Howie Kendrick

[Trot Nixon]

What is everyone's take on how Kendrick will perform next year. The kid is a career .359 hitter in the minors and has pop and speed to go with it...do you think he's still too raw to do some damage in the majors next year or will he break out? I guess the most concerning question is will he even have a spot at 2nd at the start of the season or will Kennedy be partrolling there?

I guess I just see if anyone has predictions on his stat line for next year...

[Music2004Man]

I'm pretty sure Kennedy is a free agent. The Halos brought Kendrick to the majors so he could get used to having the spot all to himself next year.

[GoatCurse03]

After being overwelmed his first time up, he rebounded quite well when he came up for good in July. His contact rate is league average, while his BABIP is pretty good, suggesting he could come down a notch or two--but I don't think so. As you pointed out, he hit 359 in the minors, and finished at 285 for the year after the awful start. That tells me he found his way to the improvement. His biggest drawback is the low walk rate . If pitchers find a hole in his swing he won't wait it out and that may cost him.

With Kennedy likely gone as FA, Kendrick will get 2B out of spring training, with 550+ ABs likely. Based on his track record, which we have to temper based on the line-up he hits in (barring some off-season moves), I would expect to see: .295-15-75-90-15. If they get another producer beyond Vlad, I could see the runs and RBI improving to make him a good lost cost/later round option.

[George_Foreman]

Don't discount his SB potential. He's got the ability to be a very good base-stealer, and given the team that he plays for, don't be surprised if he steals 30 next year.

[Havok1517]

People really like this guy and I can see why. He could be the next Joe Morgan except with less speed. Who knows?

[Niffoc4]

I kept him in a big league this year, but I'm afraid he'll be like Placido Polanco... good AVG but nothing else. I will be very happy if he steals bases and/or hits at the top of the lineup and scores runs.

[mikekim2121]

People really like this guy and I can see why. He could be the next Joe Morgan except with less speed. Who knows?

As bad of an announcer he is, Joe Morgan was a hell of a baseball player, arguably the best 2b in history. Let's not get carried away.

That being said, I think he can be a very productive player who should hit for a very solid avg year in and year out. But I'm not sure if its going to be an "empty" avg except for 20 or so steals, which I suppose isnt that bad.

[Old_Style]

People really like this guy and I can see why. He could be the next Joe Morgan except with less speed. Who knows?

ten bucks says kendrick can announce a better game than morgan.

[Old_Style]

i see kendrick as a robbie cano type player, with a few more sb's

[George_Foreman]

Yeah, Kendrick does have power. Even with his phenomenal BAs (which inflate his career SLG), his ISO has still been well above .200 the each of the past three years, which bodes very well for the future. This kid has been among the highest-rated prospects in the game for a while now, so expect results.