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Brandon Drury 2023 Player Outlook: Don’t Bet On Another Dominant Season At The Plate
2 years agoLos Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury had a surprising 2022 campaign split between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres. He slashed .263/.320/.492 and set career highs with 28 HRs, 87 RBI, 87 runs, and two stolen bases in 138 games, the most over his eight seasons. Drury was solid the year before, posting a .274 average and a .783 OPS, but owned a lowly .206 xBA and .348 xSLG. The veteran posted eye-popping splits in 2022 with a .298 average and 12 home runs over 52 contests at Great American Ballpark but hit .240 with 16 homers in 86 games elsewhere. Now, without the benefit of playing his home games in Cincinnati, Drury won't replicate his 2022 numbers. That's especially true when you look at his Statcast page- .240 xBA and .420 xSLG with 24.9 xHR. It helps that Drury can play all over the diamond, but he might have to share playing time with Gio Urshela and Jared Walsh, especially if he doesn't hit. The 30-year-old will never duplicate his 174 RBI plus runs, and he's never been fast enough to supply fantasy managers with steals (43rd-percentile sprint speed in 2022). Drury is not the player he showed this year, but his draft price (194 ADP) depicts a player with more talent at the dish.
