SPECULATOR: Skills searching for roles, 2019

One year ago today, this was Jesús Aguilar's season-to-date stat line:

AB   AVG  R  RBI  HR  SB
==  ====  =  ===  ==  ==
38  .421  8   7    1   0

Aguilar made the Opening Day roster, but was mostly a platoon bat off the bench at this point. Then Eric Thames tore a ligament in his thumb, and as detailed in an April 26, 2018 PT Today column, Aguilar was given the everyday role. He took the job and ran with a .274-35-108 breakout performance that didn't really get started until May. The skills were there—we tagged Aguilar with an "UP: 30 HR" in the 2018 Baseball Forecaster—he just needed a chance.

Moral of the story? It's still really early. While we're all itching to dissect the April returns—we've been guilty of making snap judgments...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Speculator

Our annual exercise pitting current players on the age-old 10-step path to prospect stardom list.
Jun 11 2025 3:06am
Two-plus months into the season, we'll use QBaB to see who's making the best quality of contact, and speculate on their outlook going forward.
Jun 4 2025 3:09am
After last week's in-season "UP"side column, it's time to strike a more pessimistic tune.
May 28 2025 3:07am
We'll take a page from the Baseball Forecaster with a new batch of "UP"side projections based on 2025's early returns.
May 21 2025 3:06am
Starters who have had one (just one!) bad start, and what things would look like if we give them a mulligan
May 14 2025 3:10am

Tools