Tommy Pham: 2016 VEB projection

Editor's Note: Two years ago, Site Manager Ben Humphrey asked readers to provide predictions for Cardinals baseball players. Last year, he renewed that request, and although Ben is in blogger retirement, we at VEB are re-renewing the request to predict how the Cardinals will do.

We will not get to every player on the 40-man roster, but we will get to most. There will not be a defined order for the players, but players most assured of playing time will go first so we can let some of Spring Training play out. We will ask for standard stats. For hitters: Plate Appearances, Home Runs, RBI (gasp!), Runs, Batting Average, On-Base Percentage, Slugging Percentage, and WAR. As trying to figure wOBA on is very difficult, we will use a rough approximation based on OBP and SLG ((1.7*OBP+SLG)/3). For pitchers: Starts, Games, Innings Pitched, K/9, BB/9, ERA, FIP, WAR, and Saves.

Next up: Tommy Pham

	PA	HR	R	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	wOBA	wRC+	WAR
MLB	173	5	28	18	2	.268	.347	.477	.352	125	1.5
AAA	196	6	29	39	9	.327	.398	.503	.398	141	NA

In 2014, the mythical Tommy Pham, long rumored to be lurking somewhere in the minor league system, finally made an appearance in the majors. That was just a cup of coffee, however, and 2015 was set to be the year he announced his presence with authority.

But in the most Tommy Pham move ever, Tommy Pham injured his quad in Spring Training, keeping him off the field until June. And in the 2nd most Tommy Pham move ever, when he returned he absolutely demolished minor league pitching and looked like a potential multi-tool stud. In 173 MLB plate appearances, he finally delivered the kind of production that Phans long believed he could. (Is "Phans" a thing? Oh well, I stand by it.)

Will 2016 be the year Tommy Pham takes another step forward, either in production or in playing time? Or will injury and/or limited playing time hold him back?

Thanks for your help. It is possible you might have missed a few projections so far, please visit our projections section or click on the links to the rest of the players below as they only take a few minutes.