Every year there are players that are expected to perform to their standards but simply do not. However, baseball is a long season where players enter and leave slumps. Some players have down seasons but they can always bounce back. This article will hopefully give you some hope for players who might have let you down in 2019.
Joey Votto (Cincinnati Reds)
Joey Votto, known widely as being one of the best hitters of his generation, had a down season. Votto is two years removed from a top two MVP finish and there’s reason to believe that he will return to his glory in 2020. Votto is a guy who you can always count on to get on base, however; his .357 OBP was down big time after leading the league in that same stat the three previous years. His OPS dropped below .800 for the first time since 2014. Even though he struggled in 2014 before his injury, in 2015 he bounced back big time, finishing third in MVP voting and slashing .314/.459/.541. With an average draft position of 268.8, look for Votto late in the draft for a low-risk high-reward.
Jose Ramirez (Cleveland Indians)
Jose Ramirez, who in 2017 and 2018 had top 3 MVP finishes, struggled greatly in the first half of 2019. He slashed an abysmal .218/.308/.344. Despite a second half surge of which he returned to his form before his injury, it was still a disappointing year as a whole. Ramirez is an interesting case because most people believe that he will have a bounce back year in 2020 since he found his swing after the all-star break. Therefore, you might find that he gets taken off the board fairly early. With an ADP of 19.6, you might have to take him early on.
Noah Syndergaard (New York Mets)
Noah Syndergaard had a bumpy, up-and-down 2019 season; finishing the season with a 10-8 record, 4.28 ERA, and a 1.234 WHIP. Thor was a part of a Mets' rotation that under performed in a war even though it held the CY Young award winner Jacob deGrom. Syndergaard had some very mediocre numbers last season but regardless of those numbers he still managed to strikeout over 200 batters and have a career high in innings pitched. Syndergaard could be a decent pitcher to snag in the middle of the draft and keep him as your second or third best pitcher.