 for 33 in stolen base attempts. If he gets on base a little more, (he has a career minor league OBP of .381) he could be a 40+ stolen base player. Also, if Evan Longoria can stay healthy for a full year, Jennings could score 90+ runs as well. Jennings has the superior physical tools necessary to be an elite fantasy player if he continues to make adjustments.

He’s currently going as the 25^th outfielder, ahead of Josh Willingham and Angel Pagan, which is about where he should go. However, he’s going 82^nd overall, ahead of Ike Davis, Eric Hosmer and Gio Gonzalez. I would rather have all three of those players instead of Jennings.