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For a player whose career has been defined by volatility and uncertainty, 2018 promises to be a more stable year for Kolten Wong. Entering his sixth season in the big leagues, the 27-year-old will be the Cardinals’ everyday second baseman without any questions asked.
While baseball as a whole swung for the fences in 2017, Wong defied the flyball revolution by pulling fewer pitches (38.3%, down from 45.1% in 2016) and hitting more groundballs (his groundball to flyball ratio rose from 1.35 to 1.51 last season). A career high walk rate of 10.0% led to career bests in OBP (.376) and wRC+ (107), but those numbers were also buttresed by a .331 BABIP, 41 points above his career average.
You can view VEB’s projections for Wong from last year in addition to his Steamer and ZiPS projections for 2018. How do you think will Wong fare this upcoming season? Let us know by filling out the survey below.