Jake McCarthy 2025 Player Outlook: More Playing Time May Not Boost Counting Stats All That Much
3 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy started 2024 in a platoon, mostly getting at-bats against right-handed pitching through July. Due to his lack of everyday playing time, a five-hit game in late July likely went unnoticed by many, but it would set the groundwork for a scorching-hot August. The left-handed hitter stuffed the stat sheet, amassing a .311-5-26-17-5 line as an everyday player in August before cooling off in September. The former 39th-overall draft pick finished with a .285-8-56-66-25 line with a .329 wOBA and 110 wRC+. With a career .260/.275 BA split against lefties and righties, a platoon situation shouldn't be necessary to begin 2025. If he pushes for 600 plate appearances then a 30-steal season is in the cards, but with a 2.7 percent barrel rate last season, don't expect many more home runs. The 27-year-old has lowered his K% each year in the league, down to 15.8 percent last year, and with a career BABIP of .328 he can outproduce his ATC-projected batting average of .265. However, he'll fall short from a fantasy perspective in regards to HR, RBI, and R which is why RotoBaller has him ranked at 237, a bit lower than his NFBC ADP of 228.